An Ebay Transaction Post-Mortem

I suppose this is little more than a vent, but perhaps there's a point hidden within it all? Well, here's a summary of a recent auction I completed:

The seller advertised a key Newfoundland coin in "AU", with the accompanying photo. Granted, it's a bit small/blurry, but looks clean enough to warrant an XF and I'll give that much leeway for their price. Note: the seller also had a 100% rating--go figure!



However, upon arrival things looked a bit differently. Here's the coin stapled between a thin sheet of plastic on top of the 1-ply paper envelope it arrived in. The packaging is a bit worrisome, but not as worrisome as the actual condition of the coin. The striated surface says it all--this "AU" began as a VF20 at best and then endured some harsh cleaning.



Actually, it's a shame the seller's soft-focus photo hid their conscientious work on this coin. After all, not every ebay seller ensures a coin arrives completely clean and shiny from a good workover with a Brillo pad!