Hey hey I knew it was a chance I was taking and that was part of the excitement--no need to bring the pope into this!
I have a few basic rules for buying on eBay: 1) Never buy anything from any country other than the US, Canada, UK & Australia 2) Never buy from a dealer who does not take returns 3) Never buy a coin from someone who can't give a clear photo 4) Before bidding on a new dealer, always check feedback, especially dealer responses to negative feedback. Ignore negative feedback from those who are newbies, but pay attention to negative feedback from those with scores of more than 4000, AND reports of selling fakes.