Coin Community Family of Web Sites Join Thousands of Coin, Bullion, & Money Collectors
Vancouvers #1 Coin and Paper Money Dealer Join Thousands of Coin, Bullion, & Money Collectors Royal Canadian Mint products, Canadian, Polish, American, and world coins and banknotes. Coin, Banknote and Medal Collectors's Online Mall Shop for APMEX Bullion on eBay!300,000 items to help build your collection! Specializing in Modern Numismatics








Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?


This page may contain links that result in small commissions to keep this free site up and running.

Welcome Guest! Registering and/or logging in will remove the anchor (bottom) ads. It's Free!

Etiquette Question

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.
Author Previous TopicReplies: 18 / Views: 2,583Next Topic
Page: of 2
Valued Member
Numisto's Avatar
United States
195 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  10:41 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add Numisto to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Hi all,

I recently had a bad experience that I wanted opinions on. I went to a reputable coin shop in a location that I'll keep nameless for now. The guy, from what I understand, is quite well known and doesn't slab anything because he's been in the business 50+ years and doesn't see it as necessary.
I went through his collection of Bay Bridge commems and ended up picking the most expensive one, which seemed to have a good deal more luster than the others. Long story short, it's on it's way back from NGC now in an UNC details slab. I looked at the coin for a long time and if it's cleaned, it was extremely lightly.
At the time, I didn't tell him I would probably slab it but I guess he didn't tell me it was cleaned. A few questions come to mind:

1) Would you ever bring it back and talk to him about taking it back?

2) Could NGC just be wrong? But, how often do they call uncleaned coins cleaned?

3) Has there been a change in opinion over the decades and perhaps this dealer's definition of cleaned is a little different than the current one?


Thanks
Pillar of the Community
trout1105's Avatar
Australia
7096 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  10:58 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add trout1105 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
There are Many Many "dealers" that are unable to pick a cleaned coin, Your dealer is probably one of them.
As you had the opportunity to view this coin "in hand" then you are as much to blame as the dealer, You failed to exercise "Due Diligence" and make a thorough examination of the coin.
I NEVER take the word of a dealer,seller or even a TPG as to the grade of a coin.
I have had Many coins in TPG slabs that I have "Cracked" only to find that they are over graded, NOBODY is perfect.
Pillar of the Community
denco7's Avatar
United States
2543 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  11:05 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add denco7 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Yes

Yes

Yes

You have to presume innocent until proven guilty. You probably not going to be refunded, but how is he going to learn or you unless you discuss it.

NGC can and has been wrong many times, from slabbing counterfeits to misgrading and putting coins in the wrong slab.

Professionally cleaned in called " conserved " , when you and I clean it, it comes back details/
Bedrock of the Community
sel_69l's Avatar
Australia
21786 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  11:08 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add sel_69l to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It's your coin now, and you can do anything you want with it, and it shouldn't bother the dealer in the least.
If you were to slab it and re offer it to the dealer, as far as he is concerned, that's an entirely new proposed transaction. He no doubt would re asses the coin all over again. Neither side is breaking any unsaid rules of etiquette.
No doubt the dealer would have been offered thousands of slabbed coins over the years.

If NGC has said 'details' that is their opinion, which would be respected by most dealers and collectors. You have bought the coin 'as is', and that is OK. The implication is that the light cleaning at the time of purchase did not bother you too much. I get from that, that it may not bother other intending buyers in the future, either.

The problem is that the 'details' is now 'official', but the coin can still be broken out of the slab if you want to.

I have been collecting coins and have been paying significant money for them for over 40 years.
NONE of my coins are slabbed.
I am like the dealer. I have always relied on my own judgement.
Valued Member
Numisto's Avatar
United States
195 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  11:23 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Numisto to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It's not that I was ok with a light cleaning. I'm saying that the cleaning must have been very light since NGC said it was cleaned and I didn't pick up on it. I looked at the coin for a long time, with all the due diligence I know at this point. Considering how many people have been in coin collecting for 30, 40 and 50 years, I'm a novice, but I'm getting better and better at recognizing a cleaning. I don't get fooled much anymore. He showed me something else in the Barber dime I was looking for and he said "it's been cleaned." This Bay Bridge coin was marked as "BU near gem."

Clearly, from the last two posts, opinions vary a widely. I wonder where the majority will come down.

If I were to go back, I wasn't planning on busting the door down and yelling. It would more be like, this is what happened. Can we do anything? Is there any guarantee you put on your coin when you mark it as BU near gem? This isn't a guy who's some ebay scammer. He's been in the same place for 50+ years. If he was giving people bum coins for that long, too many people would know where to find him.
Pillar of the Community
trout1105's Avatar
Australia
7096 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  11:40 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add trout1105 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
If I were to go back, I wasn't planning on busting the door down and yelling. It would more be like, this is what happened. Can we do anything? Is there any guarantee you put on your coin when you mark it as BU near gem? This isn't a guy who's some ebay scammer. He's been in the same place for 50+ years. If he was giving people bum coins for that long, too many people would know where to find him.


I think that this is an honest mistake by both you and the dealer.
If the dealer is genuine and honest I imagine that he would give you a refund for the coin.
Alternitivly you could simply keep the coin for your future referance as a way of picking a cleaned coin.
Pillar of the Community
trout1105's Avatar
Australia
7096 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2013  11:59 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add trout1105 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I have been collecting coins and have been paying significant money for them for over 40 years.
NONE of my coins are slabbed.
I am like the dealer. I have always relied on my own judgement.




