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Another Ebay purchase I am pleased with arrived yesterday, surprised there were not more bidders as got it for £70. Nice F18, not advertised as such and much better than most, fairly worn dies as usual but little wear and a nice tone. Jerry

So why would @ozjohn install one?

So they now freely admit a lot of their output is shite?

Actually, I disagree. The seller's get out clause is in his description, particularly the bit in bold:- He could argue that in his subjective opinion it is very high grade, but that the onus was on the buyer to decide whether in fact that was the case, based on the pics. It all depends on how you define "very high grade". Note he hasn't used a more definitive term like "GEF".

not the oldest of coins but a beautiful design

Really nice issue free coin, pretty much flawless in fact, apart from a small minor L shape by the Queen's mouth, which doesn't detract. I always think the F18 is somewhat scarcer than the R13 Freeman ascribes to it. A similar looking one of slightly inferior grade, went for £300 hammer at the June 2017 LCA (lot 2850).

That is starting to get on my funbags a bit, perhaps it should be renamed Some of the 2019 United Kingdom Annual Brilliant Uncirculated Coins Set I bought one anyway, as it provides nearly all the coins for the year..... Just Brexit*, 9 Beatrix potter coins, 26 more alphabet coins, about 16 more undisclosed £5 coins, 8 more £2 coins, a Captain cook* and god only knows what else the moeny machine will create this year. * coins with a star are known to be coming.

Oh, the RM has a lovely offering, including a copper nickel uncirculated 2019 50p AND (how generous of them!) a VF quality 1969 50p! All at the bargain price of L45. Yikes, sign me off (not on) for this special offering....

In my view, "very high grade" simply imply that you need to grade the coin yourself. It is a very popular phrase because it means different things to different people and the seller cannot get into trouble for using it. For me, I might think that MS65 onward are very high grades for a Old Head florin. I haven't got an example yet but will only consider getting one that is UNC or very near UNC. Another might reasonably argue that the coin concerned, VF/GVF, is indeed a very high grade when compared to the large number of worn specimens around. I totally agree with Mike regarding the photos. Generally speaking, I think "very high grade" for Victorian coins usually mean it is less than EF.

I think you've got a point with the "very high grade". This guy is an experienced seller of coins and should be able to offer a realistic actual grade such as VF/NEF, in his opinion, whilst allowing those interested to make up their own minds. Also, the fact he doesn't accept returns, is telling. The photography isn't ace, but it's not that bad either - certainly enough to see that the obverse especially is not "very high grade". With that said, I definitely wouldn't give him a negative. I'd take the hit knowing it was poor decision making on my part - "caveat emptor". Been disappointed several times myself, but ultimately know that really, I should have realised before I jumped in and bought. I'd give him a less than ringing endorsement positive, such as "prompt delivery, coin well packed". Something of that nature. He'll get the message.

Well stated and wisely....... I concur completely. ....

The seller has been on ebay since 2004 and not a newbie.If you are not satisfied return the coin. As for TPG I never would buy the slab.There are certainly pug ugly coins in plastic. The obverse should of given you reason to doubt.

Paddy's comments are on the button. On Ozjohn's comments about TPGs, surely the onus is on the buyer to see if the grade is what they want, and also learn how to do this, thus gaining experience. If you only bought slabbed coins from dealers, the fun of finding a chance bargain would never happen....

Everyone has their own judgement as to what's a high grade coin and what isn't, they could argue that in their opinion it is high grade, if they aren't regular sellers of coins then their opinion will be off by a mile

To be honest, I can't see that negative feedback is justified there: 1. Is it genuine? Yes, it would seem so. 2. Is what you received the coin pictured on the listing? Yes it is, so no issue there. 3. Is his description misleading or wrong? Not really - he did not assign a formal grade. "Very High Grade" is entirely subjective and not far out. Very Fine also contains the "very" word. I would give a solid GVF to the reverse but only VF to the obverse - which is typical with Victorian silver. His pictures look OK to me - I can't see he was hiding anything there. 4. Was the price fair? Probably a bit high, but you chose to pay it. Negative feedback is a big deal for regular sellers, so I would save it for a really bad listing. If you are really unhappy with it, ask to return it for a refund, don't hit him with a negative out of the blue.

Although I'm spent up after Christmas, I really felt that with two recent price reductions to 71% of the original asking price, I just had to get this 1919KN penny from Lee at Colin Cooke, so cracked open a savings account to get it. Very pleased. It's GEF both sides in my opinion, although Lee described it as a/UNC. In hand it's actually still got that UNC sheen though, with the merest trace of lustre remaining in the obverse devices. It's a fairly good strike, with only very faint ghosting to the reverse, and some moderate hair detail. There are a couple of very minor edge knocks at about 2 O' Clock and 4 O' Clock on the reverse. Also what looks like a die crack extending from about 12 O' Clock on the obverse, South South East across the King's head to the top of the ear. That apart it's completely issue free. Unusually for a KN it seems to have toned dark. Or at any rate would have toned properly dark had it remained in circulation.

In fairness, you do pretty much need a magnifying glass to see this one, as it's quite subtle. But if you then compare the 8 to a normal 8, you'll see the difference. Richard's specimen above is excellent.