Check your back dated silver proof sets if you buy them from EBay. Someone put clad coins in my Red 1999 Silver proof set.

I have a set of PF 70 silver state quarters which is missing the dreaded Delaware Pf70. So I?ve been buying 1999 silver proof sets for grading.

I have purchased 5 or 6 silver proof sets from EBay. I try to be cautious and buy them from people who have good feedback. Sometimes I try to buy them from sellers who don?t have a lot of coins sales in their feedback.

I got in the habit of sending in the complete lens to NGC for grading. But then it occurred to me that if I was buying and grading bulk packaging, perhaps I should inspect them closer and send them to NGC in flips. After all, if I didn?t inspect them, how would I know who sold them to me if I had a problem with the submission that I sent into NGC for grading?

Well as I was packaging them for grading I opened the silver proof lens and to my disbelief all of the coins that were supposed to be silver were clad, including the Kennedy. How many people buy these silver proof sets and never open them up? I thought I could tell the difference just by looking at the coins. Some collectors (friends) of mine thought I was crazy for opening the lens.

Well adding insult to injury I had already given this seller a positive feedback rating. I checked the completed auctons and this same seller had sold another four sets of 1999 silver proof sets. The only way I knew it was the same seller was because I list the feedback number of sellers in all of my search results.

I called EBay and got nowhere. I tied to get the feedback reversed but customer service told me it was too late. I mentioned to them that I saw the seller also had sold four other sets. And someone needs to warn the purchasers that the coins might be clad. As far as I know customer service perceived me as the problem. The seller reimbursed me for the sale he even offered a replacement, which I declined immediately.

I told the customer service rep that the 1999 Clad Proof set sells for about $30.00 The 1999 Silver Proof set sells for about $200.00. Now I know why people buy these empty lenses! I see a number of empty lens for sale on EBay. Don't get me wrong I have sold empty OGP packaging before, but it was for gold or platinum. EBay won?t eliminate the sale of the conflicting lens, so the best I could do was warn people on forums like this.

Anyways inspect your coins and wish me luck on my grading results, they should be received today. Please check all of your silver proof coins if you purchase them on the secondary market. The lense is not proof enough.

Now the worst of my problems will be selling of some of my extra 1999 Silver PF69 and PF70 quarters.

LJRambo

AKA Larry