Never have I ever.....

Seen an auction like this.

EBay

 

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Looks like they 'whited out' the particulars...........

 

Yea, if,you read the description he says it does grade but this is to see who can really grade and who cannot. Weirdest thing I've ever seen.

 

Wait until you see an auction with visible grade, but erased picture of the coin and cert. Wouldn't be surprised to see something like that on ebay.

 

Interesting way of gaining attention for an auction. I'll bet he gets a lot of "watchers" just to see how high the bidding goes.

 

i like it. The seller has a chance to get more for the coin than the "price" guide grade for the coin. It does appear to have PL, but from what is whited out, I don't think PCGS gave it that designation.

 

in my opinion, this is a dirty marketing trick. i guarantee the grade this coin has is lower than the price it ends up closing for. they are asking you to pay for a coin, grade a coin, FROM A PICTURE. only a sucker would do this. they talk up the coin in the description, the pics are favorable....its going to blow up in the winning bidders face. unless you bid the amount for the lowest possible grade YOU THINK this coin was graded at, you are most likely going to get ripped off.

 

14 day return policy. If you don't like the grade, just send it back. Not a very inspired seller, but good sense of humor.

 

Almost seems like a new adage of "buy the coin, not the slab" even though the coin in the auction is still slabbed...

 

I like the idea, he's telling us the coin doesn't really have one of those high MS grade premiums. Is there a PCGS Secure Shield also blocked out with a circle?

 

I agree with your assertion that it's a marketing trick. I'm thinking it will earn a higher price than had he shown the actual grade. I would say it's a gamble on his part. He might make more or less based on this auction style. I think its rather clever.

Where I disagree with you is your assertion that no once grades a coin based on a photo. I do it all the time. When I'm looking at coins, whether they are on eBay, a coin site or an auction house, I'm examining the photos and trying to determine on my own if I agree with the grade assigned on the slab. Unless I can fly around to every auction site or eBay sellers home to view the coin in hand, I have no choice but to grade from a photo.

 

I don't. You edit out the grade and juice the photos to try and sell it for more than it's worth then hope they buyer doesn't return it. It's a scam.

 

How is it a scam? People post coins without TPG grades all the time and you don't know if the coin will turn out to be cleaned, genuine or grade worthy. Here, you know it's most likely authentic, has a real grade and isn't cleaned. He's being original, open minded and more truthful than many raw coin sellers. He just chose to have some fun.

 

I would bid as if the coin was raw. The only person that will profit from this is the seller.

 

He has several of those "guess the grade" auctions.

 

Because the photos look to be clearly juiced...that's why I think it's a scam. If they were good photos taken without editing...I would agree with you. But, I don't think they are.

 

I don't think the photos are juiced. I think the photos are changed to show the PL. Showing a PL or DPL coin requires the photographer to change the settings. I typically associate juiced photos with people who are trying to over emphasize toning on a coin.

 

Kind of like is expected with every raw coin available on ebay?

Really, this isn't as bad as the schlubs who crack dreck and do the same to sell raw; at least the coin is certified and the seller guarantees that it's cleanly graded.

It's a gimmick, yes... but calling it a scam is questionable, especially when considering ebay's forced return policy.

 

I am going to guess AU55 or maybe AU58 on a good day. No PL designation. TC

 

I agree, it's not the worst thing on eBay. But, the seller clearly thinks he can sell the coin for more money without revealing the grade. The photos certainly look altered to me...which makes me even more concerned. Maybe "scam" is a harsh word...but it's certainly not an honest sale.