Should I be scared to buy slabbed Spouse or Buffalo from Ebay??

I am thinking about buying either a First Spouse or a Gold Buffalo & have seen a few on ebay that perk my interest. Either coin that I get would be slabbed prior to my purchase., but I have never spent that much online before & I am nervous about buying a fake. Am I being paranoid?? Any advice?? Thanks, Bill

 

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If you prefer to buy one already slabbed, stick to NGC or PCGS. There have been instances of counterfeit slabs, even for these top two grading services, but less often than for others. To protect yourself further, you should also use their cert # look-up to try to compare the actual photos of a coin (and the characteristics of the cert) with the one listed for sale. If you have any doubts, you should post the sellers photos (or a link) here and be sure to check the seller's feedback. This is about the best you can do, but also remember that Pay Pal is in your favor, not the seller's.

Chris

 

+1

 

I would say go to a store, or a coin show, or an online store, of a good dealer. A good dealer will have references, lifetime return privileges if ever found to be fake, etc. I will just use this dealer as an example, but Harlan Berk would not risk his reputation to sell a $1600 fake coin. He would have thousands of references, and guarantees a coin forever that its not a fake. Go buy from a dealer like that, (maybe LostDutchman, PennyLady, or other great dealers from here).

I just get amazed when people want to go buy from a stranger on Ebay and maybe save $10 versus buying from a reputable dealer. Doesn't sound prudent to me, but maybe thats just me.

Problem with tellint the OP to compare versus pictures is that these are slabbed. Can he weigh it? Can he put calipers on it? Can he check edges? Kind of makes it more difficult to authenticate stuck in plastic like that.

Just my opinion.

Chris

 

I agree. Avoid Ebay. I've bought coins from Harlan Berk and they are good. Of course, there are also online dealers I avoid such as Coast Coins.

To the OP, find something you like from an online dealer and come back to CoinTalk on opinions regarding the dealer reputation.

 

You can also look around the CT community. Some people may specialize in Spouse Coins (PM sent!)

 

Thousands of of gold coins have been sold on eBay without an issue. I always buy slabbed coins from NGC or PCGS. I look up the certification number before I bid and after the coin is delivered. Often there is a photo of the coin on the grader's Web page.

I only buy from established dealers like Modern Coin Mart on eBay.

With a little prudent judgement you can minimize the risk.

 

Just look up the cert # if its ngc or pcgs and compare the coin pics from ebay to the TPG's website

 

i will never buy slabbed coins. cause i knew 99% of those modern coins were either ms69 or ms70. for me ms65 i will be very happy. anything perfect by just looking thru your own eyes is o.k. why pay those non sense fee for grading?.

to those want to grade them. be sure to check bid and ask gap of that graded coin. and finalize your decision.

 

Strongly agree with medoraman. Ebay is not the place to buy "commodity" coins, especially bullion in slabs where there's $1000+ at risk.

I will never buy bullion online, even junk silver.

Ebay shines for the occasional misdescribed item, unique items, relisted items which let you make offers, and items with ridiculous selling or shipping terms which you can live with, in view of the price.

If you have a favorite local dealer, look at possible purchases in his shop, but make your buy at his table at the local coin show, where there's some competition, and/or "specials."

 

You are essentially paranoid about buying a fake first spouse or buffalo. Ebay is fine to buy from. Ask a question on these forums and you will get answers from both sides that sound equally convincing. You have your ebay haters and lovers you have your slabbed bullion hatters and lovers. You are essentially are no better off than before you asked the questions unless one side of the debate posts more often that the other side...it may seem skewed.

The first spouse is a dog series and there is a slim chance of buying a slabbed fake or a raw fake for that matter. I've also never heard a media report of a fake buffalo.

Look around find the right price for you and pull the trigger. You can overcome your fear relatively quickly when you get the coin in the mail.

 

maybe some forumites could list some trustworthy ebay sellers

 

That's an invitation to DISASTER. It's like wearing a "Kick Me" sign. I have a perfect 2000+ Feedback, 100% positive, and I would never ask one of my friends to "recommend" me, and I will never reveal my user name in this Forum.

The minute something goes wrong (and eBay sees to it that things go wrong, frequently, often as a total surprise to the Seller), your reputation on this Forum is irreparably damaged, and you're the chump. And the few bad eggs out there, before they were bad, they were good...

 

Go with a gold Buffalo from the U.S Mint. They are $1860 and you have a chance at getting a 70 instead of a problem coin. Go with the proof Buffalo if thats what you decide.

*** usmint.gov is the website ***

 

Do you really think that one bad transaction on E-Bay is going to destroy your reputation on this forum? I find that for lack of a better word, paranoid. You have 2000+ positive feedbacks, you should have confidence in the service you provide.

FWIW, there are just as many bad eggs on this forum as there are on E-Bay.

 

I think the quality of members of this Forum is much higher than for eBay at large, and besides, we have somebody watching out for us.

The good thing about being paranoid, you make a lot of new friends.

 

Detecto, oh Detecto! Wherefore art thou Detecto?

 

I think I'll pass on the omelet this morning, guys!

Chris

 

I never said put YOUR name as a recommendation. Just sellers you had good buying experiences with. For example this seller is really good http://www.ebay.com/sch/tazmicenter...Coins_US_Individual&rt=nc&_trksid=p4340.l2562

 

Ah, yes, but if the Good Seller screws up, or doesn't meet someone's overblown expectations, "they" come back to you, whining, "I thought you said blah, blah, blah..." and that criticism and that letdown sticks in people's minds and craws. Ain't worth it.

But let's move on. None of this affects me. I am here to comment, learn about a couple numismatic subjects, and sell a few extras.