Bad Luck With Coin Deals Lately

Personally I think thinks like this happen more than people admit. He probably was trying to get every penny possible out of you. To be fair he may not have expected it to go that low or really know the prices for that series. I dont really know him so I cant say if thats his common practice or an unusual event.

That said ebay is a funny animal some thing go way high some go way low. Its hard to beat their prices on a lot of things though since they have to compete with everyone else selling the same things. If a coin store has one of something and if you want it you have to pay what they want but on ebay likely someone else if not many other people will list something similar

In this instance, my gut tells me he's simply overvalued the coin in his head as opposed to any malicious intent.

I agree with giving the dealer the benefit of the doubt. In a random, but related thought your post made me reflect on ebay and it's effect on coin dealers/coin shops. ebay has certainly increased the visibility and general availability of coins to a broader audience. That's a positive, but it's pushed the coin shops to the brink of extinction. Virtual coin shops pay a hefty fee to their ebay Uberlords, but it's a lot less than overhead for a brick and mortar shop. I still like the ability to walk into a coin shop and talk about coins, but the selection is limited to the physical confines of the shop (and it'll cost more -- on average). That personal touch is dying and I'd be willing to bet that there are some younger coin collectors who have never or rarely walked into a brick and mortar coin shop. I know things change, but it doesn't mean they always change for the best...