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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,454 |
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Valued Member
United States
216 Posts |
I plan to assemble a collection of coins by purchasing them from the internet ( ebay and online stores). I've been looking at photos and some coins classified as AU look uncirculated to me and vice-versa (some Uncirculated coins appear AU). Is there a way to tell if a coin is uncirculated from an online photo? I thought scratches in the field may be a clue, but such is not the case. And what is the visual difference between a scratched coin in uncirculated condition, and an AU coin scratched because of circulation? Edited by Hidalgo
09/05/2022 5:10 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2213 Posts |
Without actually having a coin in hand, a great deal depends on your experience with coins, knowing what details look like when a coin is UNC compared to circulation wear, the quality of the seller's photos, the angle of the light on the coin, shadows, etc. Some sellers have honest descriptions and great photos, others not so much, they deliberately take pics at certain angles to hide problems or alter the pics. Uncirculated coins can have light scratches, dents on them just from being tossed around in bags, etc. You might consider buying only from sellers that offer returns in case you don't like it. There are some well known reputable dealers on ebay, you could just buy mostly from them. Also consider, sellers and graders (PCGS, NGC, etc.) do have differences of opinions, one may think AU, another UNC, give the same coin a little bit lower or higher grade. Edited by livingwater
09/05/2022 5:18 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7273 Posts |
Its very hard to tell just from pictures. With lighting and blurring effects, even circulated coins can look uncirculated. Sadly your best course of action is to buy from a dealer that has return privilege's. But my recommendation would be to find a brick and mortar store or go to to a coin show if buying raw.
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Valued Member
 United States
216 Posts |
  Thanks to all! I saw this1937D 3-legged buffalo coin on ebay. I know that 3-legged buffalos have been counterfeited, cleaned, etc. in the past. The seller advertised it as uncirculated. Does it look uncirculated? And do you think it might have been cleaned or altered? Edited by Hidalgo
09/05/2022 5:45 pm
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Valued Member
United States
465 Posts |
That seller has been talked about on this site. Please do a search and read some comments before purchasing.
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Valued Member
United States
357 Posts |
Personally, I would never purchase a coin this expensive without it being slabbed, unless perhaps you have done lots of business before with an already reputable dealer. Otherwise I simply wouldn't take the risk.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5661 Posts |
This particular seller (Canyon City) has been known to alter his photos to look amazing at first glance. But the photos are highly pixelated and it's hard to assess the surface. Although he appears to have a large number of satisfied buyers, I would be skeptical based on the reputation of the seller alone.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2213 Posts |
I'd think many dealers/collectors that had a rare coin in AU or UNC would have it graded by PCGS, NGC, etc., unless they already know it has a problem like cleaned. It looks like it has some rough areas to me. But if you get it for a good price, it might be worth the risk. In a prior post are pics of a Morgan from the same seller and the buyer's pics when the coin arrived. The photos hid the true surfaces. Buyer Beware. http://goccf.com/t/396359Edited by livingwater
09/05/2022 6:50 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
It has been stated very clearly in the preceding posts why
I prefer to examine every coin in hand before deciding to buy.
Along with the increasing demise of LCS's,
this has resulted for me in more frequent attendance at coin auction view days and coin shows.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
6244 Posts |
I will not buy this coin even if I will be drunk (I never was). The colors of the two sides are so similar, which could not happened in normal conditions. Second the photos show a coin with re-polish marks. Keep in mind: Those re-polish lines, marks will never touch the high of the coin design. The die it is surface (flat part) re-polish not the design which it is incuse on.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2280 Posts |
I buy almost every one of my coins from LCS's
People complain about LCS not being so common anymore, when they in fact don't purchase from a brick and mortar(never have).
This is a serious problem that way too many people have.
Save the rebuttals about the guy in timbuktu, because I'm obviously not referring to that minority.
This is how I know exactly what I'm getting, because I look at it in hand.
You realize when you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
Edited by NumismaticsFTW
09/06/2022 12:03 am
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,454 |
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Posted 09/05/2022 4:30 pm
