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Pillar of the Community
United States
851 Posts |
Try numismedia.com or open up a free account with Heritage Auctions so you can see past auction results.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
I think you should get a sample of the Greysheet. http://greysheet.com/IMO you should learn more about grading and authenticating coins before buying anything, and that opens you up to raw coins on ebay, which is always a good source of coins. Why not learn more about coins and values, so you don't have to take these otherwise unnecessary precautions such as buying only slabbed coins. |
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New Member
 United States
26 Posts |
i plan on learning about the coins and grading as much as I can, but with people even second guessing ngc and pcgs's graded slabs, I just couldnt do it.
i am starting a 7070, all the post 1900 coins need to be in ms and at that level it seems too much like splitting hairs for me to be able to make a grade judgement.
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Valued Member
United States
450 Posts |
Buying raw coins on ebay can be a risky proposition as the seller can play with the lighting ect. If you only buy from a Seller who has a very high feedback that helps your odds of a decent transaction. Also look for Sellers that have a reasonable return policy. |
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Valued Member
United States
450 Posts |
When buying slabbed coins, you should factor in the PCGS graded coins have a premium , with NGC falling slightly behind. Last but not least would be ANACS.
Greysheet Bid is the best pricelist , but a subscription is expensive !
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Valued Member
United States
258 Posts |
Keep in mind ebay is a wholesale market and the economy is poor. I have purchased many things over the years priced well below their intrinsic value. Additionally I have turned around and listed those same items back on ebay and sold them at a good profit. The key is to be PATIENT. Once you have found a coin you want to add to your collection you bid on it in the last moment at the highest price you are willing to pay. If you win it, great. If not, there will be another one available shortly. Best wishes on your internet "cherrypicking". Sincerely, John Leckrone |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
When you buy coins that are not that high grade or valuable, there's nothing wrong with buying raw coins, since cheaper coins are rarely counterfeited. Although the pre-1900 MS coins you said you're focusing on might need to be bought slabbed if you're not confident in your grading and authenticating skills. Quote:Buying raw coins on ebay can be a risky proposition as the seller can play with the lighting ect. If you only buy from a Seller who has a very high feedback that helps your odds of a decent transaction. Also look for Sellers that have a reasonable return policy. It isn't a risky proposition if you know how to grade, tell if a coin has been cleaned, etc. I buy raw coins on ebay and have never had a problem, because I learn to grade and authenticate before buying the coin. |
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New Member
United States
26 Posts |
Quote:It isn't a risky proposition if you know how to grade, tell if a coin has been cleaned, etc. I buy raw coins on ebay and have never had a problem, because I learn to grade and authenticate before buying the coin. like I said earlier though...people even question some of the grading done by the top grading companies. so when youre talking a 50% difference in price between ms63 and ms64, its not for everyone. especially if youre super worried about investment potentail. I misgrade a coin and I've already lost what little price increase I would have seen over the next 5 years. |
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Valued Member
United States
450 Posts |
Hi Wheatguy, Thanks for your comments. I believe I can grade and tell a cleaned coin with the best of them. THAT'S if I have the coin in hand. Most pictures that the sellers on ebay give are sorely lacking in detail. For example , how many Lincoln sellers give you a pix detailed enough to check the wheatlines on the reverse ? Not many I am sad to say. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
4849 Posts |
Quote:Hi Wheatguy, Thanks for your comments. I believe I can grade and tell a cleaned coin with the best of them. THAT'S if I have the coin in hand. Most pictures that the sellers on ebay give are sorely lacking in detail. For example , how many Lincoln sellers give you a pix detailed enough to check the wheatlines on the reverse ? Not many I am sad to say. I hear ya vanbroj. You are right about most sellers using poor pictures on ebay. I do most of my shopping on ebay too, and the reality is that once you get accustomed to it, 95% of the auctions I filter out and don't even give a second glance. There is so much garbage, that it pays and saves tons of time to have a greased and polished "mental filtering system". The truth is, there is still some risk even with that %5 that make it past the filter, and then it comes down to a risk vs. reward ratio; and there are a lot of great coins that can be had at terrific prices. It takes some practice and experience, and knowledge of how to interpret pictures; but I prefer ebay 9 out of 10 times. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
Good point. It's unfortunate that most people can't take a decent enough photo of a coin in order to see the details or even approximate grade.
Montana, if you're cracking the coins out to go into the 7070 yet you're doing it as an investment, that might be a great idea, since slabbed coins always lose some value when cracked out. Just some food for thought, but I've done better profit-wise on raw coins than slabbed, and I think that's partially because I cracked the slabbed coins out and I knew more about the series of the raw coins I bought.
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Valued Member
United States
450 Posts |
Hey Johnny, no doubt the risk/reward is there with ebay. I have 87 feedback on ebay , I only buy so I have a little experience there. I usually will only buy my key dates slabbed to weed out fakes, but you can do real well with raw coins, especially if you can get good pix , or buy from a seller you know from past deals with give you an accurate description. |
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Valued Member
United States
61 Posts |
To be clear I wasn't second guessing the grade on the coin I referenced. It was graded right, but the picture I had was only of the obverse and it was very clean. When I received it, the back was COVERED with carbon spots. Eye appeal can be just as important as technical grade, if not more. I bought without a return policy because it was slabbed. Live and learn.
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Valued Member
United States
450 Posts |
coinshopworker Thanks for sharing your experience. I bought a raw 31 s cent once when I was a ebay newbie. The Obverse had a nice big pix and looked VF the reverse had a smaller pix. When I got the coin it did not have full wheatlines , it had vg reverse. The coin was advertised as an XF+++++ That Seller is no longer on ebay |
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Valued Member
United States
61 Posts |
For me the moral of these stories is the brick and mortar shop will always have a place in the hobby. Ten good deals online can be wiped away with one of our examples. In a shop you can turn the coin over, look at it through a loop, and you know where to find the seller.
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Posted 08/27/2010 9:49 pm
