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 Replies: 45 / Views: 9,612 |
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Valued Member
Canada
65 Posts |
Hello all. I am looking for some advice on a recent ebay purchase. A seller had listed several 1935-55 silver dollars that appeared to be in great shape in the photos. They were advertised as "mint state" and "high grade". Particularly nice was a 1945 that had some nicks and rim damage but looked 'mint state' otherwise. I wrote the seller via the '45 auction to ask about all of the dollars, their origin and if they had been cleaned. He said it was not cleaned and that he buys private and sells on ebay. I ended up winning 6 of the auctions and received the coins in short order. On close inspection they almost all have very fine, parallel scratches that appear to be left from an abrasive. It is visible with the naked eye in the right light and more apparent under magnification. So, I have a couple days to decide if I would like to return them. I live in the sticks so getting to the local coin dealer for an opinion in that time frame is not an option. I bid based on MS coins. Should I be happy with slightly overpriced, nice at a glance coins or should I keep the hobby/market honest? |
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Valued Member
 Canada
65 Posts |
Here are some shots of the coins. The '46:  The '49:    Thoughts? |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5393 Posts |
cleaned ,PTS, polished looks like a premium lot of problem coins
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2517 Posts |
If you have mint state 1935-1939 dollars that are shiny, they either have been polished or dipped, because they did not chrome the dies back then resulting in a rather "matte" look. The 1946 does look cleaned. The 1949 also looks polished. If you can post better pics of the rest of the coins, it would help a lot. From the small pics the raised design of the 1939 has a "halo" around it, it usually means cleaning or overdipping. I'll leave the rest to people more familiar with ebay than I am. |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
2360 Posts |
Was there a 1945 in the lot? They all look cleaned to me, problem coins will be hard to sell in future. Suggest you return them.
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Valued Member
Canada
495 Posts |
It is not easy making decisions without having coin in hand that's for sure - if the seller has a return policy and your not happy I would promptly return them and chalk it up to the learning curve and continue to seek advice here where there is an education that is invaluable to us collectors that seek knowledge and help from those more experience and who are willing to share; its all here my friend, good luck as we grow.
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Valued Member
Canada
333 Posts |
I'm pretty sure I bought a 45 from this seller. Had a knowledgeable friend check it out.....it was cleaned! I returned.
Very funny - that this seller always list high grade, impeccable, shiny coins all the while.
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
21586 Posts |
Being a collector of Silver Dollars, I would return them. Judging from the pictures,they have been cleaned. Those long fine scratches and the brightness of the coins is an indicator. As Pacificoin says, they can be a problem down the road if you want to resell them.
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
10743 Posts |
 To CCF tusker, you have received great advice from the members, if you think they have been cleaned return them. Also, did you receive a '45 and do you mind saying what you paid for said coins? |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1923 Posts |
Sometimes a good deal on something can become a problem I would also return them and mention that they were cleaned
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
972 Posts |
tusker...A cleaned coin is a problem coin. You will never be happy with them in your collection. I would return them. Keep him honest and make sure you return them with tracking. On more expensive items you might be wiser to buy TPG coins and the chances of receiving cleaned coins is minimal. You will be out the return shipping but will probably be happier in the long run.  |
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Valued Member
Canada
147 Posts |
The very fact that these coins were not as advertised should be reason enough to return them. No seller should ever get away with misleading and cheating customers.
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Valued Member
Canada
234 Posts |
I agree with Universalcoins. I don't mind silver dollars that have been lightly cleaned (I have some in my collection) as I think they are still very nice to look at. However I usually get them for the melt price of silver + a bit of a premium depending on the year/variety. If they are being advertised as mint state and selling for mint state prices then the condition of the coin should be mint state, and not cleaned. I would return them in this case.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3049 Posts |
You bought and paid for MS coins.. and you feel they're not mint state... Tell the seller you're not happy with the state of the coins and you will be sending them back for a refund. If you're not happy with the coins I say return them. Make sure you do it with tracking. I would've liked to have seen the original ebay listing... but the scratches on the '49 below the bust would deter me if I was looking for any MS coins personally. Yes your coins look cleaned... and they also look like they lack original lustre (a requirment for MS coins)... If you pay for an MS coin.. you should get an MS coin... |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3234 Posts |
They might have been polished with something as soft as a Kleenex..but the damage has been done,.. and these dollars are basically ruined by that noticeable soft polishing.
These will never sell for much as there are a lot of true frosty MS dollars around.
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Valued Member
Canada
65 Posts |
Thank you all for the rapid response and for sharing your knowledge and experience. I suppose that I already knew the answer to my question because if I had been happy then the coins would be in my collection and not up here for scrutiny.
Pacificoin - what is PTS?
SilverDon - Yes, there was a '45 that went for 222 USD
ShaftA9a - I let the '45 go. I'll post the prices with the next batch of pics.
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Replies: 45 / Views: 9,612 |
Posted 02/03/2015 2:12 pm
