This isn't what I ordered!

I know some of us have received a different coin than what you had originally bought. As some of you know, I had recently purchased a Visigothic gold tremissis of King Sisebut (612-621 AD) from Emerita (Merida), but was sent a different one from Toledo mint instead. The coin received is as good as the other one quality-wise (besides a tiny crack) and actually kind of better for me since I already have bronzes from Emerita but nothing from Toledo, which was the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom. Because of these things I've decided to keep the one sent, unless the seller eventually replies that he sold it to someone else or otherwise really needs it back badly (hopefully not).

Here's the original thread.

I remember also a couple of years back I had purchased an Anastasius follis but was instead sent a Justin I follis. That one I returned and got the Anastasius follis. And earlier this year I got sent a different Probus silvered antoninianus than the one I had bought. Seller never replied back when I informed them of their mistake, so I ended up keeping that one as well (good thing for me, since this time also the coin sent was better than what I bought).

What happened when the wrong coin was received? Did you send it back? Kept it? Seller owned up, or lied about it? Curious as to your stories. I remember there was a prominent one earlier this year that became like, a 10-page thread.

 

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It's only happened once and I'm still wondering what to do with it. I'm thinking about making it into a cufflink but I really need two for that to work well.

 

Has never happened to me.

 

I'm actually surprised Bing. Had figured everyone has had this happen at least once. Seems like you're good at picking sellers that are 100% attentive with what they're dropping in the mail

 

Have had coins go missing, but never a mix up order.

 

My first ebay auction I won was like that. Opened a package with a different coin of the same type. Contacted the seller, noble roman coins, and he said he lost it and sent me a better one (wasnt even half as nice) but would offer me a refund (meaning I had to pay for shipping twice for no coin) and the coin was worth what I paid so I kept it. He continues to "loose" coins that he sells from what I've read.

When other dealers I've bought from lost/misplaced/sold a coin I bought, they've let me known right away.

 

i have had one seller mix up a medieval coin for another that was VERY similar to the one i was sent. i didn't even notice it myself at first. the seller was also not a coin person, they were a pawn shop (or something like that) seller coins for a fellow. i contacted them, traded coins, they reimbursed my shipping.

 

Never happened to me. Once a seller sent me two of the same tokens. I contacted him and offered to ship it back. Seller declined and told me to keep it.

 

I had the same situation. I wrote the seller saying that I would return the coin or keep it as he wished but I expected him to bear the postal costs. He replied that he did not have the coin I ordered and he would refund my money if I returned the coin. He said nothing about paying for the International postage. I wrote again and was ignored. I will never again buy from this seller. We all make mistakes but expecting me to pay the return postage to get back less than I paid to correct his mistake is a deal breaker. I still have the coin. It is not something I wanted but sells for slightly more than the coin I ordered. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get interested in ancient Spain and dig it out so I can give it a number in my collection. I see greater likelihood in that happening than I do in that seller ever sending me the refund plus postage to get back a coin he obviously didn't want either.

 

A few years back I had ordered from a Vcoins dealer a fantastic provincial coin with affronted busts of Macrinus and Diadumenian. I got some slug instead in the mail. As I had previously successfully dealt with them, I took their emdarassed explanations for true and sent the coin back to the USA. He eventually gave me a 50 bucks voucher for my next purchase, which I found nice, and used, of course.

But, I still regret the coin and have a picture of it and cry everytime I see it...



Q

 

Fortunately, I haven't had that happen to me to date. The closest is to have coins misidentified a bit (specific struck year etc) but even then reasonable price adjustments were made.

 

I bought a Greek coin from a seller in the U.K. but received a Roman coin intended for someone else here in my same state. The seller asked me to mail it for him and credited me for postage. Eventually my coin arrived from whoever received it. Turns out my coin is fake but I didn't realize until it was too late to say anything. I'll post pics tonight of it and a real one I picked up later.

 

I had a funny eBay switcheroo a few years ago. I bought a bust half. Opened package and found this critter---a paperweight. seller let me keep it, with apologies.

 

As a dealer, I have mixed up coins more than just a couple of times. When you sell thousands of coins a year its bound to happen. I always try to rectify the situation when possible. The real problem arises if I switched two coins to two customers (but cant figure out who got the other coin). I then have to e-mail everyone and ask if they got the wrong coin or not. On occasion they never respond back as they got say a $500 coin when they ordered a $20 coin. It happens.

I did have it happen to me just once as a buyer. CNG had put two tetradrachms (I dont remember, Seleukid I think) into the wrong flips. So, I got the lower grade one, they other the better one. CNG was very good about it, the other buyer never paid his bill, so I just told them I would buy both.

 

Only one time. Was a Silver Eagle BU, had a spot on it. Seller made right sent me a absolute flawless Eagle plus a few nice mercury dimes. Great dealer for U.S & world coins unfortunately he doesn't sell ancients otherwise I'd still deal with he guy.

 

The only time I got the wrong coin, it was an honest mistake by the seller. He had sold several coins at the same time and put the wrong ones in two envelopes. He quickly rectified the situation and paid for the return shipping.

 

Here's the coin I spoke of earlier next to one I picked up later

 

@ValiantKnight Well that sucks.

 

I've been told the coin purchased was sold in between winning and shipping and was given a better date in same grade but never the wrong coin expecting the coin I bought

 

That is a fantastic coin. No wonder it still hurts thinking about it! I'm curious, what ever happened to it?