Ebay's Worst Offerings

[Peckris 579]

I love looking back at old coin magazines and price lists. Nothing better than to see a 1977 dealer price list Barber and Seated dimes for 30 cents each (minted 1836-1916) but the US bicentennial coins NEVER TO BE MINTED AGAIN!!! were selling for well above $1 for an uncirculated quarter, $2 for an uncirculated half and nearly $4 for an uncirculated dollar! I guess people used to buy anything, even back then.

There was a great Coin Monthly advert, late 60s - INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, THE RARE 1951 PENNY, Buy ONE, or Discounts for Purchases of 10 or 100. Wonder if any of the buyers of 100 ever saw their money back?

Edited October 4, 2011 by Peckris

[Peter 615]

I love looking back at old coin magazines and price lists. Nothing better than to see a 1977 dealer price list Barber and Seated dimes for 30 cents each (minted 1836-1916) but the US bicentennial coins NEVER TO BE MINTED AGAIN!!! were selling for well above $1 for an uncirculated quarter, $2 for an uncirculated half and nearly $4 for an uncirculated dollar! I guess people used to buy anything, even back then.

There was a great Coin Monthly advert, late 60s - INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, THE RARE 1951 PENNY, Buy ONE, or Discounts for Purchases of 10 or 100. Wonder if any of the buyers of 100 ever saw their money back?

They created their own markets by hyping coins...Top 10 investments etc which with hindsight were all damp squibs.

[Peckris 579]

I love looking back at old coin magazines and price lists. Nothing better than to see a 1977 dealer price list Barber and Seated dimes for 30 cents each (minted 1836-1916) but the US bicentennial coins NEVER TO BE MINTED AGAIN!!! were selling for well above $1 for an uncirculated quarter, $2 for an uncirculated half and nearly $4 for an uncirculated dollar! I guess people used to buy anything, even back then.

There was a great Coin Monthly advert, late 60s - INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, THE RARE 1951 PENNY, Buy ONE, or Discounts for Purchases of 10 or 100. Wonder if any of the buyers of 100 ever saw their money back?

They created their own markets by hyping coins...Top 10 investments etc which with hindsight were all damp squibs.

Too right. Other contemporary fizzlers were

1960 Crowns

1953 sets

avge circulated "key dates" (1946, 49, 50, 51 brass 3d; 1923, 1952 6d; 1959S, 1961S, 1965S 1/-; 1932, 1926 1d; etc)

BU 60s coins in bulk

1956 farthings

blue decimal wallets

"Last and First" sets in Sandhill cases

Whitman folders, Sandhill cases, Coindex filing systems

Mint sealed bags (mostly dated 1966 and 1967)

And probably many more too numerous to mention

[Cerbera100 0]

I love looking back at old coin magazines and price lists. Nothing better than to see a 1977 dealer price list Barber and Seated dimes for 30 cents each (minted 1836-1916) but the US bicentennial coins NEVER TO BE MINTED AGAIN!!! were selling for well above $1 for an uncirculated quarter, $2 for an uncirculated half and nearly $4 for an uncirculated dollar! I guess people used to buy anything, even back then.

There was a great Coin Monthly advert, late 60s - INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, THE RARE 1951 PENNY, Buy ONE, or Discounts for Purchases of 10 or 100. Wonder if any of the buyers of 100 ever saw their money back?

They created their own markets by hyping coins...Top 10 investments etc which with hindsight were all damp squibs.

Hang on - are we talking about Coin Monthly or a fairly well-known issue from opposite the BM?!

[Peter 615]

I love looking back at old coin magazines and price lists. Nothing better than to see a 1977 dealer price list Barber and Seated dimes for 30 cents each (minted 1836-1916) but the US bicentennial coins NEVER TO BE MINTED AGAIN!!! were selling for well above $1 for an uncirculated quarter, $2 for an uncirculated half and nearly $4 for an uncirculated dollar! I guess people used to buy anything, even back then.

There was a great Coin Monthly advert, late 60s - INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, THE RARE 1951 PENNY, Buy ONE, or Discounts for Purchases of 10 or 100. Wonder if any of the buyers of 100 ever saw their money back?

