Is This Seller Legit?

[jackson64]

Are these ebay sellers coins legit?...I know they are mostly slabbed and the prices are way over the top but how does someone have an inventory of 250 coins...all spectacular rainbow toned?

 

Any opinions?..info?? http://stores.ebay.com/duffydaddy1-toned-or-rainbow-coins_W0QQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247

[MarkFeld]

The seller is a PCGS forum member. And, while I don't like him, based on what I believe to be the unfair/cheap shots he takes at others, and dishonest debates he engages in, I have no reason to doubt that the coins are his or that he will fail to follow through on a transaction.

 

Some of his coins look suspicious, color-wise, but I believe that might be due to his imaging and/or editing of the images. And, the asking prices speak for themselves.

[jackson64]

thanks Mark..a very fair, honest and informative reply....kudos

[physics-fan3.14]

I was just looking at a couple of his Franklins the other day (he has a spectacular rainbow toned, double clipped Franklin in an ANACS slab). Needless to say, they are out of my price range.

[jesbroken]

Hard for me to do business with any seller with NO return policy listed on their auctions.

Jim

[lehigh96]

This seller charges absolutely ridiculous prices for his coins. I have been a collector of rainbow toned coins for 10+ years and routinely pay premium prices from dealers such as Island and Anaconda. But I will never buy a coin from this seller due to the exorbitant prices that he charges. Additionally, if he is going to charge those kinds or prices, he should work on his photographic skills and stop altering or enhancing the colors with a computer.

 

If you look at his feedback, he has sold only one rainbow toned coin in the last 2 months. He sold a 1958-D Washington Quarter PCGS MS66 for $2,000 that he picked out of a mint set and had graded by PCGS. He states in the auction listing that he thought the coin would be an MS67. Why anyone would care whether or not the coin is an MS67 as opposed to an MS66 when they are paying MS68 prices is beyond me. The buyer of this coin is probably completely unaware that there are hundreds of fantastically toned 1958-D Washington quarters availabe on the market in MS66 when he paid MS68 price for the beautiful toning.

 

I completely condone paying several times wholesale/retail price for a coin with outstanding toning and eye appeal. Just recently, I paid 20x wholesale for an appalachian toned Jefferson Nickel. But this seller is listing most of his inventory at 30X-40X-50X wholesale/retail prices. You ask how he could have such an expansive inventory of rainbow toned coins. The answer is that nobody ever buys them because of the prices. Maybe he is a collector, not a dealer. Maybe these are from his personal collection and he lists them with astronomical prices in case someone foolish enough comes along and buys one. He makes a huge profit and now has more money to spend on his collection.

 

Ok, I will stop ranting now. His coins are genuine, but his prices are ridiculous.

[chinook]

I've done business with him. No problems. He once told me that he listed the coins for display purposes.

 

Maybe make an offer on something tou like. Worse he can say is "No".

[MarkFeld]

I've done business with him. No problems. He once told me that he listed the coins for display purposes.

 

Maybe make an offer on something tou like. Worse he can say is "No".

"Display purposes" - yes, I think I heard that before, too. That is unless someone is willing to pay moon money for the coins, in which case they happen to be available for sale There are certainly other ways to list items for display purposes, only.

[Zoins]

One reason DuffyDaddy may have so many is simply because the prices are so high and they stay in inventory for a very long time. Check out this ATS thread from April 21, 2007. The auction in the OP is still running, though with a higher price.

 

DuffyDaddy's photos are generally considered very misleading. It can help to check the color of the slab in the photos. A while back, LucyBop purchased one of his pink Frankies and people generally agreed her photos were much more realistic than DuffyDaddy's. I thought that coin was the one still being sold. Maybe it was a different coin or maybe she took some photos as a favor to him and returned it? In either way, Lucy's photos turned out very different than Duffy's.

 

If you go ATS, DuffyDaddy is pharmer there.

[Bruceswar]

I've done business with him. No problems. He once told me that he listed the coins for display purposes.

 

Maybe make an offer on something tou like. Worse he can say is "No".

"Display purposes" - yes, I think I heard that before, too. That is unless someone is willing to pay moon money for the coins, in which case they happen to be available for sale There are certainly other ways to list items for display purposes, only.

 

Correct they may be better ways to display coins. He chooses a way in which coins are not really for sale by pricing them out of the market, yet still displays his coins for many to see. How is this any different than say a dealer taking a coin to a show and asking MOON money soo the coin will not sale and having people look at it and admire it. Same tactics. Just a note I have also heard his coins are displayed there cheaply. (as far as cost go)

[Zoins]

If it is used as a photo gallery of sorts, it's kind of a neat idea. Might be worthwhile for others to try it as well?

[lehigh96]

If he is using E-bay as a forum to showcase his coins and then setting astronomical prices to ensure that they don't sell, then I only have one question. Why would you need to enhance photos of a coin that you never intended to sell in the first place?

 

It is my opinion that he does not really want to sell the coins listed, but if someone without extensive numismatic knowledge comes along and purchases one of his coins, he will fall back on the rule of "caveat emptor". I can't imagine that any dealer or serious collector of rainbow toned coins would ever pay his moon prices with mediocre (possibly enhanced) photos and no return policy. The people who will end up purchasing his items are novice collectors that don't understand the coin market. When these people realize that they were gouged, it may lead them to abandon their interest in the hobby, which is bad for everybody.

 

If he wants to showcase his collection of fantastic rainbow toned coins, then he should use the registry or state in his listing that the coin is for display and not intended for sale. If he does that and someone buys the coin anyway, there is no room for complaint.

[Dan Marinelli]

For my information, what does it cost to list coins in an ebay store with no end-date for the auction? I guess they are all bin, make-offer setups. Is that a cheap thing to do?