The frustrations of putting together a set of BU silver Washington quarters

Hello,
I have some Dansco albums that I purchased years back, but later I decided to allot my funds for putting together a high quality type collection. However, recently I decided to fill these albums and I found it to be enjoyable. For the modern coin albums, I purchased mint sets (from 1959 to present) from a local dealer and I was able to fill my albums with some very nice BU coins. So here is my dilemma... Currently, I am filling the Washington quarter album (1932-1958) with BU coins (with the exception of some of the expensive key dates), but I am pretty much limited to buying my coins from eBay. There is a reputable coin dealer, but he is about a one hour drive each way. But to get to the point, I am faced with buying either raw quarters or spending 3 or 4 times that amount for certified coins. With the raw quarters, I sometimes see some scratching under magnification which I assume is due to the abrasive effects of cleaning. Because of my inexperience, I am now starting to buy slabbed coins - but at a cost. Should I ask the eBay seller if the coins have been previously cleaned? I did ask that question once to an eBay seller and the seller replied by banning me from buying his coins. I have always resorted to buying slabbed coins, but it's time for me to learn how to spot coins which have been cleaned and how to distinguish between a coin which is AU or BU. I have used the crutch of relying on PGCS or NGC to do the work for me. I would be grateful if some of you could provide me with a few pointers and give me a starting point to learn how to grade coins. Thank you.

 

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hey, i just got this book for xmas! From my CT secret Santa @harris498

 

@E Pluribus Unum

You mentioned that there is a reputable dealer about an hour away. Have you given any thought about providing him a "Wish List" of raw coins you need? You could specify that you are looking for problem-free MS coins, and if you can establish a rapport with this dealer, you might even get him to send you the coins on an approval basis.

Chris

 

Thanks for the book suggestion. There are a million out there and I did not want to start a library. I downloaded the Kindle version from amazon.com and started perusing through, but images on a computer are not always as good as on paper. In your book, are the photos on glossy, photographic paper or on regular paper? If the images are on photographic paper, it might be worthwhile to purchase the paperback version.

 

Hmmm. I think the seller that blocked you effectively answered your question about whether he was peddling cleaned coins. Frankly I would not buy a raw coin off EBay. Go talk turkey with your dealer.

 

Chris, I never thought about a wish list. That's a good idea. I was planning on making a trip to the dealer next week between the holidays. I will ask him about it. Thanks for the good advice.

 

Obviously, you haven't been around here too long. We have people here who are so thin-skinned that it takes very little to rile them, and you have to be extremely careful how you word your responses because they may miss the point. What makes you think that some of the eBay sellers are any different?

Chris

 

Be sure to let him know the distance you have to travel, and maybe he will consider that in his decision.

I'm glad I could help. I hope it works to your advantage.

Happy holidays!

Chris

 

Santinidollar, I don't like buying raw coins from eBay and I don't think I will do it again. I have been looking over my silver Roosevelt dimes that I purchased raw from eBay and on some of them, I am starting to see light scratch marks under magnification. I have noticed that the regions where the scratch marks are located, the mint luster is lacking. I took a loss, but I am learning at the same time.

 

I realize that a lot of folks can be thin skinned but a dealer/seller should be willing to answer a legitimate question.

 

Usually, on eBay there is a 14 day return where the buyer pays for the return shipping. So it's not a huge loss, but it's more of a hassle. The problem is that it is impossible to see the small scratches from abrasive cleaning on the photos posted on the listing. And it is very hard to discern whether the coin is AU or BU from the photos also. There must also be some sort of coin buying etiquette on eBay of which I am not aware. Did I offend the seller by asking if his coin for sale was cleaned? Or was the seller just trying to avoid a potential negative transaction? Oh well, live and learn.

 

You also might want to buy a book titled: Grading from Photos by Q. David Bowers

 

Yeah, right!

Chris