Did I get scammed on E-bay with an 1841 dime?

Hello everyone! Over a week ago (Jan. 4) I purchased a 1841 Liberty Seated Dime on E-bay for $15. I was mainly interested in this coin as most of the pictures for the listing were awful, but some pictures (mostly the reverse) showed that the coin had nice clean fields with a strong strike. Based on what was said above I ended up taking a gamble thinking that I would score a nice coin for a nice price. (E-bay link below)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1841-Liberty-seated-dime-variety-2-Christian-Gobrecht-designr-raw-coin-1-622-500-/231796641759?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&nma=true&si=01LTSNA%2B09ZR7nigqlOViolTUBY%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Boy was I in for a surprise!

After 4 days of the seller not shipping the coin I was growing curious as to why. He messaged me and said that he misplaced the coin but his son had found it and was going to ship it out the next day. Two days pass with still no tracking info has shown up. Finally on the 11th, the coin had been received at the sellers local post office and two days later end up at my house (today). I ripped into the package and found this:



I know that most of the seller's photos of this coin are bad, but I feel that the coin I was sent isn't the same coin that was pictured with the listing. I based this decision mostly on the reverse of the coin that I received compared to the pictures of the listing.

My main concerns are as follows:

• The denticles on the listing are very strong and complete compared to the coin I received
• Very dark toning in the U of UNITED, the bow of the wreath, and the right side of the wreath not seen in the listing
• Several heavy scratches over the "IME" of DIME that are not seen in the listing
• The obverse has many dark spots, mainly the date, that are not shown in the listing

So my main reason for making this thread is to see if anyone else here agrees that the seller sent me a different coin than was pictured in the original listing. I would really appreciate any comments on this situation and as to what I should do regarding the coin and eBay.

Thank you in advance,
Jimmbob82

 

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Looks a LOT different to me, I'd return it....good luck!

 

That is, conclusively, not the coin you bid on. You have a slam-dunk SNAD (Significantly Not As Described) case against the seller and can force a return with impunity.

 

Looks like a different coin to me as well.

 

That's a different coin than in the pics for sure, but still, the coin you received is worth the $15 I'm my opinion. My guess is he posted the wrong pic of the reverse in the listing.

 

Plus shipping!

 

Just by the reverse, that is bull!

 

Thanks everyone for your opinions! I was completely certain that it wasn't the coin listed but wanted a second opinion.

So another question is this: Should I contact the seller and give them a chance to send me the actual coin in the listing or just open a case with E-bay straight away?

Thanks,
Jimmbob82

 

Of course you contact the seller first. Just because you may have a valid SNAD case doesn't mean that you should rush off to file one. Perhaps the guy did switch out coins, but maybe, just maybe a simple mistake was made; after all, sellers are human too. Put yourself in their shoes... would you appreciate a case filed against you when no one bothered to notify you of the problem?

More often than not you'll find that whatever happened wasn't intentional, and most will appreciate the opportunity to make it right. It's a $15 sale pre fees, so it's not like the guy is running off to a tropical island, never to be seen again with your money.

 

Unless he already lives on a tropical island...

 

SNAD all the way.

 

Ahh.... good point.

 

Very good point BooksB4Coins. I guess that I am just upset that I had to wait so long for something that isn't what I purchased. I'll send him a message straight away inquiring if he made a mistake with my order or the listing. I'll see what type of response I get to see if I need to file a SNAD. I hope that everything works out for the best and that it was just a mistake on his end.

Thanks for the insight,
Jimmbob82

 

Make sure in your message not to threaten negatives or ask for partial refunds, as those can be construed as threats, buyer abuse, etc... and eBay could side against you. A polite message should suffice.

 

How does this sound,

Hello (Seller),

I received the 1841 liberty seated dime today and was wondering if you made a mistake in filling my order or if there was a mistake in the listing. The coin I received is a 1841 seated liberty dime, but not the dime pictured in the listing. I have attached photos of both the obverse and reverse of the coin for comparison.

Thanks,
Jimmbob82

 

Perfect!

 

You're welcome.

You have every right to be upset, and I certainly don't fault you for it, but hopefully you'll get some satisfaction from taking the high road. Plus, if things do go south, you still have the SNAD option available to you, so really, it's a win-win situation.

Your message to the seller is a class act.

 

That's exemplary, and I'm pleased you chose to handle it in such gentlemanly fashion. You can still be hard if you need to, and you've maximized your karma score for the event.

 

Yeah that's goin in my quote bucket

@Jimmbob82 I can tell you as a seller, I would much rather be given a chance to right the wrong without a case being opened on ebay.

 

Very different. One area I noticed the most is the high level of wear on the reverse edge design of the one you have, compared to the eBay pics.