Among the incidental operations are (a) the valuation of the bullion by weighing and assaying it; (b) " rating" the bullion, or calculating the amount of copper to be added to make up the standard alloy; (c) recovering the values from ground-up crucibles, ashes and floor sweepings (the Mint " sweep "); (d) assaying the melted bars; (e) " pyxing " the finished coin or selecting specimens to be weighed and assayed; (f) " telling " or counting the coin.
The seller could send you a fake coin or misrepresent the coins in his collection, but by the time you realize it, he will already have your money.
Auction sites are fun, especially if you need that last collector's piece or are looking for a rare coin or stamp or just need some new electronics or computer parts.
