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 Replies: 32 / Views: 2,540 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
Well that's a good question. The problem with ancient coins is that the same coin you bought for $150 dollars (lets say) could sell for $ 75 on ebay in better condition or sell at a fine European auction house for $ 500. This has been the case with several of my coins. I have also had the benefit of paying $ 150 dollars from a seller I have done business with a lot and seen the same coin selling on ebay for $1250. So thats a tough one. The best way in my opinion is look at completed listings of the coin you have in question and compare to what the person you are working with is asking. You can find completed listings here... http://www.acsearch.info/ Its a good place to start. If you are going to buy something and you are unsure myself or some of the other folks here can give you some idea, many have been into the ancient coins for a long time, some longer then I have been alive, so the knowledge available to you here one of the most valuable resources you could want. Always ask questions, get opinions, we enjoy a level of unprecedented comradery here, and remember there is no such thing as dumb questions, only dumb answers. We look forward to seeing what you come up with! I hope this helps. I would also hunt around on these sites.... www.vcoins.com and http://www.numismall.com both have wonderful sellers and many will work out a deal with you on individual pieces. My advice is to find a seller that has several pieces you are interested in and build a relationship with that seller, both of you will benefit in the long run. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
Do a lot of browsing, then you'll know what the prices are. Prices for ancient coins are different than US or modern world coins. You can't really use a chart for pricing. So, usually the seller decides the prices. Some of them compare what's already out there and give it a equivalent price. Because you can't easily sell a coin if it's over-priced. Sometimes you can wheel and deal with a seller, about 10-20% off, but not always. VCoins is a good place to look. So is ebay. Some coins are expensive for the type, but if you really want it sometimes you may pay a little more. |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
I agree. I collect Roman and Byzantine coins so over the years I have seen what they go for and what I would bay based on condition. An example would be for coins of Constantine and family. There have been so many struck that unless it's a rare example they sell for only a few dollars a piece. Even nicely struck example would cost less than $50. On the other had I don't collect Greek coins so I have no idea what to pay for them.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
Normally my modus operandi is to go to vcoins and used the advanced serch function... for example I might type in "Thebes AR stater" then when the results come up I sort them by price "lowest first"
Next I will begin browsing and click on any coins that I like the look of, there is some interpretation to be done because every coin is different. I will be looking to find well centred coins with decent details preferably on a fairly full flan and without any ugly scarring or encrustation.
By looking through lowest to highest I generally get an idea what I will have to spend to get a decent example... the lowest priced coins will generally be disfigured with poor details and I just skip past until I start to see coins that I find exceptable. I save the ones that appeal most to me to my wish list and keep my eyes open in the future to see if I can find anything better for similar money or anything similar for less money...and I try not to be impatient.
Sometimes you see a coin and it just jumps out at you and you have to buy it, sometimes you see one you were looking for and think that it is underpriced.
Using this technique if you are searching a coin that there are lots of you can make some fair assumptions of what you should spend. If the coin is less common then it is harder to know if you are getting a good deal.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4778 Posts |
I used to collect US as well but I found ancients were much more interesting when I started collecting them. They are all I collect now (along with the occasional medieval) and its been an awesome ride so far  Like the others have said, there are obviously medium/larger sized ones. Here are some from my collection (all are between 27-32mm): Ptolemaic Kingdom (a thick coin!)  Caligula Nerva Justinian I Oh and happy new years everyone!  Edited by VisigothKing
12/31/2012 2:00 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36883 Posts |
Quote:
BTW, if you stick around you might find that these Ancients can be very contagious. Bing sure hit the nail on the head with that statement! |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1411 Posts |
Happy New Year VK! Pricing is always hard with ancients... I just use my local stores pricing minus 10%... But my local store is a V-Coins dealer  , and as such is very good with the prices. and  , Bing hit the nail on the head. I'm a US/ Ancient coin collector, but that is unusual... most switch to Ancients only after a little while. Edited by Windchild
12/31/2012 2:05 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
You got some good advice above especially from Ancientnoob but remember that just because a coin is 2000 years old does not mean we will forgive it looking like it is 2000 years old. Many beginners go on acsearch and see a coin sold for $1000 but fail to realize that much of that price was condition and the reputation of the dealer. Add a few scratches and a bit of corrosion and you might find the same type for $100. Really mess up a coin and it could be $10. Developing a feel for what will and what will not separate the $10 from the $1000 coin is a great reason to take A-noob's suggestion and develop a relationship with a trusted dealer who really hopes to make a fair profit on the next 100 coins you buy rather than a killing on this one. In time. you may feel more comfortable making all these decisions on your own but most of us make a few thousand dollars worth of mistakes before we get comfortable with the concept. The is was and can never be a good price guide for ancients. There are thousands of types in thousands of conditions being ranked by thousands of collectors who have thousands of opinions. Buy what you want, pay what you will and realize that two of us out here will believe what you did was great or foolish based on our ideas more than on the way the coin itself fits some ideal of perfection. The best place for you to buy coins if from someone who thinks the coin is more faulted than you do. Finding him is the problem. An example: These two coins are the exact same type. Which is worth more? One is worn, one has some deep scratches and rough patches. One has more detail; one has better die work (style). Lets assume you like the second one more (most people will). How much more? Twice as much? Decisions like this are part of the game.   Now we throw in another factor. The coin below is a smaller denomination and a smaller diameter that the two above (quarter size rather than half dollar size). It has less wear and less damage so where does it fall in the price range of the three? Top? Bottom? Middle? We will not all agree!  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36883 Posts |
Great point of view dougsmit. Since I am not buying ancients with resale in mind, I have decided to buy what I like and not what is a smoking deal (because I don't know what that is). I have many years of experience in U.S. and modern world coins, so know the do's and don't there. Ancients are a new ball game so taking it slow and buying what I like is my approach. If I make a mistake price wise, no big deal, because I bought what I liked.
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Valued Member
 United States
176 Posts |
While I understand what all of you are saying about pay what you will and such, I like the idea of a price guide because when you find a steal IMO it always feels better but I also can understand simply loving a coin and not caring either way.. I have a few of those. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
If each of us here posted what we consider to be the biggest steals of our 2012 career, we would find others among us glad that they were not stuck with that lemon. That is where ancients are different from US coins. It is not necessarily the case that a VF if worth more than a F or that a 1909 is worth more than a 1910. The best deal is where both parties think they took advantage of the other one. In some cases, they actually did. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
This was by far my greatest steal... I got this from a local Antique shop...ask a "I might have an old world coin in my desk, what about a $20 bill?" SOLD!!  Sooo I am sure he made his money- and well I think I did alright      |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
All the above advice is good, all I would repeat is:
Buy what you like, even if your a noob some coins will stand out and will interest you - that way you will always enjoy the coins you buy.
Keep the value of your first few purchases low, its easy to laugh off a few 'bad' $30 purchases, its a lot harder to smile after a poor $300 purchase. Collecting ancients does not have to be expensive. Once you get a bit of knowledge you can, if you want up the value of your purchases.
Dont worry too much about what to collect, after you have bought half a dozen coins you will probably start finding yourself getting interested in certain Emperors, coins or mints. Most collectors have a 'one of every Emperor' collection that will never be complete, its a life-long pursuit and even if you reach 75% complete you've done very well indeed.
If in doubt, ask, there are no stupid questions and the people on here are keen to help.
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Valued Member
United States
176 Posts |
Might seem like an obvious question, but are fakes as abundant in ancients as they are with U.S. coinage? Thanks for all your help guys.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
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Replies: 32 / Views: 2,540 |
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Posted 12/31/2012 11:28 am