They created their own markets by hyping coins...Top 10 investments etc which with hindsight were all damp squibs.

Hang on - are we talking about Coin Monthly or a fairly well-known issue from opposite the BM?!

Does anyone know anyone who actually buys from this and has anyone had any experience of selling to them?

[Peckris 579]

I love looking back at old coin magazines and price lists. Nothing better than to see a 1977 dealer price list Barber and Seated dimes for 30 cents each (minted 1836-1916) but the US bicentennial coins NEVER TO BE MINTED AGAIN!!! were selling for well above $1 for an uncirculated quarter, $2 for an uncirculated half and nearly $4 for an uncirculated dollar! I guess people used to buy anything, even back then.

There was a great Coin Monthly advert, late 60s - INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY, THE RARE 1951 PENNY, Buy ONE, or Discounts for Purchases of 10 or 100. Wonder if any of the buyers of 100 ever saw their money back?

They created their own markets by hyping coins...Top 10 investments etc which with hindsight were all damp squibs.

Hang on - are we talking about Coin Monthly or a fairly well-known issue from opposite the BM?!

Definitely Coin Monthly! Or rather, the advertisers therein, one of whom may well have been a forebear of a certain chap whose shop is opposite the BM... Those late 60s days were utter madness, all subsequent periods - 1980 Bunker Hunt, current eBay fads notwithstanding - paling by comparison.

[argentumandcoins 70]

Very RareA must have for the unique variety collector

[Peckris 579]

Very RareA must have for the unique variety collector

Looks like it stopped a bullet! Interesting WW1 story behind that perhaps?

[TomGoodheart 403]

Roll up! Roll up! Finest nown evvah! OK, it's a perfectly good coin. But it's another example of someone getting carried away with slab grading. The fact is that the coin seems to have adjustment marks (or scrapes) and to my eyes isn't nearly as nice as the, albeit pricier, example sold by Stacks in 2008.

1688 Crown on ebay

Bottom line is that population reports are pretty meaningless at this sort of level. If only a handful of coins have been graded and slabbed then 'finest known' means nothing. Be interesting to see if it sells given high BIN prices seem to be less succesful than letting a coin find it's own level, but that US buyers do seem to like the reassurance of a slabbed coin.

Edited October 9, 2011 by TomGoodheart

[TomGoodheart 403]

And while I'm on a roll, what do people think of this? 1741 George II Shilling EF 70. CGS 2nd Finest Known.

EF? Personally (and remember I'm not a milled collector) I find the reverse a bit disappointing in that the wear seems a bit more than 'only evident on very close scrutiny' (Spink). Acceptable grade or not?

(And yes, I did search for 'finest known' on ebay, just to see what came up!)

[azda 979]

And while I'm on a roll, what do people think of this? 1741 George II Shilling EF 70. CGS 2nd Finest Known.

EF? Personally (and remember I'm not a milled collector) I find the reverse a bit disappointing in that the wear seems a bit more than 'only evident on very close scrutiny' (Spink). Acceptable grade or not?

(And yes, I did search for 'finest known' on ebay, just to see what came up!)

Iwould have said personally GVF as the OBV hair detail is also quite worn, buttttt it could be a weak strike like this one

[Peckris 579]

And while I'm on a roll, what do people think of this? 1741 George II Shilling EF 70. CGS 2nd Finest Known.

EF? Personally (and remember I'm not a milled collector) I find the reverse a bit disappointing in that the wear seems a bit more than 'only evident on very close scrutiny' (Spink). Acceptable grade or not?

(And yes, I did search for 'finest known' on ebay, just to see what came up!)

"2nd finest known (that's slabbed by CGS)" - rather takes the gloss of that particular claim.

[azda 979]

Roll up! Roll up! Finest nown evvah! OK, it's a perfectly good coin. But it's another example of someone getting carried away with slab grading. The fact is that the coin seems to have adjustment marks (or scrapes) and to my eyes isn't nearly as nice as the, albeit pricier, example sold by Stacks in 2008.

