Should I Bid On This Trade Dollar?

if this is an auction you can see the coin in hand at and if you are comfortable in your detecting counterfeit Trade dollar skills then it may be worth it. But there is no way I would ever buy a Trade dollar from pictures like that. This is one series you would need good clear shots of and even then it can be hard to detect counterfeits and would have to have a iron clad return policy attached to it.

Personally, I would not waste money on a coin that has been questionably cleaned, with such a poor photo, as you really don't know what you're getting (but probably a coin that may not grade with either PCGS or NGC). I say let it go, and wait for a coin you can actually see in your hands.

So, I was able to inspect the coin and everything looked legitimate. the weight was right, not magnetic, and both the obverse and reverse were "type 2." The reserve price was $125 and the coin was pretty worn.. so I didnt bid. It sold for the $125 reserve price. There were a few other coins from the same seller and they all had high reserve prices so I didnt get any of those either. ($3.75 for common date, circulated Buffalo nickels for instance) I DID however buy a Ryobi reciprocating saw for $11, 2 drills and a circular saw for $2.50 each, and a beautiful vintage lamp for $4. At least it wasn't a total bust. Thanks for all of the help!