The Adventure continues! Couple more auction wins, experience the finds with me.

Hey all,

I think I've finally figured out my "niche" for ebay auctions. I tend to like vague auctions with un-zoomed pictures of coins. I like to buy from people who don't necessarily know what they have or they don't describe everything super specific (as far as condition, VAMs, etc...) There's only been 1 auction that I've felt I've "lost" on, though it wasn't a ton. I feel like you could call me a "Treasure Hunter" ie: trying to find the diamond in the rough.

Anyways, this week I've been busy and won the following auctions;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330745949080?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
- Who knows if it will really be a 1899 or not... Most likely an 1899-O, however the price isn't bad anyways to take a shot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170854007270?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
- Mostly interested in the half cent + large cents. Also, they say there are 2 nickels in there but the picture doesn't show it. What it does show is a Capped Bust Half Dime that I'm hoping to get instead

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330744507121?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
- There's no such thing as an 1864 3-Cent Nickel so I'm very intrigued as to what it actually is? Also, I like to take shots at the 1864 2-cent small motto variety. Also the coins seem to bee in pretty good condition.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160816529543?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
- The prizes for me in this are the 1804 half cent (looks to be at least G condition if not better) and the 1798 large cent (again it looks to be at least G). Additionally, it's got a 1909 IHC (S???) which I don't have and 3 Trimes which I really like. Also a fairly nice 1875-S 20 Cent. I wouldn't be surprised if the value is 2-3X+ what I paid for this lot. Could be even more if that Half Cent is a small 5 (probably not, but here's to hoping)
I'll update this thread with pics / details when they arrive. Initial thoughts / expectations?

 

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My initial thought was that, for the most part, you paid too much.
But I wish you good luck.

 

My advice, be very careful. For years I had similar patterns of auctions I would look for. However, in the last few years I notice a lot of people are intentionally selling coins like this, listing junk and hoping people will bid on their auctions due to hoping for a good coin instead.

I am just saying a lot of people have focused on similar auctions, and some sellers are intentionally replicating them to get suckers to overbid on junk coins.

 

I agree completely. Like I said, I feel I have only really been burned once and it wasn't too bad. Luckily the bigger auctions (2 of 4) have a return policy. Additionally with the bigger book (the type set), their feedback has this in it: "Was happy+ w/coins, then found XF 1886 Type 2. OMG!!! Thank you!!Great Deal!!!!" (It was for this auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=160781449486&nma=true&rt=nc&si=BNF4J%2FwaX2%2Btt73OAs7U%2BaRApfA%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc)

 

I hope you have plenty of money to waste, because if you get all culls, you won't get your money out of it. For the money you spent on all of those auctions, you might have found a really nice coin that is worth keeping. Anyways, I hope you enjoy what you are doing. Best in collecting, Henry

 

Have fun with your treasure hunting.

Are there any coin shows in your area? IMO it is more fun treasure hunting in person & with the coins in-hand. It is also an opportunity to see what people will pay you for the coins you have already captured.

 

I'm sure there are, I just haven't had a chance to research it yet. I've been really busy (especially on the weekends) and I imagine most shows are on the weekend. I've only really been collecting since October. Is it a good idea to take coins to a coin show (not necessarily ones you buy there to shop around) or is that what you are talking about?

 

Seems like a lot of these croons are skeptical.

I, however, say carpe diem. You may be overspending, but if you land a decent coin that has been mislabeled, the joke will be on them.

I landed a pristine 1915 Barber half this way.

 

I highly recommend you visit a coin show.

Coin collecting is a very social hobby. We all like to look at coins and discuss coins. That is what we all do.

You can take a few coins to a coin show & show them around & solicit opinions. You can also show your new purchases at the show to other dealers & solicit their comments.

Without giving away your precise location let us know where you are geographically & perhaps someone here can recommend some good coin shows.

 

Haha! You just made my day. Pretty much my sentiments on the matter. However, I don't necessarily think I'm overspending even if the coins are relatively close to what they claim or I see from the pictures. ie: 9 coins for $60 shipped that typically sell for $10+ each, $50 for 6 coins, etc... If they're garbage I'll most likely re-sell them on ebay. I did that with some cleaned coins earlier and turned the other coins from the auctions in to almost pure profit.

 

Well there you go!

Just ensure you post once you land a good find.

