'bay vs. HC

on da'bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/140626293457?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
on HC: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=131117&lotNo=26245
on HC: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=131138&lotNo=28350

Funny how coins sale at auction multipe times at auction houses (TT and HC)... and then eventually end up on the bay to realize thier true value. I took a shot at this one, but came in 2nd... couldn't see paying more than the winning bidder... could never ever imagine paying what the folks paid on HC (if it was even sold to real people and not a HC rep at inflated price to create the 'illusion' of worth).
.. also have the same date in 65, much better toning, so am happy to see this one go to some 'bay toner enthusiast.

Anyway, it was an interesting auction to watch. You'll often see auctions on the 'bay which include the HC sticker for you easily look up the HC price.... my advice is to beware making what you see a baseline for the value of the coin.

Cheers, :devil:

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Ouch....basically half the cost on ebay.

 

Why do you assume that the items "realize their true value" on Ebay, as opposed to other venues?

I have seen many sales where coins brought much more on Ebay and many other sales where they brought much less on Ebay. And how do you even define "true value"?

 

Can you see the difference in the pics ? Likely had a bit to do with the difference in the price,,, which do you think best reflects the coin in hand ? My guess is the one's on da'bay.

I've seen HC sales hit the bay for significantly more that they sold at on HC also,,, I agree that it does go both ways and did not want to say that HC sales are one sided on the high side compared to the bay. Although selling for a bit less appears to be the tendency from what I have seen in the past...

Guaging "common" date coins value based on the bay price is just something I've learned over a long time. It's been my experience that more common date coins, especially in nominal condition, will sell for much more at TT or HC than they tend to realize on the bay. My guess is that this is because bay's auctions are non-stop, where hc and tt auctions close by day and are often "event" driven,,, which drives more excitment,, which drives looser bidding as some get caught up in the game. I think folks consider thier bids on the bay a bit more and are less apt to be loose (as a general rule,, always exceptions that could be pointed out).

Now for coins that go in the first few sessions of a premier auction at HC... for those I'd use HC price to guage the value in a second. The bay is deep in high end coin sales, but is puddle deep compared to HC sales of these higher end coins.

 

Like Mark says, I have seen coins sell for double eBay's going rates on HA and I have seen coins go for double HA's going rates on eBay.

However, I have a different question. Why on earth would a coin like that be sold 3 times in 6 months? It looks to me like someone was gambling that the coin looked better than it really does - and then lost.

 

There are many reasons why a coin might sell for more (or less) via one venue, as compared to another.

Among them - as you correctly pointed out - differences in imaging, as well as a hotter or colder market, sight-seen vs. sight-unseen bidding, the presence/participation (or lack thereof) of just one or two strong bidders, reserves, descriptions, reputation of the seller, etc.

 

I agree. And especially nice coins will often, justifiably, sell for higher prices via a venue like Heritage, where many bidders are able to view the coins in hand first, and bid on a sight-seen basis.

 

Ebay is hardly the place to realize "true value". If it were a true auction setting I might think differently.
Guy

 

The simplest answer is that the middle buyers were dealers. Most coins are bought and sold a number of times by the dealer community before finding a longer term home with a collector. And since the lifeblood of a coin dealer is his ability to turn his inventory over quickly (even if that means taking a loss on some of his bad purchases) selling the coins that "don't work" a few months after their purchase is perfectly normal. This is the definition of a stale coin.

 

Also note that the auction closed on a Thursday night - wasn't that also one of those nights that had a lower number of bids and/or bidders? I can't remember.

This is also perfect example of why you don't limit where you buy from. I have seen coins go from heritage in one auction, two weeks later on ebay for 20 to 40 percent more - and sell quickly. I have also found coins with BIN's cheaper than heritage realized prices(nice coins also).

 

Yep.. I agree with that.

$140 for a MS62 common date chunk of semi-attractive toned silver... I don't get it, nor do I trust it as a better approximation of the coins value vs. the ebay final sale price... Now if the coin can sing and dance,, then maybe $140.