Welcome to Coin Talk! Register Now, it's easy and FREE!
Thousands of coin collectors, numismatists, coin dealers, bullion investors, and enthusiasts make Coin Talk their number one source for numismatic news, information about US and world coins, discussions and community.
You are currently viewing Coin Talk as a guest, which limits your access to content, contests and information. By joining our free community, you will be able to join in discussions, contact other members, place free advertisements, enter contests, and much more. Registration is easy and free. Register Now
My earlier thread about the 140X bid Morgan Dollar got me to thinking about the quality of coin photos that coin dealers and auctioneers use. I collect rainbow toned coins and the quality of the photo is of supreme importance, yet I find dealer after dealer with absolutely terrible photos on their websites. The large auction houses are just as bad. Although the quality of Heritage's photo's have improved over the last two years, they still are far from good IMO.
Has anyone ever purchased or won a coin at auction that absolutely blew them away when the received the coin in the mail. If you have, here is your chance to show your good fortune to the rest of the numismatic community.
Please post a coin that looks much better than the seller's photo. Post both the seller's photo and your own to show the comparison and share any other comments about the coin transaction.
I will start with a coin that was recently auctioned by Anaconda Rare Coins in the Heritage Signature Sale. The coin is a Morgan Dollar 1887 NGC MS65 with textile toning. I have always wanted a textile toned Morgan and this one seemed pretty cheap even though it was a little ugly with the army green toning. I placed a bid of 2X wholesale and won the coin. Imagine my surprise when I opened the envelope and the most beautiful vibrant powder blue textile toned Morgan appeared in front of me. I ran to my computer and compared it with the photo and broke out into uncontrollable laughter. A good coin photo makes all the difference.
Did you guys read the description. When I bid I thought is was army green (right-Heritage), and when I got it I found bright powder blue (left=my photos).
Recently, I bid on a collection of BU silver roosevelts. Some were toned. I lost, but if I had bid slightly higher, I most likely would have won. I would've if I had the money. The melt value alone, including the album they were in, was about $75.
The pictures were terrible and keeping the value down. It went for only 102.50 :/
And yeah, it was all dates, including the 49's and stuff.
And Lehigh, you should have been sad about the coin being blue. Green is very rare and a green Morgan would sell for multiples of the blue one.
EMERALD GREEN YES, LIME GREEN YES, ARMY GREEN NO WAY. The Heritage photo made the toning look drab and lifeless. The actual coin is vivid and vibrant. Remember, I got the coin at auction for less than 2X bid. If this was one of the rare green toned Morgans, I would not have won the coin. In fact, I bid based on the textile pattern in spite of the toning. I would not sell this coin for less than 5X bid now.
I agree with you about the green toned Morgans, I just don't agree that my coin is one of them. The green monsters like this (not mine) are a little harder to come by and just a tad (10X) more expensive.
Coin Talk Code of Honor
1. Post unto others as you would have them post unto you.
2. Keep it clean, like a 1950s family television show.
3. If you don't like the coin, don't trash the person.
Hybrid Mode
