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Selling Ancients
cladking
Posts: 28,343 ✭✭✭✭✭
OK. I know very very little about ancient coins but have a lifetime accumulation that needs to go. I've always sold the junk and dug ancients so these are better ones. Of course there are at least a few counterfeits. I assume most of them are fairly common but there is silver as well as several high grade pieces (lustrous with problems).
Any advice is appreciated. There are ~40 of them with a few that are later date. Pictures are exceedingly difficult so general information or reliable dealers would be more helpful. I'm not concerned about getting full value but am concerned of getting fair value.
Tempus fugit.
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How did you end up owning them? Do you have any idea what they are? 'Ancient' covers Roman, Greek, Celtic, Chinese, Indian, Persian...
Dealers are often specific to the above. (Where you are would also matter). Maybe even a general photo would give an idea.
Show photos. If you bought some of them long ago there could be some nice coins hiding among the ordinary "stuff".
I'll try to provide a few details later when I get time. I'll also try googling a few.
I used to buy all sorts of junk and sort it out. Once in a while there would be something interesting in it and these just accumulated. The most interesting is Greek and Roman but the Roman I think is mostly later stuff (AD). I'm in the Chicago area. Here's one marked CONSTANC 337-350 AE4 (two victories facing) S#3871 8G2.zeai $7. It's in excellent condition and I'd grade it AU if it were modern. The holder doesn't appear to be very old. Another is silver VF'ish Sassanta 1Dirham 35 year old holder. Callienus 253-208AD AE Antonineanus ($20) silver or silver wash excellent with obverse spot on bust. Most aren't identified and some look way too good to be true, as in they must be counterfeit; high grade silver of interesting types like the Athean owl. There are a few low grade pieces that will require an expert to identify. A few are British from much later.
Now days it costs $40 just to park in Chicago so that might be out.
There are Indian as well but I'm holding these back to sell all my Indian at the same time.
How are prices now days? I know there are always buyers for these if the price is right which is essentially how I ended up with them. Most were acquired back in the '80's and '90's when the market was very weak.
What is “fair”?
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
I don't know. 50 or 60% of wholesale value. More if there are valuable ones included less if not.
Harlan Berk is in the Loop. You might go there. I’ve always liked dealing with Jonathan Kern via mail. He’s in Kentucky.
In my experience from years ago ancients have very high markups compared to US coins. Just what is "wholesale" when it comes to ancients?
Yeah. This might be why people aren't interested here. I said 50 or 60% of wholesale and people think I mean something equivalent to "bid". I am aware of the markup so I'm really looking for 25 or 30% of retail.
If I have to go to much trouble to sell these I can just put them on eBay myself (through an agent really).
I suspect that eBay has leveled the playing field at least a little bit especially for the more desirable ancients or the complete junk.
Anyway you can just take a sorted group shot and me or some others here can let you know if it's even worth messing with ebay?
Anytime I have some bulk ancients I want to part with, I just send them to Josh of Civitas Galleries, he's always been fair and it's much easier then selling them on ebay and dealing with shipping multiple times.