FAQ's - Frecuently asked
questions about numismatics

Buying coins

Buying ancient coins

At Tauler&Fau, we sell coins through online auctions. We conduct 2 to 3 auctions each month. Register on our website to start bidding.

It’s so easy. Click on the “Login/Sign Up” button and fill out all of the form fields. Be sure to list your business references: other auction houses or industry professionals with whom you’ve had a professional relationship.

If you are a new collector and don’t have any professional references, we need you to explain the type of coins you would like to collect and what period you are most interested in so that we can advise you in taking your first steps in numismatics.

At Tauler&Fau, we have 4 different types of auctions:

  • Tauler&Fau Selection: The best pieces, due to rarity or conservation.
  • Special Collections: We auction collections of all types and from all periods.
  • Thematic Auctions: Ancient World, Spanish Coins and World Coins.
  • Only 10% Buyer’s Fee Auctions with 10% buyer’s premium.

All auctions are held exclusively online.

Here are the different ways to place your bids:


Once your registration is approved, you will be able to bid at our auctions. There are different options for bidding:

  • Web: You can place your bids through our website. To do this, you must first login. Our online system will automatically honor your maximum bids. The bid amount is open and cannot have decimals. If you are outbid by another bidder, you will receive an outbid notice via e-mail. You can check the progress of your bid lots in the “My Bids” section of the “My Account” panel.

 

  • Tauler&Fau Live: Tauler&Fau offers its customers its own real-time bidding system for all auctions, where all auction lots will be auctioned off one by one. Unless otherwise indicated, all our auctions will be held through this system. In the information about each auction, we list the day and time at which the final auction for each of the lots offered will begin. Using the real-time bidding system will not entail any extra charge for the buyer.

 

  • External platforms: Bids placed through the most significant international auction platforms: Sixbid, Biddr y Numisbids will be accepted. To do this, you must be registered on those platforms beforehand. Unlike online bids, these will not go into effect immediately; they will be computerized in strict order of arrival, after checking references for any new customers.

 

  • Phone bids: requests for live bidding via phone will be accepted only for lots that have a starting price equal to or greater than €1,000. Please contact us at least 24 hours before the start of the auction so that we can handle this properly.
    We recommend providing several telephone numbers whenever possible to prevent any problems or delays during the course of the auction. You can send your phone bids to the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

  • E-mail: Bids made in writing via e-mail will be accepted. You can send your bids to the following address: [email protected].

 

You have to click on the “Auctions” menu and then click on “View Lots.” At Tauler&Fau, we photograph all the lots in our auctions. In addition, we take special photographs and videos of the most interesting lots in each auction so that you can examine the coin as if it were in your hand.  

If you wish, you can also come by our offices to examine the lots in person. Contact us to make an appointment, and we will arrange it all for you.

The Buyer’s Premium is 20%. This commission must be added to the auction price of each lot awarded.

The hammer price is the lowest possible price recorded in our system. For a lot with a starting price of €50, say you place a bid for €90, and the bidder before you offered €75. This means the lot will be awarded to you for €80, not your maximum bid of €90.

You can check the bidding increments established in the auction conditions.

You will receive the pro forma invoice for the lots awarded to you via e-mail at most 1 hour after the auction ends. You can also check on your purchases in the “My Account” panel.

There are 5 payment methods available:

  1. Credit/Debit Card (VISA-MASTERCARD). With a limit of €6,700. No additional fees.
  2. Bizum (Only Spain). With a limit of €2.500. No additional fees.
  3. AWire transfer to one of the following bank accounts:


    Banco Sabadell
    IBAN ES30 0081 5249 18 0001225024
    BIC BSABESBXXX

    La Caixa
    IBAN ES59 2100 4173 11 2200291198
    BIC CAIXESBBXXX

  4. Paypal. With a 6% surcharge  on the total invoice
  5. Cash. Only for invoices with a maximum amount of €1,000.

At the end of the auction, you will receive an e-mail with the lots awarded to you and a link to pay by credit/debit card.

Yes, you can purchase any unsold lots at the starting price plus the 20% Buyer’s Premium. The auction will stay on our website for a period of 30 days after the auction ends.

