Budget coins under $100

[The_Collector]

I see that we get new members all the time on the forum now a days. I remember when I was new to the forum and hobby how daunting it was to see all these seasoned collectors’ collection of $500 to $1000 coins and thinking to myself “man there’s no way for me to get started that’s way out of budget.” So, I thought I would take the time to dedicate a topic to those new collectors or those budget collectors. My hopes for this topic are that we can post some of our coins that fall below the $100 mark and give some price transparency, if you feel comfortable with saying how much you paid of course. I will be posting some of my coins and how much I paid and where I got them because I think in this price range there are few materials that help you know if you’re paying a fair price (compared to higher end coins). Hopefully this helps out some of our new members get into collecting and maybe even some of our more seasoned collectors. I look forward to seeing some cool coins!!

 p.s. sorry for the less than professional pictures I’m still working on them haha.

The first coin is a denarius of Antoninus Pius. I bought it at a large coin show they have in my state for $50. I bought it for the cool reverse. Coin shows are a great place to find good deals!

 

This one is a denarius of Trajan that I also got from a coin show for $20. It is worn but $20 for a denarius is a steal in my book any day.

 

The last denarius of the group is one of Marcus Aurelius. It was a bit pricier but for the condition I think it was worth it at $95. 

 

The last coin of the group is a beautifully preserved provincial coin struck under Nero. I got it for $15 from a small local coin show. A good way of getting nice coins for a good price is to specialize in niche areas of collecting.

I hope you all enjoyed, found this post helpful, and will join me in posting some of your coins! As the post hopefully grows I’ll share more of my collection.

[Cordoba]

I really like Artuqid/Zangid figural bronzes, a lot of them are pretty common and affordable. Super interesting designs too

Zangids of Mosul. Sayf al-din Ghazi II, AD 1169-1180. Dirham
(Bronze, 32 mm, 15.56 g, 11 h), Mosul

Obv: Helmeted male head left; Kalima around.
Rev: Name and title of Sayf al-Din Ghazi II in three lines; mint
and AH date in margin.
Reference: Spengler & Sayles 61.1; Album 1861.2.

This was about $100 after fees, so just within the range. This type is based off of Side tetradrachms.

Artuqids of Mardin. Nasir al-Din Artuq Arslan, AD 1201-1239. Dirham
(Bronze, 29 mm, g, 10 h), Mardin

Obv: Male figure sitting cross-legged on throne, holding small globe.
Rev: Kufic inscription, citing the Ayyubid ruler al-Kamil Muhammad
as overlord.
Reference: Spengler & Sayles 46; Album 1830.9.

Gorny & Mosch Auction 294 Lot 1701.

From a group lot of 5, so this was $20 after fees.


 

Zangids of Sinjar. Qutb al-Din Muhammad, AD 1197-1219. Dirham
(Bronze, 27 mm, 10.48 g, 2 h), Sinjar. AH 596

Obv: Curly-haired male bust to left, sceptre over right shoulder.
Rev: Four-lined and marginal legends citing titles of Abbasid Caliph
al-Nasir and Zengid ruler.
Reference: Spengler & Sayles 81; Album 1880.2.

This was about $60 after fees.

[expat]

An excellent idea for a thread and some nice examples shown. I will share a couple

This Aurelian cost 40 Euros

And this Antoninus Pius cost 65 Euros

[CPK]

Yes! A vast budget certainly makes collecting more enjoyable but it is by no means necessary. Many people don't realize that ancient coins can be had so cheaply. And not just Late Roman bronzes, either! Deals can be had on a wide selection of ancient coins. Here are a few of mine, all purchased within the last couple years:

 

This one is quite pitted, but for $35 I don't think you're going to get one much nicer.

About $40 for this Divus Augustus: (had bd problems when I got it but it's okay now.) Still some lovely detail left on the portrait and the reverse as well.

If you want ancient Greek, here is a nice little one that cost a tad over $30. Artistic, well-centered and well-struck:

 

Who could forget ancient Chinese coins? These may not be as popular to collect, but they take the prize for being inexpensive. Most of mine cost under $15. This one is larger and older than most; I think it was $25.

