GREAT SOUTHERN???

[Coincurious7]

Wish I had read this 20 minutes ago. Just placed a bid on a raw commemorative half. Auction ends in 2 hours. Sure hope I get outbid. I have never wished that before.

 

Well I won the coin. I received it today. Its a 1920 commemorative half. The coin was listed as "1920 Pilgrim Commemorative Half Dollar GEM BU ** NICE!!!". It cost me $75. I decided I would have a little fun with this. I am sending the coin to NGC to be certified. Once I receive the coin back I will post the grade.

 

Why spend money to get it graded? Sight-unseen, my bet is that its quality/value does not justify the grading/postage expense. And if you want objective grading opinions, why not just show it to one or more qualified parties who wont charge you?

 

Just for Fun. Its only $20. Thought since I saw this post and won an auction from them it would be entertaining to show the photos of the ebay auction and include the description. Then show the certified grade.

[James_OldeTowne]

Wish I had read this 20 minutes ago. Just placed a bid on a raw commemorative half. Auction ends in 2 hours. Sure hope I get outbid. I have never wished that before.

 

Well I won the coin. I received it today. Its a 1920 commemorative half. The coin was listed as "1920 Pilgrim Commemorative Half Dollar GEM BU ** NICE!!!". It cost me $75. I decided I would have a little fun with this. I am sending the coin to NGC to be certified. Once I receive the coin back I will post the grade.

 

Why spend money to get it graded? Sight-unseen, my bet is that its quality/value does not justify the grading/postage expense. And if you want objective grading opinions, why not just show it to one or more qualified parties who wont charge you?

 

Just for Fun. Its only $20. Thought since I saw this post and won an auction from them it would be entertaining to show the photos of the ebay auction and include the description. Then show the certified grade.

My prediction: "details grade" for whatever reason.

[ldhair]

This same dealer seems to come up on a lot of different forums.

Being good with a camera is the only good thing folks have to say about the guy.

[Crohnos01]

You have to give him camera credit for sure.... Maybe he got laid off from a Hollywood studio with all the photography trickery he uses?

[coinman_23885]

You have to give him camera credit for sure.... Maybe he got laid off from a Hollywood studio with all the photography trickery he uses?

 

It's really not that good; it's just very deceptive. A professional photographer, I am guessing, could do an even better job providing s/he had the right training and equipment.

[dean1345]

Buying raw coins from GSC is like playing Russian Roulette!

[Mark T]

Buying raw coins from GSC is like playing Russian Roulette!

 

True, and all the chambers have bullets in them

[Mark T]

I think you guys are being a little hard on GSC. Let's celebrate them for what they do well. Nobody, I mean nobody can photograph an absolute POS and make it look like a gem the way GSC does. I give them the highest possible score in deceptive photography.

 

Way to go GSC, you suck, but you suck really, really well.

 

I am actually have a grudging admiration of them... Who else do you know that can take a lump of coal, clean it up, polish it just right, set up the lighting just so and then take a photo of it. Tweak the photo a bit and sell it on line as a diamond, and since both are carbon, not technically be wrong, yet the value of one vs the other be so dramatically different. And to top it off, have the buyers say "thank you for selling me a lump of coal".

 

Good One !!

[Walkerfan]

As the years have gone by; I feel that I have perfected my ability to interpret images---even enhanced and juiced ones, so i feel more confident than ever. GSC's images don't look that good to me, anymore, but the coins usually look even WORSE in hand!! So watch out!!

[Oldtrader3]

I'm still stuck on Caveat Emptor and Ebay blythness about thier Power Sellers who do not play fair on Ebay. Guys like GSC and Allcoinswanted warp the entire dimension of the Ebay experience into something too expensive, too dark and too ugly for many unwary buyers.

 

Ebay and their bank (PayPal) makes millions off all sellers and does not much care about the means by which they do execute some of the seamier side of it. Dealers are self policing and they aren't. Ebay stays pretty unengaged (by design?) about all of it.

[DunderChief-migration]

I have bought 2 coins from them in the past 6 months. Both were NGC certified so I felt comfertable with the purchases. As far as the raw coins, I would treat them as any other seller of raw coins. Their pictures are deceptive, but so are many sellers to the point of not trusting anyone. I often wonder after seeng the prices that their raw coins are bringing if there is an ancillary market for problem coins that keep the buyers coming back.

[Oldtrader3]

A lot of people who buy these TV ad coins are not really coin collectors to begin with. These folks are taken in by deceptive ads on TV about the run up in metals prices and greed. They buy shiny widgets from slicky boys on TV and get taken. Plain and simple, it hurts the hobby and stops people from collecting before they ever even figure out what is happening in the marketplace and it hurts the hard working coin dealers who are good merchants and sellers. Our consumer protection laws in the country are broken unless you can pay a lawyer and take them to court.

