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 Replies: 18 / Views: 2,007 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Hello - I found a nice guy on ebay selling uncleaned coins. He was nice - very honest, up front. I asked him if they were searched - he made no attempt to hide it - he told me he takes anything nice or rare he can see just sifting through them - he doesn't clean them at all to check for nice ones. So, his previous listing say upwards of 500 pieces in 1kg, which sold for about £120 (! greeks in the too!), but also that there are broken coins in there. So, heres his price to me: 100g, £20 (about 50). 250g, £30 (about 125). 500g, £50. Oh, and Greeks: 50 coins, £65 How does that sound? I think its good, even with broken coins (which isn't so much of an issue for me). And with the resell values - well, I dont think I can lose. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
I was with you until you mentioned resale value. Subtracting broken and low grade coins and realizing that there will not be 'special' things makes this a fun enterprise for someone who wants the experience of rolling in a bed full of genuine ancient coins, tossing them up and letting them rain down on you and trying to identify things that may or may not have enough detail to support the effort. If you want resale coins, buy better.
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Im not looking to: Its a hedge, if you will.
At 20p a coin for 250 - I could get one heck of a mix out of it. Ill ask him his price for 1kg - If it follows current trend of pricing, I might go with that.
Id need a BIG tub of oil for those.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
I'd want to see photos of the coins too if it was me. If you have one, feel free to post it here.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
I'll be surprised if there is anything in there worth the time and trouble of cleaning let alone resale value.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
I think the price might be worth the fun. Good Luck. You might end up spending more on the oil then on the coins...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
With a KG you might consider trying samples using various methods of cleaning and see it oil is better than water, EDTA or whatever else you can think of.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3229 Posts |
I say go for it! Of course its your money and I really want to see what you get for your money!  If you do buy, please post pics! I have always wondered what was out there in big uncleaned lots.  In the end it is going to depend what you get to determine the value of your money. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Okay, I've asked him, £65 shipped to my door, working out at about 26p per coin! Assuming that half the coins are broken ones, thats 52p a coin. Assuming half of those are slugs, about £1 per coin. Not much space to lose. After 500g, shipping really bucks up the price (£155 shipped).
Now, who can I get this as a christmas present out of?
(Im asking him for pictures of the specific lot as well)
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
I've always wanted to buy these when I see them on ebay, they seem a lot more expensive though than the deal you have got. I say go for it, at £65 you only really need to find a dozen decent condition common coins to make the deal worthwhile. Thats discounting the 'worth' you will get from cleaning, scraping, IDing and posting them here, I suspect they could keep you going for a long time. If your lot is decent I might see if I can get a similar deal from the seller. Keep us informed. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Well - If I do get them - I could put some for trade on the trade forum. Ancient starter packs for people who want to dabble - allow people to ask for specific uncleaned designs, even. Theres no way I could store 250 coins. I think most of the fun would be sorting and grading - I couldnt clean all of them.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Quote:
I could put some for trade on the trade forum. I'd probably be interested, I enjoy IDing 'difficult' coins more than most things in the hobby. I like the fact that the guy was honest and admitted he looks through them, everyone who has handled these coins since they left the ground has done this and any seller who claims otherwise is lying. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Im just waiting for a picture of the lot id receive - then the haggling will commence (Id have to use my parents Paypal, due to my age).
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
Ive got pictures now - I see a couple of alright looking coins int here, but its clearly been picked through. Still, Id love to have a look through it.   What are peoples thoughts? I think, looking at the quality of the coins, I could try getting it for slightly less (perhaps haggle down to £55 shipped?). |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
Quote:
I'll be surprised if there is anything in there worth the time and trouble of cleaning let alone resale value. My opinion is still the same. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
JW may well be right - I can see a few coins that look like they could be IDed but not many.
As with a lot of things this would be a bit of a lottery, they could clean up good or they could show little or no improvement, impossible to know before hand. Maybe think about it for a couple of days and let the initial excitement wear off, then see if you still really want them.
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Replies: 18 / Views: 2,007 |
Posted 12/01/2012 5:05 pm