 

 

[The_Collector]

These are some really great coins! Thank you for sharing. 

@Cordoba those are some really unique coins. How did you get interested in your specific specialty? I think your coins are perfect example of how specializing can get you some great coins at great prices!

@expat thank you! I’m really hoping this thread will take off for all of our members to enjoy. The Aurelian is a great buy and I really like the lightning bolt reverse on the dupondius.

@CPK those are some great Roman’s. I always wondered for Chinese coins since, from my understanding, they were cast how to you avoid fakes?

 

Thank you everyone for posting! I’ll post some more of my as the post grows.

[Cordoba]

9 minutes ago, The_Collector said:

These are some really great coins! Thank you for sharing. 

@Cordoba those are some really unique coins. How did you get interested in your specific specialty? I think your coins are perfect example of how specializing can get you some great coins at great prices!

I was interested in them because they contain imagery, which is pretty uncommon in Islamic coinage. The Greek/Roman/zodiac imagery are all very interesting, and it's interesting seeing where the die engravers drew their inspiration from. Below I linked an example of an Artuqid coin that is inspired by a Seleucid tetradrachm. It was $120, so a bit over the budget of this thread, but you can definitely find examples of these for less than $100. Spengler and Sayles wrote an interesting reference book on these coins, and they go into detail the on the motifs shown on the coins.
 

 

[Romismatist]

This Postumus antoninianus cost EUR 13... with postage, it was probably about EUR20. I find you can get some good Postumus ants in this range if you shop around a bit, especially on EBay France.

Here's a nice and historical "Saeculares" coin of Philip I showing wolf and twins reverse. It was about EUR 33 and is definitely better in hand than in the photo:

Although Augustus denarii are usually pretty pricey, you can get quinarii for significantly cheaper... this one with ASIA RECEPT obverse was EUR28. Again, these seem to show up more frequently on EBay France.

Even first century denarii can be had at prices well below $100. They will be a bit more worn and will usually have a few issues, but they are still interesting to collect. Here's an example (not my coin) which sold for EUR 39 of Trajan with Trajan's column reverse:

This Hadrian Italia reverse went for EUR10 in a Savoca auction (again not my coin), but even with fees and shipping it was probably less than $100

 

And a Hadrian Alexandria denarius that went for EUR 11 (again not my coin)

 

 

Another favourite of mine is the Trajan Decius Dacia antoninianii... they were minted in great quantities and can be had for well under $100 in fairly decent condition. This one was EUR 42:

What about a Vespasian Iudaea denarius for eur20?

Tons more in my files but that should be a good indicator that you can build a great collection relatively inexpensively if you wanted to, and it doesn't all have to be LRBs.

[CPK]

It might be interesting to know when some of these bargains were had. Obviously the further back in time you go the "cheaper" coins tend to be. I have a Vespasian denarius for which I paid about $140, which sold for $3.50 back in 1986. 😉 

[Ryro]

Nice coins and thread idea!

My new avatar was for just under that amount:

And some other sub hundos:

 

[Curtisimo]

Great coins all.

This one is my favorite sub $100 coin from last year.

ARGOLIS, Argos
AR Triobol, struck ca. 450-430 BC. 
Dia.: 14 mm
Wt.: 2.84 g
Obv.: Forepart of wolf left, ΣO beneath head
Rev.: Large A, pellet below, two shallow incuses above, all within shallow incuse square.
Ref.: BCD Peloponnesos 1030.
From Savoca 138th Silver Auction, lot 61 (July 17, 2022)

[Roman Collector]

4 hours ago, The_Collector said:

I see that we get new members all the time on the forum now a days. I remember when I was new to the forum and hobby how daunting it was to see all these seasoned collectors’ collection of $500 to $1000 coins and thinking to myself “man there’s no way for me to get started that’s way out of budget.” So, I thought I would take the time to dedicate a topic to those new collectors or those budget collectors. My hopes for this topic are that we can post some of our coins that fall below the $100 mark and give some price transparency, if you feel comfortable with saying how much you paid of course. I will be posting some of my coins and how much I paid and where I got them because I think in this price range there are few materials that help you know if you’re paying a fair price (compared to higher end coins). Hopefully this helps out some of our new members get into collecting and maybe even some of our more seasoned collectors. I look forward to seeing some cool coins!!

 p.s. sorry for the less than professional pictures I’m still working on them haha.

