What Are The Thoughts On Buying Morgans On Ebay?

Try Numismedia which is a free online price guide. Greysheet is a lot more accurate but it isn't free, although you can request one free sample.




This may sound somewhat strange but if you aren't buying either 1. key date or scarce coins, 2. coins from a highly counterfeited series (i.e Trade and Bust Dollars) counterfeits shouldn't be that big of a worry to you since the majority of counterfeits are in the categories that I mentioned. You do still have to be careful, just not as much.

I agree with most of the above statements. Obviously, all of these other posters are looking out for your best interests. Just remember that no matter what coins you buy, you will be looking at them so you'd do well to do your research and not get ripped off.

This is quite true in many cases and many dealers. I'm sure every area is different, but in the Bay Area CA and around Fort Bragg NC, I'm only comfortable with about 25% of the dealers out there. Most either over grade or overprice their coins. Of course, if they have customers willing to spend the money then I guess that's capitalism. I just already know I can get better deals and I stay away from them. Some of them I just get a slick, used car salesman feel from.

Now, here's the same with ebay. It's about the same, but with important differences. The "dealers" you don't like are easy to skip past. Do this little test. Pick any year, mintmark and grade coin. For consistency filter to only find certified examples. Last, select that you only want to see completed listings.

Notice crazy ratio of RED prices to GREEN. For every coin sold, usually at a reasonable price, there's like ten asking way too much money and they simply don't sell. On top of that, most of the ones that DO sell are auctions as opposed to 'By It Now.'

I hate it when I see a coin I like only to discover it's a BIN coin. The vast majority of the time it's way overpriced. But on the plus side there are so many coins for sale that you can sift through these, and if you know what you're doing find the coin you want at a reasonable price. Especially if you're patient.

Edit: ALSO, feel free to post an ebay listing in the room and ask for opinions. If there's a particular coin you're looking for I wouldn't mind looking for you and posting suggestions.

I have no qualms with dealers, they have to operate like any other business, but with the online pricing one has to lean towards as if you can buy WHOLESALE..like you pay the dealers cost while you have no cost to operate as a business....you have no over head......tyr to buy any thing else on this premisis..I am not a dealer, just a collector and I too have to way these same issues....The real deal is, if your in some shop you can see first hand what the coin is truely like...AS IN cleaned or hairlines from rubbing some shelf ti was sitting on....THE TPG'S have been shutting these coins down as cleaned, despite the fact this was a normal practice for a hundred years..as well as dipping or cleaning to keep the LUSTER as the main focus...That is why tones "ORIGINAL COINS" have a market now..but also there are "Doctored" coins faking original toning demanding SO MUCH money...
Look....if your going to spend money, take the time to learn the subject...if your going to invest in STOCKS and BONDS, would you not wonder if the companies is SOLVENT, or a hype by the trader trying to meet his quota sales........ Or would you be like the guy who just hit the POWERBALL....took everyone's advise and went broke in 5 years?
Even pennies add up........or to many dollars are thrown away..

I was able to buy several common Morgan's when silver was in the mid to upper teens reasonable, but now I agree ebay is not a place for deals.

Ok... so I bought on ebay an 1884 CC Morgan which ANACS graded MS-62 for $159.16 and an 1883 CC which NGC graded MS-62 for $187.50. Both sellers were Top Sellers with 100% positive feedback.

Sounds like the right ballpark more or less. We need some pictures though....




I agree that many, and "even most", sellers overgrade and over charge for their coins on ebay. The key is, in addition to knowlege of the market, knowlege of your series, and knowlege of how to grade; ebay shoppers need to develop an " ebay filter". All the overgraded and overpriced junk doesn't get a second look, it just gets weeded out by the filter. Once that is done, I have found many of my best purchases ever on ebay and also made lots of money cherrypicking.