Do you ever take a risk and buy a coin from less than ideal images?
CoinPhysicist
Posts: 603 ✭✭✭✭
See title. Do you ever buy coins based on images that less than ideal? Or even sight-unseen with no images?
Successful transactions with: wondercoin, Tetromibi, PerryHall, PlatinumDuck, JohnMaben/Pegasus Coin & Jewelry, CoinFlip, and coinlieutenant.
3
Comments
NO ..... because I always want to be sure on what I am getting into
I need to see what is exactly I am spending my dough on.
Buying a coin from any images, no matter how good is still a risk. Nothing compares to an in-hand evaluation. A return privilege helps, and a trusted lot reviewer or dealer goes a long way.
That said, yes, sometimes I do. My opportunity to review coins in-hand prior to purchase isn't nearly as good as I'd like it to be. I'm lucky if I get in one good show a year. Sometimes the holes in the set whisper..... "Fill me. Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil me!!!!"
Agree with @BryceM... I'll take a chance sometimes, especially if there is a return privilege, on some items which are hard to find. On PCGS items, I will also check to see if there is a TrueView that is not showing in the auction listing; sometimes that is a way to circumvent a bad auction photo.
Nope, agree with others, too risky !!!
No, I immediately pass. Poor pictures are too much of a red flag in my opinion and not worth the risk.
No.... just too much of a risk. That being said, I have read here many times of people who have done just that, and hit the jackpot.... of course, there are stories of poor results as well. Not to mention buying coins with great images, that turn out to have been 'photo enhanced' and not at all like the picture when in hand. Cheers, RickO
I did, once.
On eBay a described 1909 S Lincoln cent, in AU condition.
Now in an ANACS slab, S Over Horizonal S SLAB, MS 63 RB
BHNC #203
I do it all the time on eBay. Those are some of my best finds because people pass them over. Most of these coins are under $200 so the risk is limited. I have also messaged a seller through eBay and asked them to send me better pictures and they normally do. This is nice because I see the better picture and the seller normally does not update the listing with the new pictures.
I used to see bad pictures with a few online dealers but they have gotten better over the past 5 years. I would have to call them or email them for a better description in the past. They would always tell me if I didn't like it, I could return it but that is a hassle for me. I would much rather see a nice picture so I hopefully don't have to make a return.
I'll state what should be obvious. Sometimes pics are purposely poor to hide defects. Other times, pics are poor because the seller can't take better pics. Sometimes you can figure out what the seller is up to while other times you can't. Has anyone here ever asked the seller for better pics and what response did you get from the seller? If the seller blocks you, that tells you everything you need to know.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
So far, I buy only at shows where I can "handle" the coins I want to consider. With so many local opportunities to view coins in person, I am not motivated to gamble on an opportunity that is supported only by a poor photo.
My strategy is about collecting what I intend to keep, not investing in what I plan to sell.
I often take the risk if it is a good price, the coins is in a low numbered PCGS holder, the seller guarantees it is the exact coin I will receive, they have a reasonable number of 100% eBay level feedback, and no name changes on their account. Usually quite happy with the results.
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
Sometimes but much less now than in the past. It has to be CAC to take a risk from less than stellar images.....
Best, SH
For every jackpot there will be 10s to 100s of poor results........ Odds are not in the favor of the bold for this (unless the coin is beaned).
Best, SH
One of the biggest chances I took that turned out to be a major score was on ebay many years ago. It was a 1794 Large Cent the pic was so bad you really couldn't do much but identify it was a 1794. Looked like it might have decent detail....but was probably corroded. I won the coin for around G bid and received a wonderfully smooth,even chocolate Brown borderline XF coin!
Tried to edit to add....as a rule "The bigger the Risk the Greater the Reward can be!"
There's a proof Morgan that has an image shinier than an old Buick bumper!
Tried lots of image manipulation but still can't make out what it might really look like.
Phooey.
I do it all the time, but I am getting better at understanding photography to eliminate odds of what I am seeing are more likely - not what I think I am seeing. Cherrypickers only need to see a marker to take risk.
WS
Yes as I've been in the hobby long enough that was the only way to buy just from a description.
Back in the 1980's when the dinosaurs still roamed you were lucky to get a dot-matrix printed black and white photo.
So even today as long as I have a return privilege a photo isn't a major concern.
Just one that I'm remembering right now and was worth taking the gamble with no supplied images and a not much of a description.
This is pretty much what I was going to write. I do occasionally get burned but I never risk enough that the loss will be painful.
I am still learning how to interpret bad photos. A couple of weeks ago I bought an Indian cent with a blurry picture that looked just enough like a known variety that I had to take the chance. Once the coin was in hand and in focus, it was nothing special, the only doubling was in the image.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Guilty!!!
I have hit a few big home runs... and a lot of misses.
Funny how a ghost in the image mimicks PUP.
Most of the misses can be flipped for minimal loss.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
no risk no reward
Just remember... You have a greater chance of being cat-fished by a juiced photo than none
Yes, I have got to where I can tell by the image and who the seller is what the coin will look like.
All the time on ebay especially if they are in a PCGS holder. You pay with PayPal so you have a money back coverage
Lafayette Grading Set
Seriously.... tell me if you think you see the Snow-1 DDO in this image:
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Do you ever take a risk and buy a coin from less than ideal images?