The first coin is a denarius of Antoninus Pius. I bought it at a large coin show they have in my state for $50. I bought it for the cool reverse. Coin shows are a great place to find good deals!

 

This one is a denarius of Trajan that I also got from a coin show for $20. It is worn but $20 for a denarius is a steal in my book any day.

 

The last denarius of the group is one of Marcus Aurelius. It was a bit pricier but for the condition I think it was worth it at $95. 

 

The last coin of the group is a beautifully preserved provincial coin struck under Nero. I got it for $15 from a small local coin show. A good way of getting nice coins for a good price is to specialize in niche areas of collecting.

I hope you all enjoyed, found this post helpful, and will join me in posting some of your coins! As the post hopefully grows I’ll share more of my collection.

All great coins! The Antonines are a great collecting area and are generally affordable and historically interesting.

[Parthicus]

One advantage of collecting coins from "Non-Classical" (i.e. not Roman or Greek) cultures is that they are often cheaper than comparable Roman or Greek pieces.  Of course, there are rarities or unusually high-grade specimens that command high prices, but there are plenty of bargains.  Starting at the low end, this Chinese cash from the Northern Song emperor Ren Zong, Jia You period (1056-1063) cost me just $2 from a junk box at a coin show in 2019:

This Parthian silver drachm of Phraates IV (38-2 BCE), from a rare mint (Susa), cost $60 in a smaller auction earlier this year:

This Sasanian drachm of Peroz (459-484) was $45 in 2017:

This Abbasid dirham, minted in Armenia (!) in 145 AH (762/3 CE), was $65 in 2021:

I could go on and on, but I've got other stuff to do.  Hopefully I've made my point, that lots of cool Eastern coins are available in the under $100 price range.

[Broucheion]

Hi All,

It can be done.

CLEOPATRA VII PHILOPATOR THEA NEOTERA (51-31/30 BCE)
EGYPT, ALEXANDRIA, Year 20 (31 Aug 33 - 30 Aug 32 BCE)

Ar Stater (Tetradrachm)
Size: 23x2 4mm
Weight: 13.85
Die Axis: 11:00
Broucheion Collection P-2023-05-06.001

OBV: Ptolemy I head facing right, wearing diadem. Scaly aegis tied by snakes not visible. Dotted border.
REV: Eagle on thunderbolt facing left, wings closed with palm branch over right shoulder. To left: [ΠΤΟΛΕΜAIO]Y, in left field: LK above headdress of Isis; to right: BACIΛE[ΩC], in right field: ΠΑ. Dotted border.
Refs: Svoronos-1834, pl lxi, 18 [17 listed]; SNG Copenhagen-416; Sear-7953 var: year 22.
Provenance: Bought From eBay 05-May-2023 for $82.56 (= winning bid $71 + $5.00 Shipping + $6.56 Tax).
Note: Seller's INCORRECT DESCRIPTION: "80-58 BC ~ AR TETRADRACHM ~ PTOLEMY XII OF EGYPT ~ 1ST REIGN ~ GREEK"

Final thoughts: I suppose the dark spots will clean up with some lemon juice. It pays to be able to tell Ptolemy XII from his daughter Cleopatra.

- Broucheion

Edited May 18, 2023 by Broucheion
Typos

[ambr0zie]

Vaste majority of my coins are under 100 dollars. This was also my psychological barrier. 

