A picture is worth..... posted by CBC

[CSJournals-migration]

An ACCURATE picture is worth a lot more.

I just received my latest ebay purchase, a 1921 Peace dollar. The photo from the ebay listing shows what appears to be some light, fairly even toning on the obverse, with a dark spot near the last digit of the date.

That's not what I saw when I opened the package. Here's the ebay photo.

[CBC]

And the actual coin in hand this morning.

 

[spooky2000]

What did you see? what was the ebay auction #?

[CBC]

What I see is dramatically uneven, dark toning on the lower half of the obverse that is not at all like the ebay photo. It's the same coin, and if you play with the lighting enough you can get a photo that looks like the listing. The listing photo should show what the coin actually looks like, not a "glamour shot" that hides significant details.

[Electric Peak]

It looks to me like the eBay image is just not big enough to see the details. Resolution and lighting can make huge differences in how a coin looks. Be wary of spending a lot of money based on inadequate images, slab grades, and seller descriptions.

 

I get most of my coins from the major auction companies. They generally have good photos (though some years ago Heritage in particular was very inconsistent), but I usually don't think the descriptions are very helpful. It's been a long time now since I have been displeased with one of those purchases. But I did take some lumps early on.

 

One coin in particular bothers me to this day. I got a raw 1865 proof half dime from Stack's. A nasty scrape in the reverse wreath and numerous hairlines were not obvious in the on-line photos (discernible, but not apparent in a brief look). In my own photos with varying lighting, some hide the flaws and some highlight them. The lot description was bad also. It made a statement about gem quality being rare for that date, implying, but not actually stating, that was the cataloger's opinion of that coin. Surprise, surprise, that coin still isn't certified. I learned from that and a couple other mistakes.

 

So now I usually ignore the descriptions, and study the photos very closely before I commit money to a coin. Of course, another good bit of advice you surely will hear from others, is that if you can't hold the coin in your hand and examine it closely, then you should think about getting a trusted friend or dealer to examine it for you. Of course, the dealer will expect a little compensation.

 

Alan

[Ultra Cameo Collection]

One of the many valid reasons for a return. eBay is actually quite good when it comes to returns. Just follow the procedures for returns to CYA. I have won things that I specifically bid on because the picture was bad. Heck, I can always return it and only am out the small shipping cost. Most of the time the pic is bad but the coin is good. A few have been bad like this one but mostly good.

 

I love it when a seller has low feedback, has bad pictures and lists things to end at dumb times when everyone is sleeping. I have bought quite a few things for FAR cheaper than they should have been because of 1 or more of those reasons.

[CBC]

Thanks, Alan. I would always prefer to see the coin in hand but living in rural SC, there aren't many opportunities to do that. I have bought a lot from Heritage, a few from Stacks and some from Teletrade when they were in business. I also have a few trusted dealers I buy from. But I also buy on ebay, and usually get what I expect. This ebay listing had several photos that show the coin details well, but hide the uneven toning. I had to compress the original file from ebay to fit CS file size requirements, but the original ebay photos are much larger and more detailed. You can get a slight hint of the toning if you study the photos very carefully but nothing like it really looks.

 

I have sold a few coins on ebay as well, and I always try to show my coins as they actually appear in hand, warts and all. I also make sure the right photos go in the listing. I returned coins twice in the last year because the seller posted the correct obverse photo, but the reverse photo was a different coin.

[CBC]

Yep, and won't be the first time. I have snagged a few deals via bad listing photos: my best one was a very fuzzy, out-of-focus 1882-CC GSA Morgan I got for under $200 that graded MS-65+.

[coinman1794]

Honestly, the close-up looks exactly like what I was expecting to see, based on the tiny slab shot. You can still see the toning on the coin, even though the image is small. I'm not sure I could classify that cell phone pic as a glamour shot.

 

I like the original patina on this coin, personally!

[Electric Peak]

Since I live near Baltimore, I can go to big shows three times per year. One thing I like to do is look at on-line, and sometimes physical catalog photos of a number of coins in the auction associated with the show (Stack's Bowers). I study them and make my assessments. Then I go to lot viewing to see how well I was able to judge those coins from the photos. Of course, I get the same experience when I "win" coins at auction without the up-close pre-sale inspection. Either way, I use this to hone my skills at using the photos to select coins to (attempt to) acquire.

 

Another instructive thing is to go through the Heritage archives and find multiple sales of the same coin. It's amazing how different the same coin can look in the different photos they take. And it helps me learn what to look for in the images.

 

coinman1794 makes an interesting point as well: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some things that drive one person crazy don't bother someone else, or are even desirable. In any case, I hope you get a favorable resolution regarding the current coin in question, and enjoy building your collection.

 

Alan

[CBC]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone, and I agree beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have many toned coins in my collection, some very heavily toned. This one is just too uneven for my taste.

 

Alan, I hope to get to one of the Baltimore shows some day. All of the reports I hear say that they have great shows there, probably the best on the east coast. It's a long drive from here but I'll eventually make it.

[Walkerfan]

Honestly, the close-up looks exactly like what I was expecting to see, based on the tiny slab shot. You can still see the toning on the coin, even though the image is small.

 

I like the original patina on this coin, personally!

 

+1