Limes

Not defending anyone here, but I think some clarification should be given. Is it allegedly or a fact? And if fact, see next… It does ofcourse. You also mention owner, above. So there is evidence out there? Why not share a but more about it? how would I know, other then a post which uses allegedly and presenting it as a fact?

Must be me, but I dont see any problems.... 🤣

Sorry to hear that DonnaML....

I never used vcoins, but there indeed is a lot of dealers that are on both mashops and vcoins. I think its because of what you said; mashops is presumably used by Europeans, and vcoins by USA collectors (generally speaking of course) and the shops want to offer their material to a broad audience. In general however, I try to only use retail if the coin I want is more expensive in auctions, which sometimes happens. And even then I only try to use European sellers. I do make exceptions, based on rarity, and price and of the circumstances are right and Fortuna is with me, I will try a non-European (or Swiss....) venue. So basically, my decision is based on: do I really like that coin, is it really rare and can I afford it (including fees, import taxes, exchange rates, and so on). If it's not rare, I will wait for a coin to show up in a favorable selling venue. The seller / auctioneer is determined by price, and I pay little attention to website functionalities and so on. Great coin by the way, lovely toning!

Yes, actually, financial institutions will be obliged to reevaluate their business in case like these; its AML regulation which I think is following international recommendations, or even international law (at least here, in the Netherlands, that's the way its applied). So maybe Roma had to insert certain changes which also affected their old accounts, and new accounts had to be engaged, perhaps to separate the enitity from the person/owner.

Im still waiting for my coins to leave the 'verzollungsprozess'... Any updates @DonnaML, if you have the energy to share, that is...? Edit: anyone planning to participate in their web auction, from 9 - 11 september? Another auction, with hunderds and hundreds of coins. Its [almost] an overkill!

I was waiting fo this one 😁

This julio claudio family tree still makes me Dizzy.... But I do have a Germanicus to share. If only he would wear the purple, who would have known..... And to be fair, it is thought that Caligula suffered from an illness and his behavior deteriorated. And having loads of his family members murdered would not have helped either.

The Circus Maximus: After the massacre at Alexandria. Looks terrible, but a very rare issue: I just love this reverse with Cerberus:

How does this work? Do they melt down some ancient silver, and then use the new dies to strike the coin? I dont pretend to be an expert, I am.most certainly not. And this would easily fool me. I only have a few Greek coins, and I think it helps to be more familiar with these issues, to be able to make a comparison. You had a bad feeling that way, and you acted on it, which is good. Theres no 100% guarantee that a collector will never be confronted with a fake. Its important to deal with a good dealer or auctioneer, with whom you can always discuss your concerns and is open to that. It.may take some time to discuss the matter and come to a conclusion, but its better than ending up with nothing.

Its working with me now!

Your first two pictures dont show, with me at least. Maybe something went wrong ,or maybe its just me. Anyway, great coins! I never had a thing for playing a music instrument, or bands or things like that. I somehow thought it was too difficult for me, or that I didnt fit the profile as a kid. Interestingly, its also not something I specifically look for, in coins. Nevertheless, I do have a few issues with instruments. Most noticeable is this issue of Octavian, bought because the reference to a significant historical event....! I need to update the description by the way.

Thanks! Great coins! Whats it like, collecting a 12Cs set for the second time? And your aureus of Titus is really nice. I have the silver denarius of the same type. Its as close as a 'colosseum issue' as I will ever get.

Yes and no. For coins, well, maybe, but not all coins of course. Some coin displays are nice and add value to a historical display about e.g. Greece. And then there are items that I cant see how they are to be given 'to the public', e.g. larger items,.or very fragile items. But I do agree that the use of storage of so many items puzzles me too.. Is it really necessary? For 'Scientific research', yes, but I do wonder of all those artefacts are worthy of such research. Well, Im not familiar with the world of research and museum storages, so its just a thought, an uneducated opinion. I think more learned members may elaborate on this. Ill stop now.

"Police are now investigating the theft of items including gold, jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones." Its all in the news article. This too: "Some of them ended up on eBay, being sold for considerably less than their actual estimated value." "None of the treasures, which dated from the 15th Century BC to the 19th Century AD, had recently been on display and had been kept primarily for academic and research purposes, the museum said. The majority of them were kept in a storeroom." the BM has thousand and thousands of items, many on display, even more in storage. Its also not Fort Knox, so its not a surprise that stuff gets stolen. The article also has a nice overview of earlier thefts. Its impossible to be open to public, and get nothing stolen, or even destroyed/broken. Same goes for your staff. People are people, and the circumstances of thrustworthy staff members can also change that they are more open to stealing. We dont know what happened. Also, the thefts took place over a long period of time, so its even harder to notice. I dont expect anyone to count all.the millions of items every night, to see if something is missing....