Here are some 2023 additions I like (prices include fees) :

-  Pius/Marcus Aurelius sestertius. I tried to get the popular denarius a few times but failed. Never found one that I liked and felt the price is justified. Adding the sestertius version for ~90 dollars is decent 

- Claudius Alexandria diobol - an important coin for me as I added another animal. Price  ~65 dollars 

- A Faustina sestertius with a great patina, beautiful portrait and overall a very handsome coin - ~70 dollars 

- Reublican denarii with interesting designs, with prices between 60 and 70 dollars

Edited May 18, 2023 by ambr0zie

[expat]

6 hours ago, CPK said:

It might be interesting to know when some of these bargains were had. Obviously the further back in time you go the "cheaper" coins tend to be. I have a Vespasian denarius for which I paid about $140, which sold for $3.50 back in 1986. 😉 

I only started to collect ancients 1 year ago, so all my coins are "recent" prices. Here are a couple more that were less than 50 Euros

And this was in a group lot costing 2.40 Euros per coin

[ominus1]

its been a few years, but i paid $10 for this Elagabalus denarius   and more recently, i gave $50 for these two...you have to spend some time lQQking but less expensive ancients are out there.  .half the fun is finding them 🙂

[Romismatist]

19 hours ago, CPK said:

It might be interesting to know when some of these bargains were had. Obviously the further back in time you go the "cheaper" coins tend to be. I have a Vespasian denarius for which I paid about $140, which sold for $3.50 back in 1986. 😉 

All of the coins I posted were acquired in the past few years.

[Marsyas Mike]

I almost never go above $50 for a coin, but this one was an exception - a cistaphoric tetradrachm that wasn't too horrible-looking.  It was a lot of fun to attribute, and I hope @Sulla80 and @DonnaMLsee this post, as they have posted some very informative and interesting things about these on CT.  

Anyway, if I have my attribution correct, this one may have been issued in Tralles for Mithridates during the First Mithrdatic War (Lucia Francesca Carbone article is where I got this - see below).  

Here's mine - $99.99, not including shipping and state tax:

Tralles, Lydia  Cistophoric Tetradrachm Magistrate Atta -  (c. 89-85 B.C.) See notes. Cista mystica with serpent, ivy wreath with fruits around / [T]PAΛ | ATTA, two serpents around bow case, Dionysos standing right holding thyrsos and grapes, panther at feet. (12.49 grams / 24 x 23 mm) eBay April 2023 $99.99

Here are some quotes from Professor Carbone's research: 

Lucia Francesca Carbone dates this issue (ATTA) to the First Mithridatic War c. 89-85 B.C., with 15 specimens in record per control mark and 5 obverse dies (see chart, p. 108)

"For what concern Tralles, the city was then under the tyranny of the sons of Cratippus, who were responsible for the massacre of the Roman residents.  The wealth of the city must have attracted a large number of negotiatores and also probably members of the societates publicanorum, whose exploitation provoked the violet reaction of the inhabitants of the city.  Cicero refers to the wealth of the city and to the good relationships between the city and Mithridates, as he recalls Laelius' statement that the king of Pontus would have been 'more anxious about adorning Tralles than plundering it.' The enhanced cistophoric production of Tralles could then also be explained with the necessity of financing a war, even if not necessarily on the Roman side.  The sudden increase in the cistophoric production of Ephesus and Tralles seems thus directly related to the Mithridatic Wars." (p. 103)

 "Given the already mentioned connection between Dionysus and Mithridates, the introduction of Dionysus as a control mark in the issues of ATTA and ΘEOΔ suggests a dating in the course of the First Mithridatic War.  This means that in those years the city produced an average of five (observed) the tetradrachm obverse dies (fractions excluded), a clear decrease from the extraordinary production of the year 90/89 BC, but still considerably higher than the pre-90 BC levels."  (p. 107)

"Late cistophoric production during the first Mithridatic War:  a comparison between the mints of Ephesus and Tralles" by Lucia Francesca Carbone  Colonial Geopolitics and Local Cultures in the Hellenistic and Roman East (3rd century BC - 3rd century AD), Hadrien Bru, Adrian G. Dumitru and Nicholas Sekunda editors (Archaeopress Publishing, 2021)

Retrieved from Google Books:

https://books.google.com/books?id=6h1YEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA105&dq=tralles+carbone&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4uo…#v=onepage&q=tralles carbone&f=false

[John Conduitt]

69% of my collection is made up of coins under $100. Here's a selection from the last couple of years, before I even get to the Late Roman Bronzes...

