When I first started I had two bids on ebay. But I discovered your channel and learned so much in two days that I could see that they were fake coins. I prayed that I would be outbid on one (I was). On the second I notified ebay and the seller that I wouldn't pay for it if they didn't remove my bid. You saved me a few hundred dollars. This has become my favorite TH-cam channel!
I sell coins on eBay, though I don't usually make much profit-typically just enough to cover shipping for other coins I want to buy for my personal collection. But I do it because I enjoy it, and it helps me connect with fellow collectors in my area. Australia doesn't have the most active community outside of Sydney. I also make an effort to provide provenance for each of my coins, including auction records or information about previous vendors. If you want any degree of safety on eBay-though it's still not infallible-having a documented ownership history can be a good safeguard.
What's funny is that many of the coins on Ebay that catch my eye, were in old auctioneer watchlists of mine just a few weeks or months prior, of course selling at a significant markup over the final price.
Ohh I absolutely see that as well, including on some of the auctions I participate in. If the markup is particularly egregious, I add them to my naughty list, and I make sure I dont buy from these dealers
Leo you are correct when you said you have to study first. Ex. I wanted a Gallienus first and before purchasing I looked on ebay and online and read articles about precious metal content of the eras. Now we all know about his coins and inflation, so I picked out a early coin with a better silver content. Some how at the time this made me think I was clever haha. I'm a Vcoins guy but I did start on ebay for a few. Good vid and as always thanks for all your work.
I've been on eBay for 25 years and selling full time for about 5 years now, not coins but vinyl records, so fakes aren't nearly as much of an issue there. However I do believe that the vast majority of people on the site are honest. I've had thousands of transactions, both buying and selling, with very few issues. Of course as a buyer you should always do your due diligence, but if you stick to sellers that have a good rep you should be pretty safe.
Nice video. Recently bought my first 2 pieces of history from an auction thanks to your older videos. My first thought when starting my collection was to buy them in ebay from sellers with good reputation since numismatic shops didn't have lots of coins and those also were very expensive.
Yes very much. Beware of the scam where the seller uses a valid shipping number, my case it was a UPS number, but from another shipment to an address in your own town. It took me two months to prove that the UPS package was delivered to another address and the number was fraudulently applied to my purchase by the scam seller. All automated verification processes rejected my claims because the UPS number was good, but not to my address.
There are also scammers who send purchased items to your zip code, but with an invalid final address so the post office sends it back. The packages will travel back and forth across the ocean 2-3 times before disappearing after 6-9 months, and you get the run-around from the seller the whole time. What you need to do is go to the post office as soon as it says "processing for delivery" or whatever to intercept it in person, because before the end of the day the post office has already sent it back.
On numismatic level the better choice resides on the acquisition of books and catalogues about the subject My prefered coin Is actually a replica of the Arethusa tetradrachm from Syracuse with quadriga which I bought from a big Brussels seller, but in full knowledge of what I persued. Congratulation with the sharing of your passion. I love your pronociation of Latin and your beautiful French quotes
My worst experience with fake ancient coins actually came from the "pre" internet days while I was in college. I got mine from a business who has been around for years and they even issue catalogs. It was not until years later I found out they were fakes as were almost all the "artifacts" thanks to the internet. I started to hear rumors about that business and went to one of the community boards and there I found them. Mine look exactly the same as in the photos on the board; same shape and everything.
@@ClassicalNumismatics No. I didn't find out their problems until 15 years later. They finally closed down about two/three years ago after they were not able to pass of their fakes as real. I guess you still need to pay good money to have good quality fakes. When I said "pre" I mean mid 90s and I was using AOL. Things like community boards didn't really exist. Coin information on the internet was very sparse.
There's only a select few sellers I buy from ebay and they're all primarily accounts that have a known history online and good word of mouth from other fellow numismatics
Personally I've gotten into ancient coins very recently after years of more modern coin collecting. I had always been interested in Roman coins but in a way they "scare" me because well they're so old (don't have the same sources as we do with modern coins). So I bought a denarius of Geta and a Nummus of Valentinian I from a local Swiss dealer with his own website, he seems reputable and has a brick & mortar store nearby (haven't been there yet). I now have a denarius (underweight little coin XD) of Antoninus Pius and Nummus of Constantine I. I'll continue to buy from him as the price aren't insanely marked up (they seem around market or 5% markup). EDIT : he also links the Leu Numismatik purchases with the coins so I have a history of where it came from.