 

I try and be an advocate to help people think about the logic of collecting, just like any other monetary device. You have to arm yourself with knowledge and be aware of the issues and devious techniques being used by some which could bite you. No different than any other investment device. Be careful out there. Plus, buy the book instead of the coin first!

[Crohnos01]

Good advice OT. I have made my fair share of mistakes in collecting so far....no doubt I will make more. The TV slicks prey on peoples emotional responses..." I have been in this business for 30 years folks and never been able to offer what we have here tonight. This is a MUST have if you are a collector...wow...our phone lines are already backed up and I haven't even said the price yet"... You could teach a psychology course just by taping their show.... GAC does the same basic tactic with deceptive photos rather than words.

[johnny9434]

good advise oldtrader thanks

[mikesartifacts]

Interesting respones. A while back ( 2 years ago) I had purchased two coins from them. One was cleaned and the other I doubt was even the coin pictured. I did return and got all my money back.

 

I just recently tried them again and had a similar experience and returned.I am sure this is common for all there buyers. I just thought I would see what some of the high ranking collectors here thought.

 

GSC SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just mentioned them in another thread... I noticed a pattern with Great Southern Coins - they seem to have a tremendous selection of raw uncertified proof seated and Barber coinage that are offered as Gem Proof. In a short amount of time I was able to do some searching of recent auctions from large houses like Teletrade, DLRC, Heritage, etc, and identified a handful of coins just from one weeks' auction. The coins they were offering as gem were really PR60-61 or worse (damaged, cleaned) from ANACS, PCGS, etc. They are buying the coins that knowledgeable collectors would not want for cheap and selling them to those that will be very disappointed when they ever go to sell. When you couple these coins to their rosy photographs and misleading descriptions, it's pretty disgusting.

[Mark T]

Interesting respones. A while back ( 2 years ago) I had purchased two coins from them. One was cleaned and the other I doubt was even the coin pictured. I did return and got all my money back.

 

I just recently tried them again and had a similar experience and returned.I am sure this is common for all there buyers. I just thought I would see what some of the high ranking collectors here thought.

 

GSC SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just mentioned them in another thread... I noticed a pattern with Great Southern Coins - they seem to have a tremendous selection of raw uncertified proof seated and Barber coinage that are offered as Gem Proof. In a short amount of time I was able to do some searching of recent auctions from large houses like Teletrade, DLRC, Heritage, etc, and identified a handful of coins just from one weeks' auction. The coins they were offering as gem were really PR60-61 or worse (damaged, cleaned) from ANACS, PCGS, etc. They are buying the coins that knowledgeable collectors would not want for cheap and selling them to those that will be very disappointed when they ever go to sell. When you couple these coins to their rosy photographs and misleading descriptions, it's pretty disgusting.

 

That makes sence . I have seen many other EBAY sellers do the same.

 

 

[SPHansen]

Just did a quick bit of image forensics on the two images... they do, in fact, appear to be two images of the same coin. I found a few 'dings' that I used as markers, and they match perfectly. I scaled the second image and did a matched cross-fade between the two, for those interested. I think the difference is in the lighting and camera work...

 

FYI, I have gotten one coin from them, but tend to shy away now because they are in Texas, which means not only higher prices, but sales tax on top of it. Everything about my one transaction was fine, tho...

 

just my .02

[Crohnos01]

Thanks for your input on the image analysis. I came to the same conclusion... their photographer knows how to do his thing pretty well because I was just looking at the coin again today and comparing it to the image they posted...not even close to reality.

[Coincurious7]

Wish I had read this 20 minutes ago. Just placed a bid on a raw commemorative half. Auction ends in 2 hours. Sure hope I get outbid. I have never wished that before.

 

Well I won the coin. I received it today. Its a 1920 commemorative half. The coin was listed as "1920 Pilgrim Commemorative Half Dollar GEM BU ** NICE!!!". It cost me $75. I decided I would have a little fun with this. I am sending the coin to NGC to be certified. Once I receive the coin back I will post the grade.

 

In case anyone wants to know NGC graded the coin: UNC DETAILS...Improperly Cleaned.

 

Now that I have the grade from a professional grading company. I am trying to figure out how to word my Ebay feedback to warn other potential buyers.

[coinman_23885]

Wish I had read this 20 minutes ago. Just placed a bid on a raw commemorative half. Auction ends in 2 hours. Sure hope I get outbid. I have never wished that before.

 

Well I won the coin. I received it today. Its a 1920 commemorative half. The coin was listed as "1920 Pilgrim Commemorative Half Dollar GEM BU ** NICE!!!". It cost me $75. I decided I would have a little fun with this. I am sending the coin to NGC to be certified. Once I receive the coin back I will post the grade.