Crossed Striations Potin, 100-90BC

Cantii tribe, Kent. Potin, 18mm, 1.57g. Celticised head of Apollo left with ring-and-pellet motif in centre of head; equally-thin striations at 90 degree angles in fields. Celticised bull made up of curved lines, charging left (ABC 153; VA 112-01).

Vespasian Denarius, 74

Rome. Silver, 18mm, 3.01g. Laureate head Right; IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG. Emperor seated right on curule chair, feet on a low footstool, holding branch and sceptre; PON MAX TRP COS V (RIC II, 702). From the Westbury Sub Mendip (Somerset) Hoard 2016, Portable Antiquities Scheme: SOM-F1847A.

Lucius Verus Denarius, 163-164

Rome. Silver, 16mm, 3.16g. Lucius Verus, laureate, cuirassed, right; L VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS. Mars standing right, holding spear and resting left hand on shield set on ground; TR P IIII IMP II COS II (RIC III, 514). Found in Yorkshire.

Commodus Denarius, 185

Rome. Silver, 18mm, 2.36g. Laureate bust of Commodus right; M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT. Nobilitas, draped, standing front, head right, holding sceptre in right hand and statuette of Minerva in extended left hand; NOBILIT AVG P M TR P XI IMP VIII COS V P P (RIC III, 139). Found near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.

Clodius Albinus Sestertius, 194-195

Rome. Bronze, 29mm, 17.97g. Head of Clodius Albinus, bare, right; D CLOD SEPT ALBIN CAES. Minerva, helmeted, draped, standing left, holding olive-branch in right hand and shield set on ground in left hand; spear rests against left arm; MINER PACIF COS II; S C (RIC IV, 54A). Found near Wisbech.

Septimius Severus Denarius, 210-211

Rome. Silver, 2.21g. Head with laurel wreath from right; SEVERVS PIVS AVG BRIT. Victory with palm branch and wreath from right; VICTORIAE BRIT (Victory in Britain) (RIC IV, 332).

Philip I Antoninianus, 247

Rome, 6th officina. Silver, 21mm, 3.45g. Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Annona standing left, holding grain ears over prow and cornucopia (RIC IV, 59). Ex Ken Bressett. From the Dorchester (Dorset) Hoard 1936. Portable Antiquities Scheme: IARCH-5E5FEF.

Philip II Antoninianus, 246-247

Rome. Silver, 22mm, 4.55g. Bust of Philip II, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right, IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG. Sol, radiate, advancing left, raising right hand and holding whip in left hand, AETERNIT IMPER (RIC IV, Philip I 226). Found near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Herennius Etruscus (under Trajan Decius) Antoninianus, 250-251

Rome. Silver, 20-22mm, 4.53g. Bust of Herennius Etruscus, radiate, draped, right; Q HER ETR MES DECIVS NOB C. Herennius, in military attire, standing left, holding rod in right hand and transverse spear in left hand; PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS (RIC IV, 147). Found in Britain.

Tetricus II Antoninianus, 273-274

Cologne or Trier. Bronze, 2.56g. Radiate, draped Bust A right; C PIV ESV TETRICVS CAES. Spes walking left, holding flower and raising skirt; SPES AVGG (RIC V.2, 270). From the Beachy Head Hoard 1973, 5,540 third century antoniniani in a bronze bucket, a few yards from finds in 1961 and 1964.

Edited May 18, 2023 by John Conduitt

[Amarmur]

Here are a few examples of cheap ancients

Celtic quinarius primitive but nice small silver I paid $40, usually you can find them under $100 ($80-90 for a nice one) depends on the tribe as well.

 

Pontos Amisos the go to Greek starter ancient coin. I paid $9 but you can find a decent example for $20-30. Has Nike and a gorgon head. Great design.

