Take a look at this eBay auction

It also might be that a lot of your AU coins look MS. Maybe they thought you undergraded it. Let's face it, you have one of the nicest collections of high-end AU coins I've ever seen.

 

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Thanks -- but I think this is a run-of-the-mill AU-50 coin with obvious wear:

http://homepage.mac.com/ziggy29/Media/1891_au50.jpg

 

Guess they both just really needed it to fill a hole.

The eBay seller of the coin in the OP just emailed me again. He spoke with a local dealer who agreed that this coin may be questionable. The seller has pulled the auction and will let me know how it comes out and was grateful for the email. He's obviously an honest seller who genuinely doesn't know anything about coins and wants to do the best he can.

 

I dunno about you guys, but since this guy was only asking a dollar for an opening bid, I was almost tempted to bid on it just to see what I'd get.....almost!

Rachel

 

Except that it is no longer running. The seller ended the listing so he could check on this coin. He just emailed me again and said that he has contacted NGC to double check on this coin before he relists it. I think he's also going to address the reverse picture issue and post the correct one.

 

well, at least he gave you an honest (I hope) reply...I think if he really wanted to scam...he would keep the listing and see what happens...but he ended it to verify...at least not to many sellers does that, you know...just to be sure what they are selling is right, some even ignore emails like the ones you sent him Susan...nice job

 

Good Work Susan....!

catman

 

I have bought 25 - 30 coins from fleabay and had 4 mixed up orders. Wrong dates, no S..when advertised as S, double orders, wrong order, and a two month long "order".
I think they were all honest mistakes, however. The only one that PO'ed me was a 1946-64 cir-au dime set. It had 2 53d's, I let the guy know, he said send back the xtra dime...a .65 cent dime. I guess he thought I was lying. Hell, if I were, lying, I would have told him the 49S was missing! He's a "check only" seller. The bad part was this was my third order from them and ...and last!

 

Keep in mind that your experiences with eBay will only be as good as the sellers you buy from. Out of over 100 buyer transactions, I have had 3 problems - one of which was due to a bad seller. The other two were honest mistakes that each of the sellers fixed immediately and couldn't have been nicer or more cooperative about. I have purchased from both of these sellers since and will continue to do so. All I'm saying is, don't let a couple of bad sellers sour the whole eBay experience.

 

I hope u pps didn't take this as complaining, just fact. Honest mistakes.
btw, I never buy from anyone w/ less than 99% FB and not a new seller w/ less than 20-25 pos fb.
Thx

 

There are a fair number of sellers out there who are below 99% primarily because of retaliatory negatives.

You could be excluding some very good sellers this way. Feedback numbers sometimes need to be put into context by reading the feedback history.

 

Also, I have found sellers who have negative feedback as buyers with perfect seller feedback. That's why I always recommend taking the time to skim through the comments instead of just relying on the fb rating.

 

Yep. Some of those people who sell those fake Trade Dollars have a lot of feedback like that.

"Nice reproduction."

"Prompt shipping. I don't think it's real."

And these are the *positives!*

 

I just heard from the seller of the coin in the OP. NGC got back to him (he actually forwarded me a copy of their email with his reply to me) and said that if they grade a coin Brilliant Uncirculated then it means that it will grade numerically between MS61-MS62. He is going to relist the coin.

I do find this interesting, however, as I always understood Brilliant Uncirculated to be MS63-MS64. I guess it depends what grading standard you use.

 

Bu

Just to clarify
You are talking about US graded coins.
The Grading iof BU in Australia for Australian coins is = to a higher grade here in the US

 

I didn't know that. What are the Australian equivalents to the US grades?

 

Grading

GRADING STANDARD
For Australian Circulation Type Commonwealth Coins
FDC: “Fleur De Coin” French: Flower of the Die
A Perfect or virtually perfect coin. Fully struck up. No Contact- or other Detracting Marks visible with the naked eye, and only minute superficial imperfections, relating to the manufacturing process rather than any other cause, may be visible under magnification. Fully Lustre or Mint Bloom is present. Toning on Silver coins (if present) must be attractive. Brilliance (Color) on Bronze Coins should be 90% plus. Eye Appeal is outstanding. Rarely available, with most early dates of George V never seen this nice.
Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)
A coin of this grade will show no blemishes or sign of wear. The design and legend will appear sharper than the average, a result of early mintage. Full mint luster will be seen over all the coin, sometimes giving the effect of a proof-like finish.

