KenDorney

I cant really display them properly any more, so I thought I would pass them to the next generation. I did keep a couple very simple pieces, nothing extravagant.

I'm a bit surprised not all have bids as yet. I think some will fail to sell despite the low opening prices. In the end I will probably get abut half what I paid for them, which doesn't really matter I suppose. Just that they go to good homes. We will see though. Many bids dont come in until right at the closing time.

Saying goodbye to my collection of antiquities. They are closing at CNG this Wednesday, some with bids so low I might have to pay CNG for selling them! Ah well. I'm sure they are going to good homes: https://auctions.cngcoins.com/auctions/4-854FRH/electronic-auction-529?categories=4-9PWI6&limit=48

You outbid me on that one! Great coin and nice catch!

Well, I have an example of senior...

This and the last few Leu auctions have been amazingly strong. I lost almost everything I bid on, which is a shame as there were some neat coins I wanted to add to my collection. I think I got one or two peripheral provincials of Gordian III. I am reserving my assessment of what I won as the status page for my bids seems to change depending on when I look at it. For a day or so I saw that I had won a number, but then the following day says I lost, so I dont know! This is probably a good indicator of where one might consign in the future though!

It's true, they will no longer be allowed as of January 2nd. I dont want to cut and paste an internal message, but reasons cited: A disproportionate number of inquiries and complaints vs. coins. No in house expertise to monitor listings. And of course, the cultural heritage debate. It's a shame, as traditionally antiquities were very often collected as an extension to ancient coins and I have always had a fondness for them. But, in the end things simply change.

No, I'm too young to retire (and like many dealers will likely keep going till the end). I just was not able to display them any more, and it seemed wrong to just have them boxed up.

I forgot to mention, because of a snafu my reference library is not in this sale but will be in another one. Lots of rare books there.

Having collected ancient coins and antiquities most of my life I've come across some pretty interesting items. Some rare, others very common, but all of them interesting (to me at any rate!). Some time ago it became obvious that I could not display and enjoy them properly any longer so the choice was made to pass these on to a new generation of collectors. After selling some and gifting others I am down to the last few items. The remaining items are being sold by CNG in their latest sale in 60 lots. Some of these artifacts are rare enough that other examples are not likely not be seen on the market again, making this a good opportunity to add to your collection. There are several interesting groups that will likely sell cheaply, so make sure to check them out. You can view the lots Here, or by searching 'dorney' at the auction page.

Provenance is becoming much more important now than ever before and this is one reason why so many collections are being named. As Rich points out there are reasons why some wish to remain somewhat anonymous. For me, my collections have never been world class so I have no issues with anyone knowing I'm selling anything. CNG is about to sell my antiquities collection and it will bear my name. And when its time to part with my coins the same. It's true, there is some ego there as well as that sense of immortality Rich also suggested!

I think for the most part NGC seems to grade wear only and not so much anything else. I think technically they are correct calling it XF, but only for wear. Its poorly struck with a lot of weakness all around, perhaps partly due to die wear. Probably right on the surface rating but the strike for me would be a 2 at the most. We all know Byzantine coins are hard to grade due to their poor method of striking, but for me personally I'd probably give it a net grade of near VF.

Milne is a great book, and one that I dont use so much anymore but maybe should. Problem with it is that the date position is not always spelled out, but like this one, "i. f. LI E", which I take to mean 'in field' but where? Perhaps the default position is left considering our western way of doing things but who can say. Also, Milne does have a Year 15 with Nike but advancing left rather than right (#4183).

Well, this isn't ancient obviously but I had to post it to the thread. Ancient inspired Cook Islands, once ounce $5. When I saw it I knew I had to have one. Its just lovely!

It's funny how some things are often completely ignored in the literature. Take for example the coinage of Alexander. Zeus is seen seated in the usual manner but in two ways, with his feet on a stool or not. Two very different types but the footstool is almost never mentioned anywhere! Even Price in his exhaustive work only gives it a passing comment in the introduction, but its not in the catalog in any way. Odd to say the least but it shows that some are interested in certain aspects but others find no interest.

Most catalogs don't discuss the exact placement of the date, so I think you will be fine with general reference numbers.

Here is a link:

Eh? It came through as a downloadable attachment. Guess you will all have to do that to view it until I post a YouTube link.

I primarily collect large bronzes (mostly Roman of course as there are precious few Greek issues). With the crazy market the way it has been I have not found much I want to buy. I can afford them, but choose not to any longer. I just cant bring myself to pay the prices. So, a little while back I picked up a neat Carinus with sacrificial implements reverse. I liked it enough I decided to keep looking for them. I've only got four so far as I am very picky. A coin can be worn but I like patina, surfaces and centering. For these so far I paid between $100 and $175 each. Still high for what they are, but I am happy and looking forward to collecting some more. IMG_4689.MOV

There is something one has to be very careful with when bidding in the lower tier auctions. Many of these guys have various associations with other dealers and bank account numbers can and do change. I learned the hard way a couple times that I need to double check precisely where I am sending the money to, otherwise it can go to the wrong account, thus creating delays.

I have a number of the usual suspects, but this is my most interesting piece (in desperate need of a new photo, but good enough for now):

I read this article when my magazine came. Quite interesting. While we will never know if it still exists or not, at the least there seems to be a plant from the same family that survives.

Additionally, I should mention Biddr is my preferred auction platform, both as a seller and buyer.

After being contacted by Biddr I was asked to clarify some things. First, it looks like I mixed up two different auctions, so the one I thought had many winning bids was actually a previous one. Oops! Also, Sellers cannot see a proxy bid in any way, those are completely protected and invisible to the auction house. I had not intended to suggest that proxy bids were visible. Perhaps I am simply suffering from auction exhaustion...

No, this is not the usual complaint of high prices being hammered the last year or so. This complaint is regarding a lot of shenanigans going on with the lower tier auctions. As many expect, there is a lot of shill bidding happening. One dealer was put on hiatus by Biddr as they were caught red handed. But that's not my issue. Just this past week: One dealer advertised a drop in their commission rates, a big 5%. Not bad, I think. I will throw some bids in. I only won a few lots, but when I got the invoice it showed that while the commission did go down their shipping fees tripled! That is a big red flag for me to never do business with them again. Next up, I entered about a hundred bids in an auction, all proxy. I didn't watch the auction live but did periodically check my bid status throughout the day. It was showing the usual, I was winning about 20% or so of my bids. Near the end of the sale I look and see I have won about 20 lots. OK, not a bad days work. When I get the invoice I see it only has three lots. Huh? What happened to the 17 others? As a dealer on Biddr I know how their system works and I assume the seller must have been unhappy with the hammer price and cancelled my other bids. I think I will be giving small auctions a rest for a very long while.