| Author |
 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,026 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
751 Posts |
I purchased this coin at auction as a CHXF45. I looked at it for maybe 10 seconds during the inspection period (one of about 300 lots I examined). I examined it through a 2x magnifier under a bright goose-neck light. I won the coin for $21. The other day, I photographed it and a multitude of lines jumped out of the photos. These are not readily evident to my inexperienced eyes with the 2x. I have no return privilege, but gave the dealer a chance to be a mensch and take the coin back. I said it was evident that the coin had been harshly cleaned. He said that a harsh cleaning would be apparent without a glass and called them "hairlines". Basically said that I still got a good deal. I'm certainly not going to jeopardize our relationship over this; I'll just be more careful in the future. What say you? Can you help me to understand the distinction he was trying to draw between cleaning and hairlines? Thanks   Edited by texasmick
02/08/2007 09:31 am
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1703 Posts |
TM, "Hairlines" are caused from an inproper cleaning,plain and simple.I think what your dealer was trying to say was if it was harshly cleaned then the lines or scratches would be going in all directions instead of all in one direction. I think he's splitting hairs with that statement though.  To be honest,I would try to find another dealer.He should have told you upfront that the coin had been cleaned.And a no return policy? That's a red flag right there,to me. Terry |
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
751 Posts |
I understand the lack of return policy. It was a live auction with sufficient time to physically inspect the lots. Most of the coins do not belong to the dealer, but are sold on consignment.
If it wasn't his coin, I didn't really expect him to buy it back four days after the auction. Nor did I directly ask him to. I simply told him that I was disappointed in the coin, and that they "can't all be winners." My wife would call this passive-aggressive, I suppose.
Anyway, I'm disappointed in myself for not catching the cleaning earlier.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1703 Posts |
I see.I didn't realize it was a live auction.As you said,its up to us to check things out for ourselves.We have to take at least 50% of the responsablity in being sure we get a good coin.  Don't feel to bad though,we have all done it one time or another in the heat of the moment. It was a pretty cheap lesson.It could have been a lot worse. |
|
Valued Member
United States
270 Posts |
Woof, woof!
Dealer (not retail) price would be around $21 if it was actually EF.
At the most you lost a couple of few dollars and gained a pet.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
Your dealers definition of harshly cleaned and mine are somewhat different. I would consider this coin harshly cleaned. Hope it helps, but I have made mistakes like this also. Especially when I get caught up in the face to face bidding of a live auction and my old eyes missed the flaws. I read somewhere that you need to train yourself to carefully examine and scan each area of the coin, if possible turning it to get direct light on each area. Most importantly take your time and don't bid just because the overall eye appeal is positive. Now if I could just follow that advice all the time.
Colin
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
 That is unless you have a 1921 VAM-1A, it has polish lines all over the Reverse that looks like it was scrubbed with a brillo pad |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1267 Posts |
Texasmick, have you considered getting a better loupe? You mention that you looked at it under 2X magnification.........at 6 or 9 times, that thing would have looked like it was cut with an axe. I now use an eschenbach 3/6/9 that costs about a hundred bucks, and it is simply on another planet compared to my old $10 loupe. It has also already paid for itself by allowing me to catch problems I may not have found until after purchasing. A worthwhile investment, for sure.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3234 Posts |
The dealer knows darn well that coin was harshly cleaned. Apparently, he's pleading ignorance. If he thinks those hairlines are so innocent, he should offer a full buyback regardless as the coin is "good" to him...which is a joke of course.
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
2684 Posts |
TM, I'd just chalk it up to a lesson learned about the dealer. Fortunately, it was a cheap lesson. See the dealer again at an auction and just walk on by. You now have a Morgan which you can use for educational purposes, e.g., demonstrate what a "harshly cleaned" coin looks like, what hairlines look like, and as a benchmark for comparative weight purposes to detect counterfeits. BTW, when I first saw this topic's title, I expected to find a topic in General Discussions about M*A*S*H (OK, maybe After M*A*S*H).  Fred |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1267 Posts |
Another lesson learned Texasmick, thankfully it didn't cost too much. I will add that at such a low price, I think the dealer also made a mistake by not offering to take it back and hopefully establishing a comfortable relationship with you for future transactions. Sooooo, for $20 you got a cool pocket-piece, discovered a 2X loupe may not be adequate, and have learned as much as you need to know about a certain dealer. Wish all my lessons had come so cheaply. Edited by hadleydog
02/08/2007 10:43 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
751 Posts |
Thanks to all of you for your comments.
Hadley, yours especially resonated.
|
| |
Replies: 11 / Views: 1,026 |
|
Posted 02/08/2007 09:30 am
