Are these bidders insane ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8389042952&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

I'm pretty sure how this "error" happened.

Now my dilemma is do I contact the high bidder to let them know they are bidding on something that could not be a real error & probably isn't or just let it go & be amused ?

 

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Ebay is proof of the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute."

 

So how did it happen?

 

Here I made this "error" in 5 minutes.With a bit of time I could get it perfect.

 

I did mine with a piece I cut out from a state quarter & took a towel & vise grips and just clamped down.

 

Gosh, I didn't realize it was so easy to make up a "rare" coin! Is there a law against defacing money or altering it? I guess if there is it must be impossible to enforce!

ebay seems to be a risky place to buy coins....

 

In this case I would let it go.....you are not positive of how it was done, you only think you know.
What if it was a real mint error worth $1000 of dollars, but you talked someone out of it?
Worth the risk of being sued? Or sued for defamation?
There might be a sucker borner every minute....how many minutes do you have to protect each one?

 

This isn't defamation, but only somebody's opinion. And in my opinion, this is not a mint error.

And yes, to me it is worth the risk of being sued. Too many times nowadays our freedom to express our own opinions are hampered by those of a litigious nature.

 

I'm not going to do anything

 

It is a real Mint Error.....it is a dropped letter and really rare----the value is as high as it will go....

Also----a well know Error Dealer bid on it so it also points that it is real.

Speedy

 

First of all, contacting other bidders either during or after an auction about an item for any reason is strictly prohibited under EBay policy and they will yank your account quicker than you can scream rape.

You can also be sued for libel and defamation of character and you could be responsible for the loss of income from the seller.

On that note, you have no proof that it is in fact a fake, I honestly think that it is the genuine article. As Speedy already mentioned, it's a dropped letter error which are a rare item indeed. The depth of the incuse 'R' is much too deep to be done with a simple pair of vice grips. That requires the striking pressure of several thousand pounds to get that deep of an impression. Also the surrounding area of the coin is completely damage free. If you tried to exert that amount of pressure on a coin with a home apparatus, it would definitely show other signs of damage.

http://varietynickels.com/articles/droppedletter.htm

 

Thanks PyrotekNX
That was an interesting article. I learned something new.

 

The problem with the dropped letter theory is the orientation of the extra "R".

The one in the Variety Nickles article is properly oriented, which is just what one would expect from the description of how it occurred. This one is an upside down mirror image, which means the packed-in extra material had to fall out of the die, and keep its shape while flipping over and turning around in the milliseconds between the new planchet moving into place, and the die coming down on it. I find that hard to believe.

Also, the size is about right, but the tail leg of the "R" in LIBERTY is straight and this one is curved.

As Robby the Robot was fond of saying

 

So, Bengals311, after all that has been said, are you still willing to take the risks?
You have less than 8 hours.......

Please let us know how it goes.

 

That is a pretty cool error. I might have to bid on that quarter with a few seconds left on the auction.

 

Well I guess I am the one who is insane.

I also said that it may not be a real error & that I was not going to do anything about it by contacting anyone bidding on it.

 

I'm no expert on errors, but my understanding of a dropped letter, is that a piece of goop gets in a letter, it is repeatedly packed in there so it becomes very hard. It falls onto the planchet and then the die presses it into the coin. When it falls it could fall out in any location, in any direction, backwards or forwards. Orientation would have no relevence. The fact that the 'D' on the nickle is oriented with the Original D is just chance.

 

I just did more research (that I should have done in the first place).


Gosh I feel like a


HEEL

 

When it comes to eBay, I'm much more of the Caveat Emptor mindset. If somebody wants to bid on something it's not my place to warn them about anything, just as I don't plan on contacting every buyer of an SGS MS70 coin. And, as was also stated, it is against eBay policies.

The point I was trying to make earlier is that many people nowadays are too sue-happy and it makes other people afraid to express their opinions. Now that more experienced people have weighed in here on the matter, I'm not sure if it is a true mint error or not. However, I should be able to express my opinion on the matter, either way, without fear of repercussions in the form of lawsuits. :smile

 

The pie shape lines around your "error" are a dead giveaway.