Nice video. I did buy a fake India small silver 2 anna once from a reputable dealer whos coins are mostly genuine. A few fake Chinee cash coins in coin lots, but I knew this already. Most of the fakes I buy I already know they are fake, but they make good video material. Thanks for the video. I would not want to sell clothes or electronics on that site, it is alot more dodgy with buyers than coins and banknotes.
Thank you for another informative and useful video. You surprised me when you said you’d only been collecting 8 or so years - you are highly knowledgeable 🙂
For real! It’s crazy because that was me 3 years ago around this time. Seeing that same menu screen also got me into the ancient coins rabbit hole, and finding out they weren’t as hard to get as one would think. Was pretty fitting that my first ancient coin was a Tetricus antoninianus
I've made a few purchases of raw U.S. coins on eBay. I have only been pleased with 3 of those purchases. Photography can hide or not show many flaws a coin may have. I have not run into fakes but coins that look nothing like their photo when received. Probably like some online dating sites. Unless it is 1 or 2 dealers I know, I do not buy raw from eBay.
Around 1976 I went into a coin shop to see how much I could get for some US silver coins. There was a grotty AE-4 of Honorius on the bid board with a starting bid of $2. "WOW, is this real?" I bid, I won, I was hooked. I love holding a coin in my hands while I read about the history. One important thing - once one has more than $1000 in coins it's time to rent a safe deposit box. The sense of security is worth it.
I mostly buy from Ebay. I can spot some fakes, but not good ones. One thing I do is I look through the seller's catalog to see if I can spot any fakes or if they all seem real. I have found several sellers that I trust because of this.
I recommend you look at the vast list of videos I provided in this video description, as well as in my beginners playlist. Plenty of advice there for beginners, and interesting suggestions for budget-oriented collectors
If I wanted a coin with Alexander on it, from his lifetime or soon after, clear enough that you can see his face, what should I look for? For a beginner?
@ClassicalNumismatics My issues usually pertain to undisclosed cleaning (not on ancient coins) and deceptive pictures that try to hide the evidence of cleaning. I've only bought three coins there. That's okay though. I've been collecting since I was 6 years old. I know that in order to learn, you need to make mistakes. I'm sure I'll make more, but I'm moving towards what you were saying about only buying up to what your knowledge is sound on. I don't collect ancients, but since finding your channel, my desire for one is growing. But first I need to educate myself more. There's so many choices for ancients, yet figuring out how or even what to buy from where is a real challenge.
In my point of view it makes no sense at all to buy ancients on ebay. There are many good auction houses and the very good coins in good condition or rarity are anyway not sold on ebay.
I'm interested in the coin Auereus Signis a Sarmatis Resitvtis CIVIB. SIGN ET. & CLIPEWS. More precisely, its reverse side is with the Sarmatian warrior. Where can I watch it?
Would you like to support the channel and my work?
Help the Channel by "Buying me a Coffee": www.buymeacoffee.com/classicalnumismatics
Support his work! There is so much garbage on TH-cam, and seldom we find good content like this one.
When I first started I had two bids on ebay. But I discovered your channel and learned so much in two days that I could see that they were fake coins. I prayed that I would be outbid on one (I was). On the second I notified ebay and the seller that I wouldn't pay for it if they didn't remove my bid. You saved me a few hundred dollars. This has become my favorite TH-cam channel!
Im super glad to hear my content has saved you some money! Good job on being a vigilant buyier 🙂
I sell coins on eBay, though I don't usually make much profit-typically just enough to cover shipping for other coins I want to buy for my personal collection. But I do it because I enjoy it, and it helps me connect with fellow collectors in my area. Australia doesn't have the most active community outside of Sydney.
I also make an effort to provide provenance for each of my coins, including auction records or information about previous vendors. If you want any degree of safety on eBay-though it's still not infallible-having a documented ownership history can be a good safeguard.