 

In case anyone wants to know NGC graded the coin: UNC DETAILS...Improperly Cleaned.

 

Now that I have the grade from a professional grading company. I am trying to figure out how to word my Ebay feedback to warn other potential buyers.

 

How about something like this:

 

The coin was intentionally misrepresented and the photographs misleading. There is little to no resemblance in hand and NGC, a top tier third party grading service, has put the coin in a problem holder. Buyer beware.

[Coincurious7]

Now I am on the fence, should I post feedback or not.

 

I contacted them letting them know what I thought and that I intended to leave appropriate feedback.

 

They responded by offering full refund, they would pay return shipping cost, and they would pay for the ngc grading fee. And apologized about me not being happy with the coin.

 

I dont agree with their misleading photos. But thats a nice return policy. Definately not their fault that I decided to send a coin to ngc to prove a point.

 

What would you do?

[Mark T]

Now I am on the fence, should I post feedback or not.

 

I contacted them letting them know what I thought and that I intended to leave appropriate feedback.

 

They responded by offering full refund, they would pay return shipping cost, and they would pay for the ngc grading fee. And apologized about me not being happy with the coin.

 

I dont agree with their misleading photos. But thats a nice return policy. Definately not their fault that I decided to send a coin to ngc to prove a point.

 

What would you do?

 

The reason they are being so accommodating is so you won’t leave negative feedback. This is one reason why you don’t see that many negative comments posted about them on EBAY.

At the least leave a neutral comment with a brief description about the coin .

Get your money back first

[coinman_23885]

Usually I would be very forgiving as long as I was made whole, but I would make an exception. They have a track record of buying low grade coins and even problem coins from TPG holders, breaking them out, and then advertising them as Gem BU using deceptive photographs. It's intentional - there is no doubt in my mind about it.

 

I hope this doesn't sound underhanded, but here is how I would handle the situation:

 

1. I would accept the full refund including the full purchase price, taxes if applicable, shipping both ways including those to and from NGC, and the NGC certification fees;

 

2. I would still leave negative feedback due to the intentionally misleading nature of their photos. If they didn't have a track record of this thing, I would let it go, but given their history, I would make sure that their feedback reflected it. They have no problem deceiving novices for their pecuniary gain.

 

This is just my personal opinion. I'm sure that there will be several posters that will disagree with my tactic, but this is how I feel about the whole ordeal. Again, I am usually not a stick in the mud, and I am fairly open/easy to get along with.

 

[copper toning]

Usually I would be very forgiving as long as I was made whole, but I would make an exception. They have a track record of buying low grade coins and even problem coins from TPG holders, breaking them out, and then advertising them as Gem BU using deceptive photographs. It's intentional - there is no doubt in my mind about it.

 

I hope this doesn't sound underhanded, but here is how I would handle the situation:

 

1. I would accept the full refund including the full purchase price, taxes if applicable, shipping both ways including those to and from NGC, and the NGC certification fees;

 

2. I would still leave negative feedback due to the intentionally misleading nature of their photos. If they didn't have a track record of this thing, I would let it go, but given their history, I would make sure that their feedback reflected it. They have no problem deceiving novices for their pecuniary gain.

 

This is just my personal opinion. I'm sure that there will be several posters that will disagree with my tactic, but this is how I feel about the whole ordeal. Again, I am usually not a stick in the mud, and I am fairly open/easy to get along with.

 

I agree. I have been unhappy with sellers I thought did not know better and worked it out.

 

With gsc I say pack it in their !!!

[tenacious]

Usually I would be very forgiving as long as I was made whole, but I would make an exception. They have a track record of buying low grade coins and even problem coins from TPG holders, breaking them out, and then advertising them as Gem BU using deceptive photographs. It's intentional - there is no doubt in my mind about it.

 

I hope this doesn't sound underhanded, but here is how I would handle the situation:

 

1. I would accept the full refund including the full purchase price, taxes if applicable, shipping both ways including those to and from NGC, and the NGC certification fees;

 

2. I would still leave negative feedback due to the intentionally misleading nature of their photos. If they didn't have a track record of this thing, I would let it go, but given their history, I would make sure that their feedback reflected it. They have no problem deceiving novices for their pecuniary gain.

 

This is just my personal opinion. I'm sure that there will be several posters that will disagree with my tactic, but this is how I feel about the whole ordeal. Again, I am usually not a stick in the mud, and I am fairly open/easy to get along with.

 

I agree with this. After getting your money back leave negative feedback. They are not innocent. They historically and intentionally try to rip people off. Warn others. They deserve it.