I have developed the ultimate guide for purchasing raw coins on
ebay:
If it looks too bad, don't buy it.
If it looks too good, don't buy it.
This limits you to mostly honest, average priced coins of an average grade. If you are looking for anything else either buy slabbed coins or go elsewhere.
Thoughts:
As convenient as
ebay is, it is a frustrating platform because you sometimes can't definitively tell from the picture or from the unscrupulous description if a coin has been scrubbed, dipped, artificially toned, or otherwise doctored. This generally leads me to the conclusion that if I even whiff the slightest possibility that something could be wrong with the piece, I steer clear. The problem with this is that I pass up a piece that actually might be honestly awesome and problem free because I only trust listings for coins that are less desirable, more worn and have an honest older look.
I feel like if I still want to use online platforms but get those "wow factor" coins that are honest pieces at the same time, I have to move on to a site like Heritage Auctions. But all those pieces come at a huge premium.
What's the average coin collector to do?
Posted 02/01/2020 3:00 pm