You will have a period of 20 days after the auction ends to pay for your purchases.

Yes, you can return the lots as long as some justification is provided. However, large lots cannot be returned. We recommend examining lots in our offices.

No refund will be granted based on any aspect reflected in the auction description, nor on discrepancies regarding the preservation grade or differing opinions on the coin or banknote by third parties not affiliated with Tauler y Fau S.L.

Yes, all lots have a certificate of authenticity (digital) with the description, photograph, and the lot’s starting price.

In Tauler&Fau we are committed to the enviroment. That’s why, the certificates of authenticity  will be only available for download as PDFs in the “My Account” panel.

Selling coins

Selling ancient coins

Send us an e-mail at [email protected] with images of the coins you wish to sell. Our technical department will give you the market value and let you know if they are eligible to be included in one of our auctions. Sometimes, depending on the material’s characteristics, providing a valuation this way is not possible, so we will ask you to send it in for physical examination.
You can also contact us by phone and make an appointment for an in-person valuation.
More information is available here.

Coin valuations are completely free of charge at Tauler&Fau. There will only be a travel fee for an in-person valuation when our technical department finds it appropriate. For more information, you can contact us by e-mail or phone.

At Tauler&Fau, we offer a free courier pickup service to make it easy to consign from anywhere in the country. If you live abroad, you can send us the coins you want to sell, preferably by courier.

The commission agreed on must be deducted from the final outcome of the sale.

Yes, for each consignment, we prepare a contract identifying the owner of the coins or banknotes. Once the terms of the contract have been accepted, we will begin the sales process.

Once the contract for consigning your pieces is complete, we will send you a list with the description of each item and the starting prices. When we publish the auction online, we will send you another list associating the reference number for your pieces with that of the lots in the auction.

You can track your consigned lots that are included in that auction from the “My Account” Panel. You can also follow your lots from the auction view; in the menu, there is a filter that lets you select your lots as the transferor. To do this, you must log in to the website.

The day after the auction, you will receive a provisional settlement informing you of the sale’s outcome. This result is provisional since acquiring unallocated lots or some return being made is still possible at this time. When the deadline has passed, you will receive the final settlement.

Payment is made by check or bank transfer no more than 30 days after the auction is held.

Coin shipping

All information about coin shipping

Yes. Packages are insured for the total amount of the purchase.

Shipments are usually made by a transport agency (DHL, FEDEX, MRW, NACEX) with 24/72-hour service or by Post, depending on the destination.

Purchases are shipped on receipt of payment. For safety reasons, we do not ship on Fridays or on the day before holidays. Some lots may be under a temporary importation regime. In this case, the lots are sent as soon as they clear customs.

Of course. In this case, the shipping and insurance costs will be deducted.

Yes, but for coins more than 100 years old, export procedures must be carried out in accordance with the legislation currently in effect. Lots sold outside of Spain will be sent once Spain’s Ministry of Culture grants the corresponding export license.

This depends on the deadlines set by Spain’s Ministry of Culture. The process of obtaining an export license usually takes 2-3 weeks.

Services

Learn all about our services

You can send us an e-mail or request an appointment for an in-person valuation. Sometimes, whenever we find it appropriate, we may also come to your home. This latter option may entail appraisal costs.

Coin valuations are completely free of charge at Tauler&Fau. There will only be a travel fee for an in-person valuation when our technical department finds this appropriate. For more information, you can contact us by e-mail or phone.

You can contact us here or by phone, and we’ll take care of the entire process.

You can see the rates for the coin grading service.

It usually takes 8 to 10 weeks, but this is not in our control: the NGC and PCGS certification companies handle this. It has occasionally taken up to 12 weeks.

Contact us with the number of coins to be photographed and the type of photograph you would like (you can see the types here). Once the quote is accepted, we will issue an invoice for the service. You must pay this invoice for us to start working. You can come to our office to drop off the pieces or have us pick them up at your home. All pickups will be totally insured.

You can see the rates for the coin photography service.

This will depend on two factors: the number of coins to be photographed and the number of service requests we have at that time. We usually complete the service within 10 days at most.