Buffalo Nickle 2 2

[Hoghead515]

I ended up bidding on another buffalo nickle. This one was in a little better shape. I will probably have this one graded. It looks nice except the rim is dinged up a tiny bit. It is still in the mail but I couldn't wait to put it on here. My questions are: Did I pay to much? Also wonder what it would grade? Here is the Ebay link where I purchased it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/124662665325

[Just Bob]

That is a stock photo. Your coin may look different in hand.

[Hoghead515]

2 minutes ago, Just Bob said:

That is a stock photo. Your coin may look different in hand.

I see now. Hopefully I get one that looks that good. I need to start watching that closer. 

[Hoghead515]

I'll probably end up with a  lot lower grade coin. It comes in ill post it on here. See what I end up with. Probably another hard learned lesson. Have had quite a few of those lately. This hobby can be unforgiving sometimes. Can teach you some expensive lessons. 

[Hoghead515]

Boy do I feel dumb.    I need to start slowing down and reading the fine print before I pull the trigger on these coins from now on. Is it usually bad to buy from sellers who sell by stock photos?  

[Coinbuf]

1 minute ago, Hoghead515 said:

Boy do I feel dumb.    I need to start slowing down and reading the fine print before I pull the trigger on these coins from now on. Is it usually bad to buy from sellers who sell by stock photos?  

It depends on modern mint products it can be fine, however for an older coin the chances are that you will not receive a coin in quite as nice shape as the auction photo.   Hopefully in this case it works out well for you.

[Hoghead515]

3 minutes ago, Coinbuf said:

It depends on modern mint products it can be fine, however for an older coin the chances are that you will not receive a coin in quite as nice shape as the auction photo.   Hopefully in this case it works out well for you.

I'll keep everyone updated when it comes in. 

[Hoghead515]

3 minutes ago, Coinbuf said:

It depends on modern mint products it can be fine, however for an older coin the chances are that you will not receive a coin in quite as nice shape as the auction photo.   Hopefully in this case it works out well for you.

I'll keep everyone updated when it comes in. 

[Crawtomatic]

3 minutes ago, Hoghead515 said:

Boy do I feel dumb.    I need to start slowing down and reading the fine print before I pull the trigger on these coins from now on. Is it usually bad to buy from sellers who sell by stock photos?  

I mean, it depends what you're looking for.  I sell a lot of mint set singles using stock photos and the target market is album collectors & fillers.  Returns & refunds accepted no problem.  (Generally just say keep the coin and I'll refund it.)  Anything of real value is always listed with an actual photo though.

But you can always reach out to the seller ahead of time and ask for an honest opinion of the stock on hand and perhaps a photo.  I've had folks ask me to send the best on hand, that's not a problem.  I've had folks tell me they're upgrading an album so looking for anything gem or better.  I enjoy prescreening for them and letting them know if I won't be able to help or if I have a coin on hand I think will work (and send a photo).

There's a lot of options and I feel like most sellers aren't full time professionals so you can get a feel on what to expect from them after a quick question.

[Fenntucky Mike]

You should be able to return it if you want but you never know, it still might be a keeper.

[Lem E]

It looks like your seller changes his prices for different conditions of his coins. Hopefully you will get a decent piece. 

[Hoghead515]

Thank you all for the replies. It's truly appreciated. I'll see what she looks like when she arrives. Hopefully it's a beauty 

[GoldFinger1969]

58 minutes ago, Hoghead515 said:

I'll probably end up with a  lot lower grade coin. It comes in ill post it on here. See what I end up with. Probably another hard learned lesson. Have had quite a few of those lately. This hobby can be unforgiving sometimes. Can teach you some expensive lessons. 

$50 isn't an expensive lesson.  My friend insisted on buy a RAW 1924 Saint Gaudens and bought a gold-plated fake.  Worth maybe $50......he paid $1,600. 

[GoldFinger1969]

7 minutes ago, Hoghead515 said:

Thank you all for the replies. It's truly appreciated. I'll see what she looks like when she arrives. Hopefully it's a beauty 

If it's much worse than you expected or want, you may have a return option with the seller or Ebay.

Keep us posted.

[Hoghead515]

6 minutes ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

$50 isn't an expensive lesson.  My friend insisted on buy a RAW 1924 Saint Gaudens and bought a gold-plated fake.  Worth maybe $50......he paid $1,600. 

That would be heart breaking. It's very sad there's people who will do that to others. I'm so glad I'm not like that. I just don't have the heart to do people like that. I care about others to much to hurt them or take advantage of them. I'd rather be broke than to have to get money that way. 

