1. The most important thing: You've not been
had. This coin is real, for all a photograph can tell. The weight fits perfectly too.
2. This is an archaic didrachm (two-drachm piece) of
Akragas, modern-day Agrigento,
Sicily. Minting year: roughly about 480 BC.
3. If you overpaid, it's just a little. You can never say "this coin is worth exactly $283.50", that would be nonsense. Sometimes one and the same coin appears twice on
Ebay or in public sales over a few years, and it's very interesting how different prices can be. In both directions.
4. Trying to be objective, IMHO $500 would be slightly high for a buy on
Ebay but perfectly normal for a buy from a dealer, with guarantee and all.
5. If you want
money quick and want to sell it on
Ebay, say who you got it from; because if you have no big name on
Ebay, people will be skeptical whether the coin is real. There's so much crap on
Ebay, it's for a reason that people call it Fleabay.
6. If you want to
part with it but are in no hurry, you might
consign it - why not to Joe (Joe Sermarini, Big Chief of this website)? He'll certainly get a better
price than you will.
7. Why not keep it? It's a beautiful coin. These are two wonderful depictions of nature in their early Greek simplicity. The condition is absolutely normal for these because they circulated for about a hundred years. In higher grades, they are rather
rare and very expensive.
Best regards,
Rupert
Author