When to contact sellers

Bidders in online auctions sometimes are reluctant to query sellers about lots that may have flaws, only to win those coins with scratches, cleaning, artificial toning, and other issues deemed ungradable by the major holdering companies.

Other times you can strike a deal on a coin by making an offer.

Major auction companies such as GreatCollections, Stack’s Bowers, and Legend typically deal with holdered coins and so interaction with less of a concern there.

But if you bid on eBay, HiBid, Proxibid, LiveAuctioneers and other venues selling raw coins, you should have access to the seller.

In the past week, I have sent messages to various sellers concerning wrong descriptions, pin scratches, toning, and a lower offer than what was listed.

Wrong Descriptions

Sometimes sellers make honest mistakes in their descriptions. I was in the market for a 1958-P half dollar and about to bid on a coin listed by eBay. It had good toning, which I like, but I always spend several minutes inspecting every part of a coin before putting in a bid.

In this case, the reverse had a Denver mint mark. I didn’t need that coin. But instead of just leaving his site, I sent a correction. Here is our exchange:

I also like to bid on double mint sets. This one was listed as such, but the photos only seemed to show a half-set. So I inquired.

I didn’t hear back from the seller, so I messaged again.

I was right about my suspicions. The seller responded:

Pin Scratches

In two cases, I messaged sellers about suspected pin scratches. I liked this 1898 PCI Morgan dollar but saw lines that could be toning marks, scratches on the holder, or scratches on the coin.

The seller didn’t respond, so I didn’t place a bid.

I did place a bid on this toned 1883-O Morgan dollar in a Tidy House holder, despite what looked like a scratch from the left wing to the tailfeathers.

I knew that Tidy House advertising used Morgan dollars from bank bags, and so I decided to place a low-ball bid, figuring this was just a rim mark from another coin. I won the lot. There were no scratches.

Questionable Toning

I am ever on the lookout for toned Peace dollars because they are relatively rare and bring premiums. I especially admired this coin.

But the problem was the seller also had other items with similar toning, as in this nickel:

So the issue here is why denominations with different silver contents had similar toning. Typically this indicates a coin doctor using chemicals. But in both cases, the toning looked genuine. So I sent a message asking about that.

This made sense. The cardboard in a frame typically would tone different denominations with the same patterns. So I placed high bids.

Make an Offer

Sellers on eBay have a choice to list a starting bid with or without a best-offer option. In the case of this beautifully toned 1880-S PCI Morgan dollar, listed for $399, there was no best-offer option.

The photo above shows a winning bid of $399, but I didn’t pay that much. I queried the seller with a bid of $351.

I won the coin for that amount.

Messaging Advantage

Don’t be afraid of messaging sellers when you detect a flaw or have a question about any aspect of a coin. The worst that can happen is you will not receive a response, and that tells you something. I don’t bid with sellers who ignore my messages.

In the cases above, I didn’t bid on a coin with the wrong mint mark, ignored a lot when the seller didn’t respond, relied on my numismatic knowledge with another, got a good response on toning, and saved money on a winning bid.

The Internet facilitates such interaction. When you fail to take advantage of that, sellers can take advantage of you.

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