There are a few dealers left who offer raw coins and don't have websites that show pictures. Have you ever ordered such a coin? What was the result? Were you satisfied with what you got? If you submitted it to a certification service, did it come back the grade at which it was sold?
I recently ordered such a coin, a 1932-D Washington 25c from a no-pictures dealer. It was purported to be in AU58 or better condition and priced appropriate to the supposed grade. I sent it to PCGS and it came back with a grade of AU50, which made it worth about $400 less than I paid. Just wondering if any other CoinTalk patrons have had similar experiences. Yeah, I know that I should have returned it when I first got it.
And I thought I was a gambler. You ordered a 1932-D Washington Quarter without seeing any photos? I think you are very lucky that it was even genuine. As for whether I would ever buy from such and individual, that is a hard pass. I provide people with high res photos of $5 coins. It is insulting to expect someone to purchase a $750 coin completely sight unseen given the advances in modern digital photography. I am not saying they have to photograph every coin in their website, but upon request, they should 100% provide a potential client with photographs.
What grade did you think it was when you received it? What is the dealers return policy? If it didn't look like a 58 couldn't you return it soon after you received it? Return for any reason in say 7-14 days is a customary policy. Most dealers do not guarantee grades. Trying to return after 3 or 4 months after you get it back from PCGS is pushing it. And yes many dealers inflate the grade on a raw coin by at least one step. Buying an expensive coin raw is red flag for me. Grey sheet shows an AU58 '32 D retailing for $775. AU 50 $360. If it was that valuable why wasn't graded in the first place? Have you spoken to the dealer yet? Happy Collecting
What grade did you think it was when you received it? What is the dealers return policy? If it didn't look like a 58 couldn't you return it soon after you received it? Return for any reason in say 7-14 days is a customary policy. Most dealers do not guarantee grades. Trying to return after 3 or 4 months after you get it back from PCGS is pushing it. And yes many dealers inflate the grade on a raw coin by at least one step. Buying an expensive coin raw is red flag for me. Grey sheet shows an AU58 '32 D retailing for $775. AU 50 $360. If it was that valuable why wasn't graded in the first place? Have you spoken to the dealer yet? Happy Collecting
No and no.... These days everyone has a camera phone. Heck, even my momma has one and she shunned cell phones as long as she possibly could. I could see a no photo purchase for a fifty dollar coin, but not one that valuable.
Many posts that you see from dealers and on the bay are stock photos and you dont get the exact coin pictured and receive an alike coin which in most cases is a lesser quality coin, for me personally I dont buy raw coins just to many headaches.