1688 Crown on ebay

Bottom line is that population reports are pretty meaningless at this sort of level. If only a handful of coins have been graded and slabbed then 'finest known' means nothing. Be interesting to see if it sells given high BIN prices seem to be less succesful than letting a coin find it's own level, but that US buyers do seem to like the reassurance of a slabbed coin.

In all honesty the adjustment marks would'nt bother me. Its a rare coin in itself, but what he's obviously selling is the graded holder

[Cerbera100 0]

Does anyone know anyone who actually buys from this and has anyone had any experience of selling to them?

I've bought a couple of bits (never more than about £20), and only tried to sell once... a 1996 Silver Proof set which they were selling at the time for £175 - was offered £70 for it! I laughed and walked away!

Personally, I believe that some of the pricing in there is crazy - but some people obviously pay it or they wouldnt still be in business!

[Red Riley 2]

Does anyone know anyone who actually buys from this and has anyone had any experience of selling to them?

I've bought a couple of bits (never more than about £20), and only tried to sell once... a 1996 Silver Proof set which they were selling at the time for £175 - was offered £70 for it! I laughed and walked away!

Personally, I believe that some of the pricing in there is crazy - but some people obviously pay it or they wouldnt still be in business!

I had a distinctly unpleasant experience trying to buy something from them what must have been 20 years ago now. Never been back...

[Peter 615]

Does anyone know anyone who actually buys from this and has anyone had any experience of selling to them?

I've bought a couple of bits (never more than about £20), and only tried to sell once... a 1996 Silver Proof set which they were selling at the time for £175 - was offered £70 for it! I laughed and walked away!

Personally, I believe that some of the pricing in there is crazy - but some people obviously pay it or they wouldnt still be in business!

I had a distinctly unpleasant experience trying to buy something from them what must have been 20 years ago now. Never been back...

Only thing I have bought is the 2000 edition of their book...pricing almost right now.

[Accumulator 52]

Ideal for 99th birthday

Are you serious?

[1949threepence 3,367]

Ideal for 99th birthday

Are you serious?

Indeed ~ like they won't have seen enough of them already prior to 1971.

It would be a suffocatingly patronising and unintelligent gesture for someone's 99th birthday.

[TomGoodheart 403]

OK. I'm just ... bemused. Does anyone know (or can anyone think) what on earth buyers of WRL replica coins actually do with their purchases when they have spent this sort of money? OLD COIN NEWARK 1646 HALFCROWN CHARLES 1 DIAMOND SHAPE

Any sensible dealer will just sympathise (or laugh) so the only way to get the damned things off your hands would be to go back to ebay or whereever and keep your fingers crossed another idiot is prepared to pay. But do people really expact to get a genuine coin from this sort of listing???

[davidrj 194]

Spreading confusion or a new way of marketing a crap 1936 penny

[TomGoodheart 403]

Spreading confusion or a new way of marketing a crap 1936 penny

???

I must get my eyes tested. I'm sure it says EDWARDVS VIII, but all I can see is GEORGIVS VI. Or perhaps it's the wrong photo?

[Peckris 579]

Spreading confusion or a new way of marketing a crap 1936 penny

???

I must get my eyes tested. I'm sure it says EDWARDVS VIII, but all I can see is GEORGIVS VI. Or perhaps it's the wrong photo?

You're one up on me then (or should I say "1") as all I can see is GEORGIVS V

[Colin G. 147]

This one should be "ebay cry" not "ebay laugh"

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190587060016

Have you seen the reverse photo!!

Edited October 18, 2011 by Colin G.

[Peter 615]

This one should be "ebay cry" not "ebay laugh"

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190587060016

Have you seen the reverse photo!!

I love the westair reproductions Ltd...a nice MM when you've just shelled £770 to some youngster.

[Rob 3,152]

This one should be "ebay cry" not "ebay laugh"

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190587060016

Have you seen the reverse photo!!

I emailed her 4 days ago to say it was a modern repro and only worth a quid or two. Needless to say with it already at £410 the silence was deafening.