Slabbed Key Date Coins

[dean1345]

Would you buy key dates (1916-d 10c,1877 IHC, 1916 SLQ, 1909-s vdb 1c, etc.) on ebay, proxibid or any other auction house raw? I have always been amazed at on ebay and other auctions did not slab their key dates.

 

Dean

[jman425]

My last 2 raw key dates from Ebay were counterfeits.

Yeah, I did get my money back but it was a PITA.

Those that were not counterfeit did not do well either.

 

1909-S VDB - cleaned

1914-D - damaged (rim)

1795 FH half - plugged, retooled

1909-S IHC (counterfeit)

1928 Peace (altered from 1928-S)

 

From my own experience, it's about a 50% chance the coin is either cleaned, damaged or an outright counterfeit, even from "powersellers".

 

 

 

[MarkFeld]

Would you buy key dates (1916-d 10c,1877 IHC, 1916 SLQ, 1909-s vdb 1c, etc.) on ebay, proxibid or any other auction house raw? I have always been amazed at on ebay and other auctions did not slab their key dates.

 

Dean

Dean, you shouldn't be amazed that more key dates aren't certified on Ebay, etc. I would bet, that far more times than not, sellers of such coins do much better than they otherwise would. That's because many of the coins are counterfeit or have problems which would result in body-bags. And many of the sellers are well aware of that.

[James_OldeTowne]

Would you buy key dates (1916-d 10c,1877 IHC, 1916 SLQ, 1909-s vdb 1c, etc.) on ebay, proxibid or any other auction house raw? I have always been amazed at on ebay and other auctions did not slab their key dates.

Given a useful return policy, yes I would, and have very often. Actually, I have yet to buy a counterfeit key date, but have picked up a couple of not-so-rare coins that were counterfeits!

[physics-fan3.14]

I would not buy a key date raw from ebay or someplace like that. I might possibly from a reputable dealer or auction house (such as heritage or scotsman), but even then I would want it certified as soon as possible.

[Mark T]

Certified is the way to go. The only exception would be if you had good history with a seller of Raw coins and he would guarantee a refund if the coin was found to be counterfeit by a TPG. That seller would have to give at least a 4 weeks return policy.

I would say that the risk far out weights the reward.

As you know I had a fantastic purchase from Saratoga Springs on EBAY. I would not hesitate to purchase another Raw coin from them.

 

[dean1345]

About 5 years ago I bought a 1877 IHC on ebay. Sent it to NGC and it came back BB'd with a improperly cleaned tag. I turned around and sold it on Ebay as being cleaned and actually made money on it! I quickly educated myself through books and PCGS message board to recognized coins that have been altered, cleaned, AT and whizzed. But as a disclaimer I still can be fooled but not quite as easily.

 

The reason I brought this subject up was to give the new collector a "heads up" or red flag when these great deals come up on Ebay and other online auctions. I actually have learned more about collecting reading the message boards of PCGS & NGC than any book I have acquired. When I look at some of the NGC message board members web sites or registry sets it is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with others!

 

Dean

[jesbroken]

I have bought nearly a dozen AU up 1859 IHC and have come out on all of them but 2-one was BB'd for 2 1/4" tiniest scratches and one was EF reverse/AU obv-both my fault as I saw the scratches before buying and knew the reverse was not up to par with the obverse. No real complaint. Most of the time the seller declared them as BU. You just have to understand they lie(or know no better-right) and bid accordingly. I have bought 2 1932 D and 1 1932 S washington quarters in VF up condition(2 were AU) without any problems. I tend to shy completely away from EAC coins as they are constantly being BB'd for color manipulations-I did learn the hard way on several of these. I do this for fun and to end up with decent collections. If all I had to depend upon buying from was dealers-It would no longer be so much fun as I couldn't afford it. Ebay and its ilk has their place-would I buy a $300 key coin and up off this medium-probably not. Below that you pays your money and takes your chance. I have never been beaten. I've had a few learning experiences but never beaten by a thief on Ebay, Amazon, or Yahoo. I also have learned to stay away from CBH's which I totally buy from HJB or JJTeaparty and forum members. Sorry to chew your ear off, but ebay can be an important source of coins for some people. JMHO

Jim

[michael]

Would you buy key dates (1916-d 10c,1877 IHC, 1916 SLQ, 1909-s vdb 1c, etc.) on ebay, proxibid or any other auction house raw? I have always been amazed at on ebay and other auctions did not slab their key dates.

 

Dean

Dean, you shouldn't be amazed that more key dates aren't certified on Ebay, etc. I would bet, that far more times than not, sellers of such coins do much better than they otherwise would. That's because many of the coins are counterfeit or have problems which would result in body-bags. And many of the sellers are well aware of that.

 

 

(thumbs u

[BillJones]

I would NEVER buy a raw key date coin on eBay. Even if it is genuine, chances are it won't get the grade that matches the price you pay for it.

 

When I see raw key date and very scarce coins offered at at coin show, the first thing that pops in my head is, "Why isn't this coin certified?" It is a lot easier for a seller to get better prices when the coins are NGC or PCGS certified, so why isn't it certified? The reason is often that the piece has something wrong with it that prevents the coin from getting a grade (most common), or the selling is over grading the piece in an attempt to get a higher price.