Thread: Bought a fake 1833 large cent on ebay, seller has been great.

I wanted to post this in light of some of the recent negative stories about ebay.

I bought an 1833 in vf condition on ebay which turned out to be a fake. The design details were correct, unlike some I have seen, so I don't think I could have avoided the situation.

The seller had a three day return policy on the coin, but by the time I got around to attributing the variety I was already past the three day period. When I finally got around to checking it out, I noticed the diameter was a little too big, it had a grainy surface, and the edge just did not look right. When I went to attribute the coin it had the reverse of an N3, but a horned 8 like the obverse of N5 (but no die cracks). Needless to say, all these things taken together and I knew it was fake.

I contacted the seller after their return period had expired and explained why I thought the coin was fake and asked for a refund. Short story, the seller was very apologetic about the counterfeit coin and offered a full refund plus shipping for me to send it back.

You can check out the coin and the great seller at the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/180800847689?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT_trksid=p3984 .m1439.l2649

It's a shame these coins are coming into our market, but this seller handled the situation in a very professional manor.

Crappy thing to happen, but glad to hear the seller is handling it accordingly.

+1

Scary how real it looks to me..

Glad it worked out between you and the seller.

A couple of years ago when I first started posting on this forum I posted a pic of a seated liberty quarter that I bought on ebay. Someone told me it was fake. In a nutshell I had bought the quarter months before I posted the pic and found out it was fake. Bottom line was I contacted the seller and he refunded my money. For whatever reason he wanted to send me a check. That was fine with me as long as I got my money I didn't care. Check was cashed and case closed. Lesson learned and I know a good seller on ebay. Win, win!!

Moral of the story is it doesn't matter how long it's been, either you're dealing with a reputable seller or your not. That means, if you buy a bad coin and you find out down the road it wasn't real then you should at minimum try to get a refund. You never know.

Scary how real it looks to me..

When you have played with a lot of early and middle date cents it doesn't look all that good. It has been said, and it is true, that the best way to learn to spot a fake is to look at as many real coins as possible. Then when you see a fake red flags go up. You may not know WHY it is bad, but that hinky feeling tell you this coin needs to be checked over very closely because something is wrong.

i think he is re doctoingf them..

certain e-bay sellers are good people others are scumbags, if they are rated less than 100% caveat emphor

Originally Posted by Conder101

When you have played with a lot of early and middle date cents it doesn't look all that good. It has been said, and it is true, that the best way to learn to spot a fake is to look at as many real coins as possible. Then when you see a fake red flags go up. You may not know WHY it is bad, but that hinky feeling tell you this coin needs to be checked over very closely because something is wrong.

I would love to know what you see based on the picture what you don't like. With coin in hand I was very concerned about it's authenticity, but still don't see much in the picture that raises flags. The only issue I now see looking back is the obverse appears to have a lot more detail than the reverse.

I have my doubts about this seller. It is the way that he worded the description. He is very polite in the beginning, saying please and thankyou, but the obscure thing is the 2nd half of his description. It is very rare R-5+ to run across this kind of wording.

"All items I post are authenticated to be genuine and have respective metal content & weight. Any discrepency with my listing is always good for a return in your favor! However, check my feedback and bid with confidence!

Call me a skeptic. Could be a knee jerk reaction, but why wouldn't he do the standard 7 day return upon receipt. Just because he was very polite and gave you your money back, doesn't mean that he doesn't have dirt on his hands.

The reverse looks good but the obverse screams fake to me, even in his photos.

Glad to hear he's giving you your money back.

Originally Posted by JCB1983

I have my doubts about this seller. It is the way that he worded the description. He is very polite in the beginning, saying please and thankyou, but the obscure thing is the 2nd half of his description. It is very rare R-5+ to run across this kind of wording.

"All items I post are authenticated to be genuine and have respective metal content & weight. Any discrepency with my listing is always good for a return in your favor! However, check my feedback and bid with confidence!

Call me a skeptic. Could be a knee jerk reaction, but why wouldn't he do the standard 7 day return upon receipt. Just because he was very polite and gave you your money back, doesn't mean that he doesn't have dirt on his hands.

+1

I had a similar situation with an 1825 Half Cent. The Seller was very polite and accommodating about the return/refund. I was pleased initially, but then wondered if that's how a person acts when they truly believe their coin is genuine and authentic (as advertised).

If I had just sold 20 fakes for big $$, I would want to be as nice as possible to keep eBay/PayPal out of the discussion...should one of the Fish/Buyers be unhappy.

Originally Posted by kaosleeroy108

i think he is re doctoingf them..

I don't have a clue to what you're trying to say.

With that disclaimer, I wouldn't go any where near those auctions. I have no knowledge of the seller, but my scammer radar glows bright red when I read lines like that. Sounds like the buyer is an expert, and the fake in this thread would fool 98% of Ebay buyers. The scary thing is that these fakes are getting resold at other venues, such as flea markets or local coin clubs or bid boards. Be careful.

Bad pictures is the first reason to advoid them, but then again all the auctions they had contained bad pictures. Just another reason to buy from a trusted and knowledgeable dealer.