Brilliant Uncirculated
Also referred to as FDC (Fleur de Coin - flower of the die). Although struck with normal dies, a coin described as BU is pristine, almost prooflike in appearance, being perfectly sharp, absolutely flawless and showing no signs of wear or bag marks. On the US grading scale, such a coin is described as MS-65. Grading at this superior level has become more complex in recent years with distinctions being made in many catalogs between (from highest to lowest state of preservation) - FDC, GEM Uncirculated and Choice
GEM: GEM Uncirculated
A superior coin with an almost perfect Strike. May show just a few minute Contact Marks, barley visible to the naked eye. Virtually Full Lustre or Mint Bloom is present. Degree of Brilliance (Color) on Bronze Coins may be expressed in per cent (%). Thus, GEM-50%B refers to a coin with half its Brilliance still intact. Overall, exceptional Eye Appeal is present.
CHU: Choice Uncirculated
A fairly good Strike, but some weakness in this area is acceptable. If seemingly excessive but common for type, then this may be mentioned separately. Just a few but relatively insignificant Contact Marks may be present. Better than average Mint Bloom or Lustre should be apparent. Remaining Brilliance on Bronze Coins should be expressed in per cent (%). Pleasant Eye Appeal.
UNC: Uncirculated- Typical
Possibly but not always a Weak Strike. A few scattered Contact Marks, but if of a fairly eye catching or serious nature, this should be mentioned separately. Lustre or Mint Bloom may be present, but possibly be subdued. Some minor rubbing or Cabinet Friction (from storing coins) may be tolerable, but must not be obvious wear. Limited Eye Appeal may still be apparent, but unattractive toning should be separately mentioned. Brilliance on Bronze expressed in per cent (%).
NOTE: From this grade on and below, quality of Strike should not be of great significance when considering grade, but may be mentioned separately if excessively inferior, as it may slightly affect value.
aUNC: almost Uncirculated
Similar in most respects to UNC but with light traces of Wear on the highest points of the design. A fair degree of lustre or Mint bloom may still remain. Important Note: Coins graded aUNC due to light Wear may be visually more attractive than others graded UNC. Reasons for this may be a better Strike or fewer Contact Marks. However, light Wear results in aUNC.
gEF: good Extra Fine
Shows a little more Wear (2%-5%) on the high points of the design. Usually features non-serious Contact Marks, obvious from circulation. Lustre still possible, but more likely found in protected areas. Reasonable Eye Appeal should still be present.
NOTE: For circulated coins, exceptional Eye Appeal may lift the grade by 1/3 of a point say EF to gEF; or aVF to VF. Alternatively, particularly unattractive coins should be downgraded by a similar margin.
EF: Extra Five
Light overall Wear, (5% to 10%) from the high points of the design. A few more Contact Marks than for gEF, (but still nothing serious) may be apparent. Centre pearls on the Obverse of George V coins are strong and divided, except with 3 Pence, where small size may prevent detail. Traces of Lustre still possible in protected areas. A pleasant but obviously used coin.
aEF: almost Extra Fine
Wear is now around 10% to 15%. Lightly scattered Contact Marks are obvious. Hairlines on George VI coins and Centre pearls on George V Obverse quite strong, though some allowance must be made for small Three Pence. Overall, a pleasant but circulated coin.
gVF: good Very Fine
Wear is now around 15% to 20% from the highest points of the design. Contact Marks are obvious but still not serious. Centre pearls on George V coins may just blend together or be marginally apart in a strong strike. A very acceptable condition for collectors.
VF: Very Fine
Wear is around 20% to 35% from the highest points of the design. George V coins should feature a full outline of the Centre Diamond on the Obverse. Contact Marks are moderate but no more than for a coin that has seen average circulation. Significant Contact Marks must still be mentioned separately. In most instances, this is the lowest grade a serious collector should accept.
Fine: Fine
Wear now is around 35% to 50% form the high points of the design. Intricate details are well worn away. Coin may still have a pleasant but well used appearance.
VG: Very Good
Wear may be uneven and is 50% to 75% from the high points of the main design. However, all outline of the design are still fairly raised and intact.
GOOD: Good
Wear is above 75% to 90% form the high points of the design. All Outline of the design is still apparent, though marginally so in some areas. For the true blue collector on a budget.

 

So, in Australia BU is a higher grade than Choice Uncirculated. That's very interesting. Choice Uncirculated in US is higher than BU. Isn't it interesting how everyone grades differently?

 

They grade differently in France also? I don't know why, but I figured that there was some sort of standard grading system (loosely based). I know this is a time-consuming question, but GD, what are the different grading methods in the different countries?