 

I've posted quite a few of my good finds, I just wanted to take a different approach and was hoping people wanted to be a part of the adventure with me instead of just posting the result. Seems like people are just more interested in criticizing instead of going along for the ride

 

Ha, that's unfortunate. For me, a big part of the enjoyment for coin collecting is the "hunt". Finding them, researching them, acquiring them. Then there's the "analysis" ie: looking at every nook & cranny, evaluating grade + value, cataloging. The part of collecting that's most boring to me is just putting them away and trying to "remember" what I have or what they actually look like / feel like in hand. Though taking good pictures can help that.

I'm still in the honeymoon phase of collecting so I am getting the most enjoyment from acquiring them, researching them, etc... I'm sure I'll slow down and focus more on fewer / higher quality coins but right now it's just fun getting all the different types / dates that I can.

 

I go through phases. Phases where I get really excited, spending all day looking for a good find. Others, I don't even think about coins.

The pursuit of good deals is 85% of the fun for me

 

HAHA... I'm always looking for good deals on EVERYTHING... Coins are just another way for me to be self-proud over the fact that I got "This coin for this much and it's worth THIS MUCH!" lol...

 

So coin #1 arrived yesterday (from "1899" auction) and it is indeed an 1899-O



Not too bad for $36. My guess is probably MS61, and even if it were AU it's not really a loss. However, I would say the biggest loss from this auction is the unreasonably disrespectful seller. I sent, what I thought, was a respectful message when I got the coin. I wanted to try and play dumb and act like I was expecting the 1899 in hopes maybe it was a mistake. However, things got ugly pretty quick. Here's the play by play;

Me:

Seller:

Not too bad, however him not knowing why I might have thought it was a P coin was a bit rash. So I felt the need to explain to him why I MIGHT think that, in case he lists another coin similar and wants to take the (literally) 2 seconds to put the correct mint mark there in case to save in confusion. Here's my message;

At this point I leave positive feedback. 5 stars on everything, 3 stars on the item description (meaning not correct or incorrect) along with this as feedback: "Nice Coin. Fast Shipping. However it was an 1899-O and not 1899 (no mint mark)". My goal was to save future potential buyers from making a mistake and thinking a coin is one way or another. I don't feel like the feedback was malicious. The information was completely true and NOT personal. I don't feel like I attacked the seller or left a passive aggressive tone in the feedback.

He sees the feedback and leaves positive feedback for me, keep in mind I paid within seconds of the buy it now. "Poor buyer. Never asked mint mark and gives me low grade. ★★ buyer....." He also sends me this message;

At which point I ripped in to him (in an non-vulgar manner of course). I can completely understand where he is coming from, but the fact that he made it personal with the feedback is beyond me. I never accused him of intentional wrong doing. I felt I was trying to be friendly and give advice as to prevent an issue in the future. Feel free to tell me I'm in the wrong here, but I felt I was very reasonable with my process.

 

As far as the buying goes, as long as you're happy with your purchases everything is fine.

As far as the communication goes. From a sellers point of view, he sounds like you were trying to squeeze something out of him. I wouldn't be surprised if he blocks you from bidding on his further auctions.

 

I understand that he might have thought that. But re-reading through what I wrote I don't see where he would get that impression. I tried to make it clear that I thought there was a mix-up with the shipping and wanted to "exchange" for the correct coin (it was listed as 1899). Something about it almost tells me that he was purposefully hoping someone would assume that. He had listed Morgans with mint marks before this. Not sure why it was different this time.

 

So you admittedly "play dumb" but cannot understand his reaction? Seriously? This is an excellent example of where this bargain mentality will get you... no where. Had you taken 30 seconds to crop his photos, you would have seen that the coin had a mintmark. While it was not clear which, one was definitely there. Even though the listing was somewhat questionable, you knew what you were doing, so you should have taken responsibility for it... just as he said, you could have asked.

Your "goal" was to knock the seller because you didn't score and not to save anyone else... your feelings are all right here in this thread. YOU took the gamble and lost.. do you buy a lottery ticket and slam the state when its a loser? You got what you paid for (and expected) so why bring it up when leaving feedback? You made it personal first... the seller simply returned the favor, and most likely as a means of protecting his business. I am not trying to be harsh, just honest.

 

It is, though, the seller's responsibility to thoroughly describe his/her item for sale. He could have easily taken the extra second to type an O next to the date, but the buyer also could have taken the time to ask. Usually no mint mark means Philadelphia, though.