I sell some coins on eBay, and there's one thing that I hate to hear from the buyer. It goes something like this: "Thanks! I'm planning to make these coins into earrings!!!" One of the worst offenses to me is when people put holes in coins, and I hate to see any going under the drill (or hole punch). I can't refuse to sell to these people, but it kind of feels like I'm abetting them in a crime. Know what I mean?
Uh, yes, I'm completely on the same page and it is disheartening. I can honestly say that has never happened to me in the ten years that I've sold on eBay.
It depends what you sell. If they are really valuable coins it probably won't happen. I sell world coins and it happens more with those. Someone just bought two Congo coins with elephants on them from me, which are coins I really like, and said she wants them for jewelry.
once they're bought there's nothing really you can do. luckily they are relatively cheap coins. now if they did it with a gold coin I would cringe in the worst way. I saw a guy at work show me his $2.50 dollar gold indian coin that was in jewelry. the obverse of the coin was worn smooth, but the reverse was so incredible in about uncirculated grade. really made me sick to think how great the coin was before it was in the pendant setting.
Here's what I hate to hear: "My 8 year old son used my account and went a little crazy. I'm sorry but I can't pay for this coin."
Might be better used as earplugs than as earrings . . . but would prefer to see it tried with trimes than Trade Dollars . . . can't imagine how messy big coins would make that attempt.
ouch! My brother did the same thing when he was 8, only instead of coins it was one of those velvet paintings of white tigers. My dad got his cash back too. True story. when I see velvet paintings, a certain book quote comes to mind: if you graduated high school, you know what I'm talking about.
Agreed. If a relatively common coin (the closer to "cheap as dirt", the better) is turned into jewelry, I do not have a single problem with that. And pricy ones ... are less likely to go through such a transformation. Christian
I didn't graduate high school, but the quote sounds familiar. What are you talking about? Tried googling the quote, could come from either the novella The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, or Apocalypse Now which was an adaptation of the novella. Either way I have no experience with it. Never read the book and could never get into the movie.
I hear what you are saying Christian, yet we never know what is common today will be valuable tomorrow, eh? I used to help a next door neighbor in the 70's metal detect. One day we found a wheat cent. Cleared off the date.....1909s......checked the obverse for details....AU plus.......checked the reverse.....VDB!......looked at the whole coin......attempted hole at 12 o clock. Someone tried to make a necklace out of a AU 09sVDB. I am sure it was not very valuable at the time. Having said that, coins are someone's property. People being able to do with their property what they like is a key belief to me as a libertarian, so even though I wince and hate the idea personally, I never try to say they are not within their rights.
