Saw this coin on "Evilbay" today and decided to contact the seller and break the bad news to them. This coin is obviously damaged, no? I'm talking about the reverse. Here is the link:2009 Lincoln Bicentenial Error - Book Marker Error New Variety? ID40124 | eBay New variety my.... Butt!
The seller has 299 other coins listed. A lot of worn Wheat Cents, toned coins and very few legit mint errors. The problem is that he is way over priced and for the errors he doesn't really give a description of what they are. Every listing just has the same story that it is a consignment. There are some really ridiculous listings such as these to PMD/altered Cents going for a few hundred dollars.. Really bad So going back to the Cent in question Sal. I understand your concern. I just not sure that the area in question is actually damaged. Could be just a minor struck through next to the book that makes it appear like a bookmark. A strike through is a Common issue on any coin. But he is wrong in stating or thinking that it's a "new variety".. it definitely isn't! And if it were.. $375.00 should not be what someone pays for a minor variety issue. I have paid $200.00 for a major mint error such as a Nickel struck on Cent Planchet. That's a lot but worth it! These are the type of listings a new collector might see and make a purchase without knowing what is really the issue. Sad. I like the word evilbay.
The saddest part is he emailed me back and wants our experts to tell him his coin is either PMD like I said or a minor error as you said. He believes he has something worthy of hundreds of dollars.
This is why I get frustrated. Here people do this to take advantage. It’s in everything not just coins.
eBay has its problems, but this isn't one of them. This is a people problem. This guy could (and probably does) do the same thing on Craigslist, FB, Instagram...