 

Byzantine Trachy coins typically go for $20 I paid $20 for it. Cool cup shaped coin.

 

[The_Collector]

@Romismatist Those are some nice coins. I saw that you get a lot of them from eBay in France. I have seen a lot of members on the forum warn collectors especially new ones from going on to eBay and buying ancients because of the fakes. I personally make some purchases off eBay myself, but limit it to sellers in the US since I tend to see more suspicious coins being sold in Europe and shipping haha. How do you go about making sure you are getting the real deal when make your purchases?  Are there specific reputable sellers you go to? I think your input would be helpful regarding the European side of eBay, especially for our new members, since I can only offer advice on US eBay. I am most interested in hearing about the Judea capta denarius of yours cause at 20 eur that is beyond a great deal!

@Ryro those are some beautiful coins. I have always thought Greek coins were really beautiful and yours definitely fit the bill. I really like your new avatar. What a steal at below $100 for such a nice coin!

@CurtisimoVery nice find!

@Parthicus Great coins and I 100% agree I think you can get some really great deals on eastern coins if you have the knowledge and each piece comes with a really great history as well. Thank you for sharing!

@expat Thank you for your continued contribution to the topic! I like your Carinus I think he often gets overshadowed by the winner Diocletion and has a really interesting story.

@Broucheion That is a great find! I think it will clean up nicely and I can't wait to see the final results!

@ambr0zie I love the Pius/Marcus Aurelius sestertius and the diobol! those are two coins that I have been wanting to add to my collection. I think getting the sestertius in that condition and for that price was a fantastic deal!

@ominus1 I think any denarius at below $30 is always a steal and that elegabulus is in nice condition too! I like the reverses of your other two denarii.

@Marsyas Mike That is a really nice coin with a really interesting history behind it! I have been wanting to get more into the coins of Mithridates and the history of Rome during his reign.

@John ConduittI really like the Cloudius Albinus Sestertius I really enjoyed reading about it in your other post on the coin.

@Amarmur Really nice Celtic quinarius! I have been trying to get one for awhile but they always elude me haha.

 

Overall really great coins everyone! Thank you so much for sharing I have been having  blast looking through all of your finds! Sorry if I missed anyone and if my comments are annoying I just found all of your coins interesting haha. I look forward to seeing more of your great coins and keeping this thread going. I will try and post some of my other finds tomorrow. Again thank you all for your contributions!

 

 

 

[expat]

To continue this thread here are some 40Euro and under coins

 

[expat]

And this one was 5 Euros, part of a group lot. A week or so in distilled water and a rub with a soft toothbrush revealed some lovely details.

 

 

[sand]

A large percentage (probably more than 50%) of my ancient and medieval coins, cost me $100 or less, including buyer fee, shipping, etc ("out the door"). I've only been collecting ancient and medieval coins since 2018. It seems like, the prices of some types of ancient and medieval coins have risen a lot, since 2018. However, I still see plenty of interesting ancient and medieval coins on the market, for $100 or less. In fact, the last 13 ancient and medieval coins, which I have purchased, each cost me $114 or less, out the door (11 were ancient, 2 were medieval). And, each of the ancient and medieval coins, which I have purchased in 2023, cost me $105 or less, out the door (all of them were ancient).

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I bought this Byzantine Andronicus I trachy in April 2020 for $45 out the door.

Byzantine. Andronicus I Billon Aspron Trachy. 1183 AD To 1185 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 1985. DO 3. Diameter 28 mm. Weight 3.40 grams. Obverse : Mary Full Length Facing Front With Halo Standing On Dais Holding On Breast Head Of Infant Jesus Christ With Halo Facing Front M-Rho On Left Theta-V On Right. M-Rho Theta-V Is Abbreviation For "Meter Tou Theou" Greek For "Mother Of God". Reverse : On Left Emperor Full Length Facing Front Holding Labarum In Right Hand Holding Globus Cruciger In Left Hand On Right Jesus Christ With Halo Full Length Facing Three Quarters Crowning Emperor. 

