Click to expand photo.
Every now and then an auction house relatively new to the portal makes big strides, and that is what we see with Ritmar Auction: numismatic descriptions, as above, coupled with sharp expandable photos and 13% buyer’s premium (10% with cash payment).
Ritmar serves the online audience well, and it has done so in record time–even in timed auctions. In addition to accurate descriptions, it also weighs suspicious lots, as in this 1801 half dollar:
The auctioneer notes that this rare half dollar is underweight (12.6 grams as opposed to 13.5 grams).
We cannot use a caliper on a digital photo, of course, nor could we do a magnet test for base metal. But we are happy that the description cautions us.
What we can do, thanks to Ritmar’s photography, is expand the photo and then click the lower right corner to expand again, giving us this close-up view:
We won’t bid on this because we cannot test with a magnet. But if silver, we believe this is an authentic half dollar that is underweight because of excessive wear.
We wish all auction houses were as responsible as Ritmar in trying to help the online bidder. We hope that our shoutout also will inform the company to do a magnet test whenever a counterfeit is suspected of a silver coin.
This is a house we have bought from in the past and always check with each new auction, because of the care it takes with lots.
Proxiblog is an independent entity with no connection to the auction portal Proxibid. Our intent is to uphold basic numismatic standards as established by the American Numismatic Association and the National Auctioneer Association and to ensure a pleasurable bidding experience not only on Proxibid but also on similar portals such as iCollector and AuctionZip.
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