You LOSE some (eBay bad-picture gambles)

I can't believe so many are calling this a good fake , it's a very easily detectable fake and about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 , with 1 being a terrible fake and 1o being a top hard to detect fake . If others read this thread and see so many calling this a good fake they might take this as fact and not educate themselves to the really good fakes out there . And believe me there are some very good fakes that even long time dealers will get fooled on .

 

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What do you see as the most easily identified points?

 

1st thing that hit me was the lack of sharpness in all the details , the lettering should be more squared where this coins details are rounded and mushy . Check this coin to a known real one and you'll see what I mean . A real coin will be sharper in every way . Also look at the dentils and IN TRUST , you can see the graininess . I'd love to see the 3rd side (rim) to check the reeding , I'm sure there's problems with that too either irregular widths of the reeding or an overlap where they started or finished . If they are of uniform width look at the bottom of the reeding . It should be sharp , also on larger coins you should see a line at the bottom going in the same direction as the reeding . Of course you'll only see this on real coins or high end fakes , which is a whole different can of worms where you'll need to know the die characteristics of that particular date , mm and series . I hope I explained this well enough , if not just ask .

 

Perhaps this may help to make your point, sir.

 

Ouch....you must know your coin I guess.

 

The date was one feature I zeroed in on. My eyes are better able to pick up detailed differences in fonts than in facial features. The "1" on this fake is profoundly different on both the top and bottom serifs, and the other digits are noticeably different as well.

I've contacted the seller -- I told her I haven't opened a case because I believe she sold the lot in good faith, and I didn't want to put a strike against her selling record. We'll see what she says, but based on her selling history, I expect that she'll do the right thing.

I did notice this interesting bit on eBay's Money Back Guarantee page:

I don't believe these conditions were stated explicitly anywhere when I had my episode with the counterfeit 1920-S Walker. It's good to see them explained clearly.

 

From a knowledgeable friend , I maybe should have said , just look at the date ,

Great comparison Books , it really shows how bad the date is . I think anyone who thinks they might have a counterfeit to 1st check the date and mintmarks to a known one .

 

This is probably also a good place to re-post the link to David Lawrence's priceless and free online reference library:

http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index.php/david-lawrence-rare-coins-reference-library/

His guides to Barber coins have detailed images of MM style and placement for many dates.

 

Hope the seller comes good on this bogus coin. Good luck to you sir

 

numismania

Paragraphs are our friend.

 

Just realized that I never followed up on this situation. The seller was apologetic and offered a full refund including my return shipping costs. I haven't seen any evidence that she's tried to sell any other fakes; in fact, she hasn't sold anything since I contacted her about this lot.

 

I just got burnt on my first bad photograph, not that a good photogrpah wouldve saved this anyway.

I have a horribly cleaned 1858 Quarter masquerading in an NGC MS-62 problem free holder. In fact it is on its way to Baltimore as we speak to be evaluated and possibly sent to NGC for a buyback. Horrendous hairlines on the fields, its a wonder it slid through.

 

Well, I guess that's another strike against the "never buy raw, only slabbed" argument. Although if NGC slabbed it, and stands behind it with a buyback guarantee, that does constitute more protection than you'd get with an unslabbed coin.

Are you thinking that it's a fake slab, or just a hungover NGC grader? I assume you've ruled out the possibility that it's die-polish lines?

 

My number one rule - pictures are not good then I will not even contemplate buying from that seller. With the copper I collect you can get some pretty bad stuff in a problem free holder. Looking to upgrade some of my large cents - there are graded coins on ebay in my range, at decent prices(or a few are) but the pictures are bad so I do not waste my time or the sellers. I have even stopped asking for cleared pictures. The last couple said that was the best they could do and it is in a problem free holder.

 

I wouldn't dream of trying my bad-picture gambles in your specialty -- I don't know enough about copper, especially about the range of eye appeal that I might find slabbed at a given grade.

For the things on which I do gamble, though, I have these advantages:

1) Bad pictures and weak descriptions automatically drive away a lot of bidders; that reduces competition.
2) Buyer Protection has my back in case of actual misrepresentation.
3) I can take really good pictures and write really good descriptions when I'm ready to sell. This helps draw buyers who share your approach. It also drives away bad-picture gamblers, which I guess is a drawback -- but why would I want to sell to a cheapskate like myself?

 

That is a good approach. Yes - a nice coin you could certainly make money on if you get them at the right price. One of my draw backs is I don't want to pay to look at a coin - I just don't think it is right for me to buy a coin, get it, decide I don't want it and return it. I feel I should pay return shipping and it is just not worth the hassle. But if I was going to flip coins like that on a regular basis I would do what you do. Certainly a good idea and a way to actually score some nice coins.