Scammed on EBAY - Be Careful with raw notes on ebay

I won an auction for a low serial # light green seal $500 bill. The seller has 100% feedback over 9 years. The bill was listed as nearly perfect with "razor sharp edges". His listing says razor sharp edges, he calls it and it appeared in the pics to be in good enough condition to get an uncirculated grade.

Then I find the exact same bill was sold last year on Ebay. At that time it was in a PMG holder with grade 20 and notation TEARS.

Now the bill looks almost perfect ( except I should have noticed very little borders at top and bottom )


RECENT EBAY AUCTION( LISTED as NEAR AU )


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111053354156&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

LAST YEAR


http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1934-500-low-serial-00000464-pmg-20-244487790


SAME BILL ???????????????????????????

 

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Looks the same to me. Minus the Grading container...

 

No surprise there. Some may call it "restoration" and others may call it "doctoring" - you decide. If you're repairing tears, I'd say that's a restoration. But this note has been washed and pressed. Pretty evident.

 

No mention of any repairing/restoration of any kind in auction listing. If I sent that to PMG would they grade that 50 or would they refuse to grade after alterations have been made. I thought I was buying an AU at the very least.

 

It depends on what the note looks like when you send it in.
If there restoration was very very good then they would not.
Can you see the work that was done?

 

I'm curious why you would bid this amount of money ($1,100) for a raw note on eBay and not research the note first.

 

Same Bill Serial Number G 00000464 A

 

Perhaps the guy that sold it, didn't even know. In any event if you're not happy with it, return it and tell the seller what you found. I think it only becomes a scam if you aren't able to return it and get your money back.

 

The tear is still evident on the lower left margin & upward just to the right side of the $500

Quite a few of the same creases & wrinkles are still prevalent & show better in a negative image.

It is surely the same note,but who knows about the sellers knowledge of the piece.

 

I agree you can tell it's been restored by looking at the paper ......not a scam unless he will not refund .....but I posted an 1857 FE a few weeks back and it went thru the roof bid wise and sold and now it relisted again. And again it was not worth the money just fancy pictures that doctored up the coins surfaces. One must be careful as the doctors are in the house.

 

if u don't like it return it..

 

The seller (jimrob23) is renown for dealing in problem notes.

 

Lots more examples: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coinforgeryebay/sets/72157631103745094/with/7866984970/

 

Yeah it was stupid thing to do. I looked at his feedback which was 100% over 9 years and so i thought I was safe. Only starting questioning when the note went so low even with several others far worse going higher. Then I showed it to someone who knows more about paper money and they questioned why it had so little borders at top and bottom. Then I found the note on another website at PMG 20.

Maybe it was a newbie mistake to make, but the guy has 100% feedback and 9 years. And $1100 is less than what lesser $500's are going for. The seller has not yet responded.

 

Bottom margin appears trimmed. However, in any event...

 

I can see it now.

 

No. There is another thread here at cointalk that says this guy does it all the time. Yeah I know, im stupid.

 

well just get your money back and take this as a lesson. you really need to know what you are purchasing especially when you are dropping that much cash

 

What is the reference to ser# 454 about? It's on your first link under description. Your note is 464.

 

Is there a tear as described in the 2012 auction? If not, I wouldn't exactly agree you were scammed.

Maybe the previous owner submitted it to PNG for professional conservation? That probably costs some money; I suppose the fees would be relative to the methods employed. Which is to say, I'd imagine that dirt/stain removal may be cheaper than repairing creases, holes, tears, anything dealing with the integrity of the paper fibers.

Then ethics come into play. If you sink any significant money into (successful) conservation, would you, or SHOULD you mention upon its sale that it was professionally conserved? Would the seller of a newly conserved note then be obligated to disclose the extent of conservation methods employed?

I have two opinions regarding this transaction:

1. You should have searched it looked up PRIOR to paying $1000+ for it, you could have made a better informed buying decision.

2. The seller shouldn't have to mention whether there was conservation done because I've seen examples posted here that were graded, professionally conserved, resubmitted, and there was no mention on the new holder. The Internet makes it so easy to look up yourself, at home, as you have demonstrated, see #1 above.

Were you going to send it to TPG prior to discovering its past description/grade?
Will you keep it?