150 Ming Dynasty Coins For $1.25 Each - Is This A Good Deal?

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,149
coin_kid Valued Member United States 381 Posts	Posted 01/07/2018 8:35 pm Hi! I have the oppurtunity to buy about 150 unattributed Ming Dynasty coins for $1.25 each. I know the seller pretty well and they guarantee that they're genuine, which I trust them about. The coins themselves are raw with patina. They're also mostly Hong Wu Tong Bao. I know virtually nothing about Chinese coins, but I want to learn and I know I'll enjoy attributing them. But, at the end of the day, I want to know if I'll be able to get my money out of them and even turn some profit. After all, I don't want to wash $185 down the drain. As for reference materials, the seller recommended David Hartill's Cast Chinese Coins, a guide that he uses and that is available online. Finally, if I end up pulling the trigger, is there a way I should try to remove patina? I've heard people using olive oil on ancients, but I'm not really sure, Thanks for the help! Report this Post to the Staff

Spence Moderator United States 34425 Posts	Posted 01/07/2018 8:43 pm Quote: the seller recommended David Hartill's Cast Chinese Coins I agree. Quote: I want to learn and I know I'll enjoy attributing them I agree. Quote: is there a way I should try to remove patina? I disagree. Quote: using olive oil on ancients I agree, but it can be a little acidic. Likely your best choice is doing nothing unless they have bronze disease. Quote: I want to know if I'll be able to get my money out of them and even turn some profit. I disagree. The Chinese made gajillions of these (and are still cranking out decent copies, despite the availability of the real ones). "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
oriole Pillar of the Community Canada 5246 Posts	Posted 01/07/2018 10:00 pm No, do not buy them. Too expensive. I would not pay more than 25 cents each. Report this Post to the Staff
Crazyb0 Rest in Peace 10197 Posts	Posted 01/07/2018 10:19 pm Does your dealer drive a very nice newer model car? Most don't, because they honestly deal straight with their customers. Edited by Crazyb0 01/07/2018 10:20 pm Report this Post to the Staff
oriole Pillar of the Community Canada 5246 Posts	Posted 01/08/2018 07:44 am A few years ago I got a bulk lot of North Sung dynasty coins from Frank Robinson. They were about 30 cents each I think, maybe a bit less. Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 01/08/2018 09:33 am I have never been able to score lots of cash coins for less than $0.50 each unless they were mostly Qing coins. I agree that $1.25 each is a bit steep, but not unreasonable for a few coins. If you want a set of Ming coins and are on good terms with the seller, I would ask to cherry pick, pay for those, and be done with it. Early last year, I bought a handful of lots of thoroughly mixed Chinese coins (Wu Zhu, Wang Mang, Song, Ming, and Qing) on ebay for about $12 per 20 coin lot, and I'm not even sure if I'll be able to break even after cherry picking those lots. Report this Post to the Staff
wheatiefan Pillar of the Community United States 508 Posts	Posted 01/11/2018 11:17 pm I might pay $1.25 each for pick and choose, but not commit to an entire lot. I agree with Finn235 that you should instead pick a handful and start with those. I doubt your dealer has anyone else lining up to buy an entire lot of 100+ coins for that price, so they'll probably still be there if you want more. If you are interested in these types of coins, buy the book also. I agree there's almost no way you'd make your money back. Yes, you might enjoy spending a lot of time attributing the coins (or you might not) but there's not enough demand for attributed Ming coins for you to make your money back. I would also ask do you have any other cast Chinese coins? I wouldn't start with 150 Ming coins when Qing and Song coins are so plentiful. Another fun area is the dragon coins from the early 1900s. You could spend the same amount of money in multiple smaller lots over time and obtain a more diverse, fulfilling collection. I wouldn't clean any of these coins. Even with ancients, one rule is to clean only enough to be able to attribute, which usually isn't a problem for this type of coin. Report this Post to the Staff
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