Alright, so here's my question, I've looked at quite a few coins from GSC on eBay and looking at some of the coins got me thinking. Are the coins on there really BU or can they see something that will make the coin grade as an AU58/5 instead of MS64/5 which I can't see in the picture? I watched a 1892 Barber half dollar they sold last week, said BU that sold for almost $1000, but if these coins are truly Gem BUs, which a high grade Barber is going to bring in a lot of money, why don't they send them off to get graded? Am I wrong to think that they see a problem with the coin grading as a MS and that's why they're selling it RAW, because they have other coins that are graded.... Any thoughts? Here's the coin I'm referring to http://www.ebay.com/itm/1892-Barber...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
I think you might have answered your own question. From what I've read these guys sell a lot of sliders.......
I would say several reasons one being grading costs money. Another simple reason being that a lot of these "big" e-bay sellers are in reality simple Pawn brokers that don't know a whole hell of a lot about what they are selling. At least that's the way I see it.
Wow, that photographer is an absolute expert at making problem coins appear problem free. I have no idea how he gets shadows to show on the stars and the contrast manipulation is top notch. I would be willing to bet that the coin has been cleaned. But they have a no questions asked return policy which enables them to keep a good feedback rating. If a knowledgeable collector buys a coin, they simply accept the return. If an unknowledgeable collector buys a coin, they sell a problem coin for a huge profit. My guess is that the photographer is also very adept at making AU sliders look MS. The thing is that you know something is wrong, so you have no excuse to be snared by their trap.
Most of the coins I see GSC selling are problem coins, and Lehigh is correct their photo skills are fantastic. With that said, I have purchased coins from them and been very happy, but I knew what I was getting and figured the photos were a little too good to be true. Just factor it into your bid price.
GSC. Great Slider Coins. That being said, I've purchased some unslabbed coins from them. And I was pleased. But you've got to know what you're getting into. I'm pretty sure they don't juice the photos, just take them from very flattering angles with lighting that favors the coin.
Great southern coins, IMO, are not trustworthy. Not that they don't deliver the items, but the photos have been greatly manipulated in pretty much all their listings. I have never heard of a problem-free transaction with them.
They know exactly what they're doing and there is very good reason why such coins are (presently) raw. Marketing and imaging are what make this seller; not the quality of their offerings. Take a moment and think of the stigma that comes with a problem holder and how otherwise valuable coins often sell for a fraction of their non-problem counterparts. Now think about how many buyers possess the "deal mentality", and then add this to the fact that a lot of collectors cannot properly grade and/or identify problem coins and what you have is an opportunity for easy profits. This is not to say that all are problem coins - some are simply overgraded and/or made out to be much better than they really are - but anyone who thinks that this seller does not know what he is doing are kidding themselves.
There is little that I could add to the information already posted in this thread. I recommend searching the words "Great Southern Coins" and "GSC" at CoinTalk. You will find several threads. The replies to this thread seem spot-on. I have purchased only a couple coins from this group. One was a slabbed Morgan that had decent peripheral toning & the other was a raw large cent. I am happy with both coins. That said, I recommend you always inspect the seller's coin in hand. Do not rely on the seller's photo or description of the coin!
I purchased a common year Walker at a reasonable price from them for my type set. It was advertised as BU/GEM, etc. Looked better in photos, but still nice in hand. It's at PCGS getting graded now, and I expect a low MS grade. For the sake of conversation, when it does get graded, I'd be happy to post the grade here.