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I bought this Byzantine Latin Rule trachy in March 2021 for $50 out the door.

Byzantine. Latin Rule. Billon Trachy. 1204 AD to 1261 AD. Constantinople Mint. Sear 2035. Diameter 20 mm. Weight 1.12 grams. Obverse : Jesus Christ Full Length Facing Front Standing On Dais. Reverse : Emperor Full Length Facing Front Right Hand Holding Labarum Left Hand Holding Globus Cruciger. The coin has been clipped, which is typical.

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In June 2020, I paid $73 out the door, for this Roman Republic Janus As.

Roman Republic. Anonymous AE As. 211 BC To 206 BC. Rome Mint. Sear 627. Crawford 56/2. Diameter 32.0 mm. Weight 36.69 grams. Obverse : Janus With "I" Above. Reverse : Ship's Prow With "I" Above.

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In October 2020, I paid $54 out the door, for this ancient Chinese Wu Zhu.

China. Western Han Dynasty. AE Wu Zhu. Circa 140 BC. Diameter 25.8 mm. Weight 2.73 grams. Obverse : Wu Zhu Meaning 5 Zhu In Chinese. Reverse : Blank With Raised Inner Rim And Raised Outer Rim.

Edited May 19, 2023 by sand

[John Conduitt]

16 hours ago, The_Collector said:

I saw that you get a lot of them from eBay in France. I have seen a lot of members on the forum warn collectors especially new ones from going on to eBay and buying ancients because of the fakes. I personally make some purchases off eBay myself, but limit it to sellers in the US since I tend to see more suspicious coins being sold in Europe and shipping haha. How do you go about making sure you are getting the real deal when make your purchases?  Are there specific reputable sellers you go to? I think your input would be helpful regarding the European side of eBay, especially for our new members, since I can only offer advice on US eBay.

I think the warning to new collectors to stay off eBay is because the main way to avoid fakes is to recognise a fake. Reputable dealers e.g. on VCoins will be able to do this, so a new collector should buy from someone who knows. Most eBay fakes are not good. I would disagree that US eBay has fewer fakes than Europe but that is because a) the fakes sold on US eBay are more likely to be US coins and b) Europe is not one big country. The fakes in the UK, for example, tend to be Celtic and Saxon.

Lots of advice has been given on this subject but what I would say is:
- Learn what a real coin of the type you want looks like. Look at lots of examples on VCoins and ACSearch in detail.
- Learn what it costs, using the above and https://www.coinarchives.com/w/. You can get good deals on eBay, but a Julius Caesar denarius selling for $10 is unlikely to be real. That doesn't mean an expensive coin is real.
- There are also signs of genuine coins you can look for, but this takes a bit of study e.g. flow lines, encrustations rather than applied patinas, crystalisation etc. 
- Look at the dealer's shop. Are there other cheap, suspicious coins? Any other coins at all? Are all the listings the same, with e.g. the same find location?
- Does the dealer have a website? Often these are VCoins dealers. But you're unlikely to get a better deal from them through eBay anyway.
- Make sure the seller is not on a fake seller's list like http://augustuscoins.com/ed/fakesellers.html and https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=18502.0 - I also search Google for the eBay seller's name and the word "fake".
- Ignore feedback scores, unless they have a particularly poor score or feedback stating they sell fakes. Sellers can have bad feedback removed.
- Look at the country the coin is shipped from (which isn't necessarily the country that appears at the top of the listing). While you can't tell a coin is a fake from the country, lots of fakes come from Bulgaria, China, Cyprus etc.
- Be suspicious of any listing where the seller claims a coin is unresearched (unless it truly is tricky to identify), bought in a yard/car boot sale or inherited.
- Read the small print. Some fakes actually state they are fakes lower down the listing e.g. 'reproduction', 'museum/collector's copy' or 'made of brass' when it should be silver. 
- Ask someone (perhaps on here) if you aren't sure about a coin you've bought. You can return it through eBay within a time limit, even if the seller doesn't accept returns, if the item isn't as described. Or leave a review saying it was fake.