My local coin dealer says that I'm lucky for getting some of the good buys that I have gotten on eBay.

Luck is involved but that's not all there is to it. My local "Dealer" and his mentor (the real owner) have attemted purchasing coins on eBay and have had less than satisfactory results. Me--I've done rather well. I spend alot of time watching and studying the coins that I am considering buying and I've seen and heard some of the horror stories that have happened. Yes, I have made some poor purchases myself but, by and large, I've come out well ahead of the "game". Some of my best coins were bought on eBay. If you take your time and search around you can find some very good buys. I've found that I do the best when I'm just scanning the listings for what ever looks good. When I find something then I put it in my watch list and wait. I'm often watching 20 or more items at any given time. I've found that if I go looking for a specific coin I can never find anything good and I either end up paying too much or I end up with something that isn't that great. I've also found that a good picture program helps alot. With it you can modify the picture that is with the listing (many of which are terrible) to make it easier to see the coin(s) in question. After I've done all of this then I have to formulate my own opinion about the grade of the coin(s). Then I'll make my final decision based on the current bid in the final minutes/seconds of the auction. Even with all the searching, watching, studying, etc. sometomes you have to play a hunch and roll the dice. Sometimes you get the Bear and sometimes the Bear gets you. Personally, I like getting the Bear before he gets me.

Sooo, Is it Luck, Skill, Knowledge, Experience? All of these. None of these. I don't know--I'm just having a heck of alot of fun doing it. If I lose a little money doing it it's no worse than playing the lottery. At least this way I've got more than just a little piece of paper to show for my money.

This is a little gem that I picked up on eBay. I bought it as an MS 64. I sent it back in and it came back graded MS 65.

Collectors