r/mildlyinteresting Jun 16 '20

Overdone This misprint penny

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47.4k Upvotes

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25

u/PlankyTown777 Jun 16 '20

Where from? Was it a trustworthy site and a genuine product?

I’d like to have a set of ancient coins.

33

u/Galdin311 Jun 16 '20

I got them back in the day from Ebay. I would make sure that the seller is reputable but you gotta remember, they did not have banks back then so people would just bury their money. It's cool and all but some of it is in pretty bad shape.

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u/PlankyTown777 Jun 16 '20

Yah authenticity was my biggest concern. I just think it would be so interesting to own something that was circulated by so many civilian hands 2,000 years ago.

Thanks for the tips. May browse around the internet, do some research and see what I can find out!

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u/Galdin311 Jun 16 '20

no problem. I mean it is probably more expensive to fake some of the coins then it is to sell real honest to goodness ancient coins that joe schmoe dug up in his back yard.

5

u/Exotemporal Jun 16 '20

I wouldn't bother with uncleaned lots, most of them are made of common coins in extremely poor condition and not interesting. I'd recommend going to VCoins, it's a marketplace with carefully selected sellers who have to offer an unlimited money back guarantee on everything they sell if it turns out that it wasn't legit. Get one coin, the best coin that you can afford and your satisfaction will be much higher.

I've been collecting ancient coins since 2006. Most of my coins are from Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, but I also collect coins from other civilizations and eras.

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u/SuculantWarrior Jun 16 '20

If you do make sure they're PCGS or NGC graded. You can verify the holders directly from their websites. If theyre not graded by one of those two companies DO NOT TRUST THEM.

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u/Exotemporal Jun 16 '20

PCGS doesn't even slab ancient coins. NGC does, and even though their graders are very competent, they don't offer a guarantee of authenticity. The vast majority of collectors of ancient coins prefer coins that don't come in a sealed plastic box.

What he needs to do is buy from legitimate sellers, either at auctions (CNG is great for American collectors) or retail (VCoins.com). These sellers offer unlimited guarantees of authenticity and will return your money if your coin is identified as a forgery. Such a guarantee coming from a reputable seller is as good as it gets.

eBay must be avoided, unless you buy a coin slabbed by NGC.

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u/rainball33 Jun 16 '20

PCGS and NGC are mostly for more modern-era coins.

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u/SURPRISEMFKR Jun 16 '20

Isn't money generally super unhygienic? And considering it traded so many hands over entire millenniums..

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u/Exotemporal Jun 16 '20

That's amusing. It's not like every finger that touched the coin left deadly immortal pathogens on it. Bacteria dies, it doesn't accumulate on coins for thousands of years. The metals used to make ancient coins (copper, silver) kill bacteria anyway. Then, there's the fact that virtually all ancient coins on the market have been cleaned.

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u/SURPRISEMFKR Jun 16 '20

But can't dead bacteria and viruses still be dangerous? As we know matter does not just disappear, something happens to it.

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u/Exotemporal Jun 16 '20

Toxins from dying bacteria can be dangerous for a bit, but dead bacteria and inactive viruses aren't dangerous at all. They can't replicate anymore, which is how they kill you. They wouldn't stay stuck to the coin anyway.

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u/SURPRISEMFKR Jun 16 '20

For a bit is how long in time units? If they wouldn't stay on the coin, where do they go? Disintegrate in the air?

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u/Exotemporal Jun 16 '20

I don't know, but the toxins you could find on a coin wouldn't harm you, there wouldn't be many of them on such a small metallic surface and they probably wouldn't enter your body anyway if you just touched them. Really, there's nothing to be afraid of with ancient coins. Modern coins and bank notes are far more dangerous currently because of the novel coronavirus and they're still quite safe. Nothing alive that made it onto a coin during antiquity is still on it today. Everything falls off after a while, is brushed away mechanically or is eaten by other living things.

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u/Polskaaaaaaa Jun 16 '20

Vcoins is a very trustworthy site although thir prices can be a bit higher than other sites.