[Hoghead515]

Well I said I'd update you all when she came in. Took it a while but wasn't the sellers fault. USPS had it at 2 different facilities for seems like forever. She definitely don't look nothing like the picture. It was supposed to be brilliant uncirculated gem.  It has definitely got some wear to it. Looks like the dies were wore pretty good to when it was struck. But I learned a lesson. Read the descriptions carefully  and don't trust stock photos on older raw coins. This coin has definitely been circulated. The high points are wore down. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Hoghead515

[Hoghead515]

What is the proper name for those flow lines that are caused by die erosion?  Is it called Starburst? I tried to look it up but that's all I could find.  

Edited April 22, 2021 by Hoghead515

[Henri Charriere]

I don't know what they call the flow lines but I am going to call this coin, with nice beveled rims, a 1913 Type 8 in your honor. 😉

[Conder101]

Don't know if it is just your images but it appears polished.

[Hoghead515]

18 minutes ago, Conder101 said:

Don't know if it is just your images but it appears polished.

It could possibly be.   It's got a haze on it to. 

[Henri Charriere]

1 hour ago, Hoghead515 said:

It could possibly be.   It's got a haze on it to. 

And the blackened areas?  Brushes with wild brush fires? I like it; it's got character.

[Coinbuf]

Maybe you can return it, hard to judge the images but from what I can see it does not look like a keeper.  Sorry that it did not work out better for you. 

[Hoghead515]

5 hours ago, Coinbuf said:

Maybe you can return it, hard to judge the images but from what I can see it does not look like a keeper.  Sorry that it did not work out better for you. 

I may try to. It's clearly a junk coin. I'll know better next time to read everything more carefully. With the coin in hand you can see all the high points flattened down and abridged.  That's kinda false advertising.  Send something like that. 

[Henri Charriere]

Got a moment to hear from a rank amateur?  Good, here goes...

a).  If the coin is described as Brilliant Gem Unciculated and signs of wear are evident, clearly it does not meet the grade.

b)  if a seller has less than a 100% satisfaction rating, it is incumbent upon you to find out why. (Rarely mentioned: if it boasts a near-100% feedback rating but hasn't sold any coins in a year or two, I would move right along.

c).  From what I gather, you bid on a coin from a company that bill's itself as an "auction" site, selling its wares on eBay, yet another auction site.  This would be cause of concern to me.

d).  Every seller on eBay has a "contact the seller" tab on its site.  If you have specific questions, do not hesitate to use this feature. Listen carefully to the response you get.  The blackened areas and apparent wear on your Buffalo Nickel raise serious questions.  The coin in and of itself invites firther inquiry.

e)  Lastly, if the coin you received does not reflect the written description or quality expected, write or call, raise your cares and concerns and request you be permitted to return it.  That is your right under eBay policy if the product does not accurately portray the product described..  Sellers depend on satisfactory ratings from buyers to do business. An unsatisfactory rating is undesirable; a seller with several raises serious questions. I avoid them.

In short, study the ads carefully. Be familiar with the product you are interested in and take a short excursion through the other items they offer for sale. (Many do not know anything about the subject and use numismatic terminology loosely.) One of their favorites is "rare" but if you ask them how many were minted or, better yet, how many others there are in that grade, they will hem and haw. The best sellers are the reputable ones who've been around a long time, are well known, have superior ratings and make blanket statements such as:  "Your satisfaction is guaranteed, or your money will be returned.

Bidding can be stressful and there is a tendency to be distracted by how many other people are viewing the same item simultaneously as you are or the fact only days or hours remain.  Think with your head and not your emotions. Investigate, inspect, know the acceptable price range and return policy, and you'll make out fine. Remember, buying is a job, not an enjoyable pastime like gambling ought to be, and you'll make out fine.  And if you don't, feel free to ask us for help or guidance.  Just don't mention a bitcoin boondoggle. 😉

Edited April 23, 2021 by Quintus Arrius
Misspelling.