Very interesting testimony. Thank you very much!
What's funny is that many of the coins on Ebay that catch my eye, were in old auctioneer watchlists of mine just a few weeks or months prior, of course selling at a significant markup over the final price.
Ohh I absolutely see that as well, including on some of the auctions I participate in.
If the markup is particularly egregious, I add them to my naughty list, and I make sure I dont buy from these dealers
Wise words! Im scared of buying on eBay, but I cant deny there are tons of good offers there
very important piece of advice for beginners. good job and keep at it!
Leo you are correct when you said you have to study first. Ex. I wanted a Gallienus first and before purchasing I looked on ebay and online and read articles about precious metal content of the eras. Now we all know about his coins and inflation, so I picked out a early coin with a better silver content. Some how at the time this made me think I was clever haha. I'm a Vcoins guy but I did start on ebay for a few. Good vid and as always thanks for all your work.
I've been on eBay for 25 years and selling full time for about 5 years now, not coins but vinyl records, so fakes aren't nearly as much of an issue there. However I do believe that the vast majority of people on the site are honest. I've had thousands of transactions, both buying and selling, with very few issues. Of course as a buyer you should always do your due diligence, but if you stick to sellers that have a good rep you should be pretty safe.
Thats great to hear! Leave your shop name here in the comments, so people have a look
Nice video. Recently bought my first 2 pieces of history from an auction thanks to your older videos. My first thought when starting my collection was to buy them in ebay from sellers with good reputation since numismatic shops didn't have lots of coins and those also were very expensive.
Yes very much. Beware of the scam where the seller uses a valid shipping number, my case it was a UPS number, but from another shipment to an address in your own town. It took me two months to prove that the UPS package was delivered to another address and the number was fraudulently applied to my purchase by the scam seller.
All automated verification processes rejected my claims because the UPS number was good, but not to my address.
There are also scammers who send purchased items to your zip code, but with an invalid final address so the post office sends it back. The packages will travel back and forth across the ocean 2-3 times before disappearing after 6-9 months, and you get the run-around from the seller the whole time. What you need to do is go to the post office as soon as it says "processing for delivery" or whatever to intercept it in person, because before the end of the day the post office has already sent it back.
On numismatic level the better choice resides on the acquisition of books and catalogues about the subject
My prefered coin Is actually a replica of the Arethusa tetradrachm from Syracuse with quadriga which I bought from a big Brussels seller, but in full knowledge of what I persued.
Congratulation with the sharing of your passion.
I love your pronociation of Latin and your beautiful French quotes
That true, buy the book vefore you buy the coin!
My worst experience with fake ancient coins actually came from the "pre" internet days while I was in college. I got mine from a business who has been around for years and they even issue catalogs. It was not until years later I found out they were fakes as were almost all the "artifacts" thanks to the internet. I started to hear rumors about that business and went to one of the community boards and there I found them. Mine look exactly the same as in the photos on the board; same shape and everything.
Wow, thats crazy! Did you manage to get a refurnd and return the items?
@@ClassicalNumismatics No. I didn't find out their problems until 15 years later. They finally closed down about two/three years ago after they were not able to pass of their fakes as real. I guess you still need to pay good money to have good quality fakes. When I said "pre" I mean mid 90s and I was using AOL. Things like community boards didn't really exist. Coin information on the internet was very sparse.
I actually loved main menu screen from Total War game and still playing it from time to time. Great work on this video. Greetings from Poland Sir ;)
Thank you! Just found your channel and subscribed 😊
Welcome aboard! I hope my content is entertaining, educational and you enjoy it :)
There's only a select few sellers I buy from ebay and they're all primarily accounts that have a known history online and good word of mouth from other fellow numismatics
Which accounts ? So that I can buy from them also
Personally I've gotten into ancient coins very recently after years of more modern coin collecting. I had always been interested in Roman coins but in a way they "scare" me because well they're so old (don't have the same sources as we do with modern coins). So I bought a denarius of Geta and a Nummus of Valentinian I from a local Swiss dealer with his own website, he seems reputable and has a brick & mortar store nearby (haven't been there yet). I now have a denarius (underweight little coin XD) of Antoninus Pius and Nummus of Constantine I. I'll continue to buy from him as the price aren't insanely marked up (they seem around market or 5% markup).