Whether that is the case or not (and I myself have no reason to distrust their answer), it's not uncommon, is it? There are also other dealers that purchase a coin and put it for sale on e.g. MA shops for much more, buy coins for their own stock, and so on. So why cant the auctioneer decide that the offering in an auction does not meet a certain reserve, either placed by themselves, or the conseignor. Only thing one could argue about perhaps, is the lack of transparency, and that can be irritating I imagine. I have purchased coins from retail sellers, for a much higher price than what they paid for it in an auction. I dont have the time to go through all the auctions and offerings, or at that moment have another target. So Im glad that I can purchase that coin from my favorite seller. Downside is I pay more then I would have, if I had bought it at an auction, but like I said, sometimes there's another target and I have to chose. Some call this doing business, but others dont like this practice. There was a big discussion about it on CT, in the past. (If anyone is interested, I'll try to find it and post a link to it.) There are positives and negatives about it, and everyone can think differently. Only thing that matters to me, is that I can live with the price I'm willing to pay. If it does not meet a reserve of some sort, so be it.

As a buyer: no. If a slabbed coin would be priced the same as that coin raw (but only the slabbed coin is available for purchase at that moment), and I can afford that slabbed coin, and I like it, I will buy the slabbed coin. And I will break it out 🙂 As a seller: I will not do that. Slabs are very, very expensive (shipping, insurance, the slab itself), and my coins are not worth that much, or of such high grade, that I will make a profit. Also, there's the difference between continents you have to take into account. Slabbing seems to be mostly appreciated in the US, and at certain auction houses. In Europe, most of the coins are raw. As a European, I will not sell in the US, but in Europe. So slabbing coins and selling them in Europe is pointless.

Late to the party, apparently. I'll blame that central European time 😁 This! I mean, I feel guilty (the feeling, to the criminal law variant) when looking at the Roma auctions, and liking the offerings, and deciding to place a bid or not. Knowing of the fraudulent behaviour. To some degree, I comfort myself thinking I'm in for the lower end coins, and not the higher end coins with potential faked provenances. Then again, like you said too, the dealer is caught, but the buyers support the behaviour... I think what's playing here as well, is that the ancient coin in question is something very special in terms of value, history, and so on. It's perfect for a prosecutioner to get exposure in media, and make a point. Sometimes sending out a message is at least as, or maybe even more, valuable then a specific person doing jail time. Maybe not for a public board, but this does interest me.....

Very nice additions! That Domitian is looking very good. And an Otho is a difficult issue to add, and yours shows a more then decent portrait. I guess you may have shown it before, and I either missed it, or my brain is out of office, but would you mind showing your Claudius denarius? Or do you perhaps mean your great sestertius your showed the other day? And, second question (after this, I'll stop 😁); do you happen to have photos, or a digital tray, of your old set?

Seeing the severity of the charges, and the plea and deal, Im wondering if there will be any jail time. What do you think, or is it too difficult to predict?

Septimius: Julia Domna:

Or try the 'snails in a pot'. https://www.npr.org/2020/12/27/950645473/whats-on-the-menu-in-ancient-pompeii-duck-goat-snail-researchers-say Im a bit hesitant, so let me know what it tastes like 😁

Personally, the whole process of slabbing and grading feels off when it comes to ancient coins. I can somewhat understand it when it comes to more modern coins. Slabs are for grading and maintaining the value of a coin (or, for some people, make a profit) which is related purely to the grade mentioned on that plastic case. But no ancient coin is the same in design, strike, style, wear and so on. So the 'grading' is absolutely useless in comparison to mass production coin that came out of a machine. I wonder why people buy ancients in slabs. First, I can imagine that for buyers who collect of collected US and modern coins in slabs, buying ancient coins in slabs is 'just the way to do it'. Second, it may give an extra feel of protection that the coin is genuine (even though its purely about the grade) and an imagined extra handling protection for the coin. Third, in connection with no. 1, perhaps for them its a way to hold on to the coins value. for future selling. And fourth, like Berk mentioned in his podcasts, there are buyers who simply go for that 'star' or 'Choice' on the label. Also, I do think there's a big difference between European, and American auction houses when it comes to slabs. There are almost no slabbed ancients in European auctions, unlike some US based auctioneers. Maybe its also a cultural thing? Like @sand, I don't mind buying a coin in a slab per se, if the price is right. I have mentioned before, that I bought a Hadrian Germania denarius from US Heritage. It came in a slab, but the price was right. It goes without saying I freed the coin. Like you, I want to hold it in hand. Unfortunately, the fees from Heritage were absurd, so it's very unlikely I will ever buy from them again. Another coin in a slab came from a retailer, based in Europe. The price was again great, and I cracked it open. The Hadrian was low graded, somewhere VF, and the other coin was XF, but who cares, not me. (I do care about Heritage's 'handling costs' and it still annoys me. A lot.)

What is great collections? Is it something similar to heritage? Add: American customers, as I understand from Berk, its mainly to attract US customers who are more familiar with slabbing of US coins. Whatever it is, downside is it has an effect on the entire market, when even low grade coins get slabbed to attract higher prices.

I am having a hard time to think of any interesting reverses of these short lived rulers... But I'd love to see some, and be proven wrong!