It is often said that a fool and his money are soon parted. Here is a lesson in how not to buy a coin. This eBay item: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220466361136&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en Problems at first glance... 1- No assurance of what date the coin you receive will be 2- No assurance of what grade the coin you receive will be 3- Just fuzzy enough photo to tell it is a 2 cent piece 4- A virtually unknown grading company 5- Seller has a questionable Positive rating On the positive side, their customers like their fast shipping. A few seconds research revealed the following info on the grading service http://coinauctionshelp.com/INB_TPGS.html Overall this looks like a good way for someone to unload a bunch of hole filler coins. The assurance any buyer gets is that they will receive some date of a 2 cent piece, and that they should assume that the date will be readable. All for only $28.95 including shipping. My guess is that a any-date common two center can be purchased from just about any dealer for something like $15 or less. Your thoughts?
YEah but you get that purdy plastic coffin with it that you have to figure out how to crack before you can use it as a filler, or a slug, whichever you may need at the time. Richard
Meh, its not as bad as some things I've seen. The coin in the picture looks decent enough, and for someone who just wants a 2-cent piece, its probably alright. The "slab" has no date, no grade, nothing - so they aren't claiming that it is some outrageously inflated grade. The price is high, but for someone who wants it fast and wants it now, they could do worse. Alot worse.
Don't worry about opening the slab. If I'm correct about it, it should open easily with a fingernail ( or a stiff wind.)
All good points, but your #4 is all I need to see to eliminate any further interest on my part. INB? Yeah, right. IMO all grading services provide value to maybe 20% of their customers and just sucker everyone else in. Some services, however, are more disreputable than others and the ones I've never heard of automatically go on the top of that list.