EDIT : he also links the Leu Numismatik purchases with the coins so I have a history of where it came from.
Nice video. I did buy a fake India small silver 2 anna once from a reputable dealer whos coins are mostly genuine. A few fake Chinee cash coins in coin lots, but I knew this already. Most of the fakes I buy I already know they are fake, but they make good video material. Thanks for the video. I would not want to sell clothes or electronics on that site, it is alot more dodgy with buyers than coins and banknotes.
I really appreciate this video because it has a ton of helpful info! I’ve been researching way more before I try to buy
Great episode as always. My wife was interested in this one! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for another informative and useful video. You surprised me when you said you’d only been collecting 8 or so years - you are highly knowledgeable 🙂
That's gonna help quite a few new people I imagine, also great work with the thumbnail!
Thank you! Hopefully it helps out the beginners :)
Haha, the Total War Rome 2 lore behind your hobby is so relatable
"We take this settlement, For Rooome!"
For real! It’s crazy because that was me 3 years ago around this time. Seeing that same menu screen also got me into the ancient coins rabbit hole, and finding out they weren’t as hard to get as one would think. Was pretty fitting that my first ancient coin was a Tetricus antoninianus
Coffees purchased, thank you and keep doing what you do. Kind regards Paul
Thank you for your support! ❤
I've made a few purchases of raw U.S. coins on eBay. I have only been pleased with 3 of those purchases. Photography can hide or not show many flaws a coin may have. I have not run into fakes but coins that look nothing like their photo when received. Probably like some online dating sites. Unless it is 1 or 2 dealers I know, I do not buy raw from eBay.
Thank you for your advice!
Around 1976 I went into a coin shop to see how much I could get for some US silver coins. There was a grotty AE-4 of Honorius on the bid board with a starting bid of $2. "WOW, is this real?" I bid, I won, I was hooked. I love holding a coin in my hands while I read about the history. One important thing - once one has more than $1000 in coins it's time to rent a safe deposit box. The sense of security is worth it.
Good advice thank you Leo😊
I've never been brave enough to shop on eBay.
It's great for cheap second hand stuff, but never buy anything expensive on there.
I mostly buy from Ebay. I can spot some fakes, but not good ones. One thing I do is I look through the seller's catalog to see if I can spot any fakes or if they all seem real. I have found several sellers that I trust because of this.
I'm still trying to build a coin collection, and also I'm not rich, what coins do you recommend me getting?
I recommend you look at the vast list of videos I provided in this video description, as well as in my beginners playlist. Plenty of advice there for beginners, and interesting suggestions for budget-oriented collectors
If I wanted a coin with Alexander on it, from his lifetime or soon after, clear enough that you can see his face, what should I look for? For a beginner?
Buying fakes has definitely kept me away a bit from e-bay. Have bought a couple from seemed like legitimate sellers.
Every coin I ever bought on eBay was problematic. I no longer shop there.
Damn, thats too bad! Fortunately I havent had that many issues, but I had my fair share of bad experiences as well
@ClassicalNumismatics My issues usually pertain to undisclosed cleaning (not on ancient coins) and deceptive pictures that try to hide the evidence of cleaning. I've only bought three coins there.
That's okay though. I've been collecting since I was 6 years old. I know that in order to learn, you need to make mistakes. I'm sure I'll make more, but I'm moving towards what you were saying about only buying up to what your knowledge is sound on.
I don't collect ancients, but since finding your channel, my desire for one is growing. But first I need to educate myself more. There's so many choices for ancients, yet figuring out how or even what to buy from where is a real challenge.
In my point of view it makes no sense at all to buy ancients on ebay. There are many good auction houses and the very good coins in good condition or rarity are anyway not sold on ebay.
anything from China
new stores
How about Catawiki? What is your opinion about that one? I bought some antiques from there, and everything seems legit.
I'm interested in the coin Auereus Signis a Sarmatis Resitvtis CIVIB. SIGN ET. & CLIPEWS. More precisely, its reverse side is with the Sarmatian warrior. Where can I watch it?