[Hoghead515]

3 minutes ago, Quintus Arrius said:

Got a moment to hear from a rank amateur?  Good, here goes...

a).  If the coin is described as Brilliant Gem Unciculated and signs of wear are evident, clearly it does not meet the grade.

b)  if a seller has less than a 100% satisfaction rating, it is incumbent upon you to find out why. (Rarely mentioned: if it boasts a near-100% feedback rating but hasn't sold any coins in a year or two, I would move right along.

c).  From what I gather, you bid on a coin from a company that bill's itself as an "auction" site, selling its wares on eBay, yet another auction site.  This would be cause of concern to me.

d).  Every seller on eBay has a "contact the seller" tab on its site.  If you have specific questions, do not hesitate to use this feature. Listen carefully to the response you get.  The blackened areas and apparent wear on your Buffalo Nickel raise serious questions.  The coin in and of itself invites firther inquiry.

e)  Lastly, if the coin you received does not reflect the written description or quality expected, write or call, raise your cares and concerns and request you be permitted to return it.  That is your right under eBay policy if the product does not accurately portray the product described..  Sellers depend on satisfactory ratings from buyers to do business. An unsatisfactory rating is undesirable; a seller with several raises serious questions. I avoid them.

In short, study the ads carefully. Be familiar with the product you are interested in and take a short excursion through the other items they offer for sale. (Many do not know anything about the subject and use numismatic tedminology loosely.) One of their favorites is "rare" but if you ask them how many were minted or, better yet, how many others there are in that grade, they will hem and haw. The best sellers are the reputable ones who've been around a long time, are well known, have superior ratings and make blanket statements such as:  "Your satisfaction is guaranteed, or your money will be returned.

Bidding can be stressful and there is a tendency to be distracted by how many other people are viewing the same item simultaneously as you are or the fact only days or hours remain.  Think with your head and not your emotions. Investigate, inspect, know the acceptable price range and return policy, and you'll make out fine. Remember, buying is a job, not an enjoyable pastime like gambling ought to be, and you'll make out fine.  And if you don't, feel free to ask us for help or guidance.  Just don't mention a bitcoin boondoggle. 😉

Your definitely right. I got no one to blame but myself. It's my fault for not reading everything clearly. That's another expensive lesson but one I will never forget. 

[Hoghead515]

I may make an album of just lessons learned coins. Maybe put a description under them and pass down to my kids. Maybe let them see my mistakes. 

[comicdonna]

2 hours ago, Hoghead515 said:

8 hours ago, Coinbuf said:

Maybe you can return it, hard to judge the images but from what I can see it does not look like a keeper.  Sorry that it did not work out better for you. 

I may try to. It's clearly a junk coin. I'll know better next time to read everything more carefully. With the coin in hand you can see all the high points flattened down and abridged.  That's kinda false advertising.  Send something like that. 

I would return the coin based on the description.  Note the part in bold.

The only way this works is if the quality is equal to or better than the grade and pictures shown in our listings. We adhere to stick grading standards to make this possible. This is why we receive nearly 50k positive feedbacks annually and a Top Seller in the coin market. If for any reason the coin you receive you feel is under graded please contact us first and we will be happy to swap it out as long as its still sealed within our 2x2 flip.

Clearly, it looks nothing like the stock photo.

 

[Alex in PA.]

15 hours ago, Hoghead515 said:

But I learned a lesson.

Here's another lesson.  Buy from reputable, well known and recommended dealers.  Avoid EBay as that has become the national dumping ground for problem conis.  I spent yesterday looking through 80 plus pages of Morgan Dollars with the majority of them 'Details' grade.  I buy from Northeast Numismatics at www.northeastcoin.com which has excellent coins priced to fit any budget.  1913 Buffalo Nickel NGC MS 64 sells for $65.00 and they give you the option if 'Making an Offer'.  Give them a look. 

[Hoghead515]

4 minutes ago, Alex in PA. said:

Here's another lesson.  Buy from reputable, well known and recommended dealers.  Avoid EBay as that has become the national dumping ground for problem conis.  I spent yesterday looking through 80 plus pages of Morgan Dollars with the majority of them 'Details' grade.  I buy from Northeast Numismatics at www.northeastcoin.com which has excellent coins priced to fit any budget.  1913 Buffalo Nickel NGC MS 64 sells for $65.00 and they give you the option if 'Making an Offer'.  Give them a look. 

I will check them out. 

[Hoghead515]

40 minutes ago, comicdonna said:

I would return the coin based on the description.  Note the part in bold.

The only way this works is if the quality is equal to or better than the grade and pictures shown in our listings. We adhere to stick grading standards to make this possible. This is why we receive nearly 50k positive feedbacks annually and a Top Seller in the coin market. If for any reason the coin you receive you feel is under graded please contact us first and we will be happy to swap it out as long as its still sealed within our 2x2 flip.

Clearly, it looks nothing like the stock photo.

 

I'll probably ship it back and get my money back.