estimate please

The following are my Ebay purchases. Could I please get an idea about whether the prices are okay? I will be taking the 1876 coins to a coin dealer to get their estimate. If they spot something wrong, I can return for a refund. (no pictures because I do not have the coins yet.

1876-S TRADE DOLLAR AU (One problem prior cleaning)
$193.00
1876 SEATED LIBERTY QUARTER XF+ CENTENNIAL YEAR H38
$65.00
1876 Three Cent Nickel Rare 3 Cent Low Mintage Nice
$89.95
1876 SHIELD NICKEL (b) - STARTER COIN! - ONLY $29.99!
$29.99
1876 Seated Half Dollar Var 4 Beautiful Circ Condition
$45.99
1876-CC Seated Liberty Dime, grades VF, Medium Toning
$44.00
1876 Indian Head Cent GOOD 19th Century CENTENNIAL YEAR
$32.00
1976 PROOF SILVER BICENTENNIAL MEDAL COIN Jefferson
$31.77
1976 LIBERTY SILVER BICENTENNIAL PROOF MEDAL
$29.69
1975 PAUL REVERE SILVER BICENTENNIAL PROOF MEDAL
$28.75
1974 JOHN ADAMS SILVER BICENTENNIAL PROOF MEDAL (190550190057)
$28.75
1981 Yorktown VA Bicentennial 2" Proof Medal RARE (180508339478)
$14.50

1976 U.S. Mint PROOF SET Bicentennial 3-Coin Silver
32.99

 

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I am not looking for an exact amount just a general impression of how I am doing. If I am making big mistakes, I need to know.
Thanks

If you want, each coin is linked to what I bought.

 

I would not have given half of what you did.. maybe 45%

 

You way over paid for the three cent nickel. But you might have done ok on the shield nickel. I haven't looked at the others yet.

 

I suspected the three cent nickel may have been too much. I was outbid by a last second one dollar more on a three cent coin. It went for 71 dollars and was in the same condition. I needed something to soothe myself so I bought what was there.

 

Please don't be offended, but I can't for the life of me understand why someone would buy any coin without having an idea of the grade and value beforehand. It's bad enough that you're buying raw coins on eBay, but this makes it even worse. The fact that you can return them is not the issue, but you still have to bear the expense of return postage and insurance.

By the way, you could have posted the seller's photos. All you have to do is right click on them and "save as".

Chris

 

Like Chris said, we aren't trying to be offensive, if you like the coin and think it is worth that much to you, then by all means it is your money. But please educate yourself and make sure you aren't getting cheated. There are several books you can buy that will teach you how to grade and price all the coins you want. I would say get, at a minimum, a 2012 Red book and a 2011 Blue book.

 

I am not offended. For me this is a learning experience. I am new and want to learn. (I suspect when I take the coins in to the dealer I will learn a lot) Which book for grading coins is best? I have a Red 2012 book, but it does not illustrate the different grades. I did check the description against what was given. Also, is buying by a special year such as the centennial a bad policy?

 

First of all, the trade dollar has been counterfeited for decades, and right now, China is spitting them out by the thousands. It is definitely not a good idea to buy any of these raw, especially on SleazeBay. You really don't need any special book to learn this. The information is readily available on most any coin forum if you take the time to do a little searching.

I suspect that the proof medals were probably struck by the Franklin Mint, and these are almost always overpriced.

Don't believe anything a seller may tell you on eBay unless you personally know and trust them. "Rare" to many eBay sellers could mean there were 25,000 struck, but he doesn't know that nor does he take the time to research it. It justs happens to be the first one he's seen. The fact that a couple of the coins were struck in the "Centennial" year means nothing. It is just more seller hype.

You should get one of the books on grading like the ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins. Your learning experience should begin with the books on the subject rather than the "school of hard knocks". Let me ask you this.....If you had never fired a gun before, would you look down the barrel and pull the trigger to see if it is loaded?

I realize that many people want to jump in and start buying, so if there is something that catches your eye, you can always post the seller's photos on a forum like this and ask questions, FIRST! Don't worry that the listing is about to expire. If it is a BIN and/or "MAKE OFFER", and it hasn't sold, there is probably a good reason. If it does sell, it's no big deal because there are plenty more where it came from.

Chris

 

It was the trade dollar that made me think about taking it to a dealer to check it out. Good to know they are counterfeited a lot. BTW I made sure that I could return the coins before I bought them. From what I could determine, the 4 bicentennial medals are silver and combined they are melt price. The Yorktown medal was bought for what it was rare or not. I will buy the book and I have found the PCGS site that shows the grading of individual coins.

 

What I see is that you are buying alot of problem coins. I would suggest leaving the cleaned,damaged,corroded etc. alone.

 

I kicked myself about the trade dollar right after I bought it, because I found a PCGS graded coin for no more than 60 dollars more on Ebay. That is a coin I very likely will return.

Thanks for the help. Yes I am learning through a few hard knocks, but I am learning. :yes:

 

We all made mistakes when we started. If you want to buy a coin on ebay, post it here first and see what people have to say.

 

I will do that from now on. For now though I just bought the ANA grading standards book and the 2012 blue book.
Thanks

 

This is another aspect that always gets me. Yes, you can return it, but it is still costing you the return shipping and insurance. So, if you are active in multiple auctions on eBay every week, and you have to return several of them, it can easily cost you $1000 a year. I can think of a lot of very nice certified coins that I could buy with that money.

Chris

 

the 1876 Indian is pitted and damaged, cutting the (normal) value of the coin in half, so it is worth bout $14.

 

Take whatever spare cash you have and invest them in some reference materials. This'll save you a lot of headaches and money in the long run. Also, check out some of the previous threads on coins you're interested in. Others have made the same mistakes in the past and you could learn what to watch for.. ie. fake trade dollars.

 

First welcome. I would return the shield nickel. A few dollars more and you can buy a problem free example. As Chris and some of the others have mentioned get some grading books. It does take some experience to buy raw on ebay. I am sure there are several of us who could recommend dealers. You might pay a few more bucks, but you know what you are dealing with and getting.

My own preference - anyone doing a private auction is someone I want to avoid. For the items I collect good clear pictures on ebay are a must - otherwise I skip the auction. Just a few helpful hints I hope.

 

You have to be careful when you buy stuff nat.

 

Well I looked at several and said YUCK please hold on to your money and do some research before going forward. Your going to find that too many returns often end up making you a blocked bidder.
BTW in my opinion a cleaned coin in AU is worth about melt value.