Spoken like a TRUE collector, I have bought coins "slabbed" but have ALWAYS removed them so that I can make my OWN determination of the coin.
I then put the coin (If up to scratch) in my collection with MY grade on the 2x2
If I am unhappy with the coin I simply put it up on ebay with a 99 cent start without a grade, I normally take a "hit" doing this but it is better that just chucking it in a box in disgust.

I think EVERYONE has their OWN personal standards as to how they grade their own coins, I find personally the more "Picky" you are the more accurate your grades will be.

Some of the coins are cleaned so subtly that it takes a USB microscope to pick them out so don't feel bad about buying a "Cleaned" coin.
I would take the coin in the holder to your dealer and work something out.
This is a perfect way to check out the honesty and integrity of the dealer.
Bedrock of the Community
sel_69l's Avatar
Australia
21786 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  12:02 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add sel_69l to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I HAVE an MS63 Bay Bridge incidentally, but that is beside the point.

There IS a big difference in value between an MS60 and a MS65. To my way of thinking, MS64 is what I would regard as "BU near gem". Without a picture I would geuss such a coin would grade down to an equivalent MS60, provided the sharpness of detail has not been affected, and the mint lustre has been affected in only a very minor way.

If you are genuinely not happy with the coin, prehaps it could be de - slabbed and moved on as a raw coin.
MY opinion only. I just don't like slabs.
Pillar of the Community
CoinsKelly's Avatar
United States
3453 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  07:46 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add CoinsKelly to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
A couple of years ago I purchased a 1851 3 cent silver at a show from a dealer. We both graded it as low MS. I decided to have it slabbed and it came back details, tooled. Since I could not see the tooling, I took it to several other dealers and no one could see the tooling. All had different opinions where it MIGHT have been. I ran into the dealer at another coin show and showed him coin - he looked, could not find the tooling and offered to refund me. I declined because I really like the coin. However, if he had not offered a refund, I would have been OK with that since I have a relationship with this guy. He let's me pick his brain during lulls in shows and has spent lots of time chatting with my son, answering his endless questions.

If you had indicated at the time of purchase of your intent to slab it and then asked what he thought it would come back as, then I would say you should feel no remorse going back to see if a price adjustment/refund could happen. But you used your judgement and his judgement in the purchase and that is part of what you paid for. (Plus, without pictures it is difficult to tell). If it were me, I would consider bringing it back to him just as an FYI. Chances are he will not agree with the grade and you can see how he handles these situations. Just take into consideration if this is someone you would like to continue to do business with in deciding how you approach him.
Pillar of the Community
52Raymo's Avatar
United States
8516 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  09:18 am  Show Profile   Check 52Raymo's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add 52Raymo to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Do you by any chance have a pic of the coin ?
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
Pillar of the Community
oih82w8's Avatar
United States
7840 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  09:39 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add oih82w8 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Pics would be nice, but depending on the accuracy of the images...it could go either way.

Sometimes just a "spot" was removed once upon a time and and it would still merit a details grade.

This is one of the many reasons I only buy slabbed coins from the TOP III companies.

You could bring it to the attention of the dealer, but (s)he is probably not going to do a thing about it.

It was their opinion and that is that, whether you are talking about the dealers opinion or NGC's opinion.

There are those who have their coins slabbed for authenticity and then crack 'em out and put 'em in their albums.

I too would like to see what the coin looks like and go from there.
Edited by oih82w8
02/28/2013 09:39 am
Valued Member
General Tso's Avatar
United States
341 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  12:49 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add General Tso to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
If you would have bought the barber coin, sent that in, and it came back problem free, would you go back and give the shop owner more money?
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  1:23 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add just carl to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
If it was me, I'd just put it in one of my Albums and forget the rest. I do not have any slabbed coins. If I get one I break out the coin anyway. If it is or was cleaned, I don't care since I'm not going to ever sell it. As long as it doesn't look like it was polished to mirror condition, in an my Albums it goes. If I got one that the TPGS said was cleaned, it is just a piece or part of the slab that ends up in the garbage anyway. People are just to slab happy today.
Valued Member
Kurrykid's Avatar
United States
455 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  3:41 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Kurrykid to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I think I would go back to the dealer and let him know. Not to bust his chops but just for good feedback and communication. Like you said, he is reputable and I'm sure he doesn't want to misrepresent the items he is selling. How can he know if he doesn't know?
Bedrock of the Community
Conder101's Avatar
United States
17884 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  10:29 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Conder101 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
No, unless he guaranteed that it would slab problem free (Which I'm sure he didn't because you would have mentioned it.) Is there any kind of a guarantee on the dealers opinon as to the grade? Probably not. He had an opinion of the grade, so did you and you probably agreed with him because you bought the coin Now NGC has their OPINION and it is different from the dealers. Guess what NGC is not always right. They are good but they are not infalible. This is why you really need to learn to make your own decisions and not to depend on others to make them for you.

Yes, they could be wrong. How often do they call uncleaned coins cleaned? Probably about as often as they call cleaned coins uncleaned. In other words, probably a fair amount of the time.

and Yes. opinions and standards change all the time. All the services say they will not slab a coin with PVC contamination, but there have been a lot of stories of coins being cracked out and sent back in only to be rejected for PVC contamination. If that's so, why wasn't it rejected the first time it was submitted? (And some of these cases are from coins being sent back to the same service.
Valued Member
socceraustin23's Avatar
United States
433 Posts
 Posted 02/28/2013  10:39 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add socceraustin23 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
a picture of the coin would really help but if you didnt feel like you got treated fairly just find a different dealer maybe
  Previous TopicReplies: 18 / Views: 2,583Next Topic
Page: of 2

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.



    




Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us  |  Advertise Here  |  Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum © 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Forums
It took 0.46 seconds to rattle this change. Forums