I think you can with some eBay sellers and with some online dealers but it is an easy way to grow old fast. i have done it a few times and rarely will ever again. just this morning I e-mailed a seller and asked for better obv/rev pictures --- the in-holder obv only picture was out of focus and no rev picture.
it's interesting that as the internet has matured and digital photography has improved many coins can be evaluated with enough confidence from pictures.
no, not as a rule. if I know the seller that might be a slightly different thing. just saying
The short answer to that one is "NO!"
Some people think I'm nuts when I place high bids in autions based on photos. The trouble is you can't got to every auciton, and somethings are too hard to find to let them pass. I've learned to do pretty well with the photos and have only been disappointed a couple of times. Those couple of times were before I learded how to interpret the photos.
If the photo is bad, I'm out. I've learned that bad photos are often done on purpose and the purpose of that is not for your benefit.
All I see is a coin that was cleaned with an abrasive, and I would not want it. If I were an Indian Cent die variety specialist and could see that this was some super rare variety that would be a decent filler, I might think differently, but I'm not.
I’m my collecting history, Lincoln cents have been a huge part of my primary focus. In that time I’m seen thousands of coins in hand and countless deals and exposure that particular coin. I can’t stress enough the importance of taking your own photos of coins as well and it’s critical to learning what look is caused by what surfaces and lighting. When you take thousands of pictures yourself you develop an eye for reading online photos.
With that said, although confident with Lincoln’s and most copper “looks” online, I wouldn’t say it is not universal to other series. I’d be rather lost with Barbers for instance and would defer to the classic cautionary purchase protocol outlined here by others.
Of course, and I do my best to mitigate the risk.
Most of my purchases come from Europe and I have to go on description and sometimes subpar pics. Mostly I depend on my knowledge of the series to interpret what I can see and if possible cross-reference the coins to other appearances in auctions or reference catalogs (easier to do with medieval coins than modern).
It comes with the territory. All the coins are raw too, some of you would be horrified
I have posted this before, but back in the ebay wild west days, lousy photographs if any, no sniper bidding,, "What the heck is a return privilege?" etc. A person posted two tired blue Lincoln Cent folders with a couple pictures that not even the Hubble Telescope could resolve. It showed the open albums (push in slots), and one picture of the "end" page because it had the "shiny" coins. I could see the 09-S VDB and the 14-D slots were filled, not the 09-S, but there was basically no description, nothing.
IIRC, it was ending at a weird time, and I was glued to the computer. Bidding topped out at $100 or so, and then shot upwards to $400 ?? in the last minute (those were the days) and I won it.
Wait for it
Wait for it
Wait for it
Finally showed up. There was the 09-S VDB, strong VG and the 14-D, weak VG, no 22 plain and no 09-S. Since I am in Dallas, I took them to Heritage (used to know someone there) and they are legitimate.
Those were the holes in my album, made my set complete (sorry, no 22 plain, as I don't feel it is "real"). Only took 40+ years to complete the album.
Lots of different responses, thanks for the perspectives! I asked because I am looking at one right now. I see hints of what I am looking for in the coin in the less than adequate photos and it is returnable, the only risk to me is paying return shipping.
Successful transactions with: wondercoin, Tetromibi, PerryHall, PlatinumDuck, JohnMaben/Pegasus Coin & Jewelry, CoinFlip, and coinlieutenant.
Face to face transactions are always the best but you can't always find what you want at a show or a brick and mortar shop. Third party grading services have taken a lot of the risk out of buying without viewing your purchase in hand, even with bad photos. For old timers like me that wasn't the case. Without looking at my records I'd guess that the majority of my core collection was purchased pre-TPG via a written description of the coin in a auction catalog with at best an occasional black and white, actual size, not so good photo. As a result, when I finally got around to having them slabbed, I ended up with a lot of "details" coins, (mostly cleaned).
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
Absolutely I do.
I have made a science out of determining what things a bad image is telling me. The majority of the 40 or so gold CACs I have made have been from bad pics on ebay. I personally love them.
Yes, but I do not like it. Certainly nothing raw.
All day brother... haha
So... what was the outcome of your $8 purchase?
Looks at least AU-details?
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
The best story I remember is Russ buying that 1964 proof set, and ending up with a PR68DC Accented Hair Kennedy. He watched the pops on this for years and it never went up (not sure where this is now, rumor was he was taking it with him)
Yes, quite often.
I only bought one coin ever sight unseen and I was not happy with it.
I buy coins with bad pictures from time to time, while hunting varieties, and have had some wild success and quite a few mistakes.
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
Never met Russ, but in my stint on here many years ago he was a wealth of knowledge.
A few nights ago, spent a few hours looking at his old posts.
My new foray into coins, my first thought was Russ, proofs, DCAM's, and varieties.
Sad that he passed...
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
Yes. If I'm after a cherrypick, bad pics can be my friend.
On a related note, I've purchased a few coins from our local version of eBay that were in PCGS Gold Shield holders. Poor photos posted with the auctions but excellent photos on the PCGS website.
Smitten with DBLCs.
Yes, often.
Yes, my avatar. I purchased it off eBay for AU money. The images were small and out of focus. It ended up being graded MS-65 by our hosts. Quite the score, that coin. Here's a better shot:
Did that one time. Sent everything back to the seller.
Very good luck with E-Bay & a couple of jackpots.
My worst photo-burn was a dealer & not an individual.
My Saint Set
>
Nice job hunting down the auction
. I got an AU details, run of the mill 1891 cent. Disappointing, but it won't stop me from taking another flier on the next one I see.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor