Coin Dealer Website Pics

Apologies if this topic has been covered ad nauseam in the past, I searched and didn’t find much.
Can I assume it’s bad form to hijack and post (say fir example, on a forum much like this) a pic of a coin you purchased from a dealers website? Does that answer also depend on whether one actually bought the coin, or not? Just wondering how dealers feel about the general public reposting (proprietary?) pics found on their websites.
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Often if you buy a coin, and you ask, a dealer will give you permission to use his photos of that coin.
As for coins actively for sale or on auction, usually we don't post about those, as people may be already following
those and do not want to generate more competition for the coin.
I feel that is the web site owner is given credit than the use of the photo(s) would be acceptable to the web site owner. If the coin(s) are available for sale than perhaps it is wonderful marketing. None of us know all websites and coins available for purchase.
Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: That depends. Did you ask the dealer if it's OK? Many will be fine with it if you ask and credit the picture to them. Do the terms of use of the forum in question cause an unlimited license to be granted to the site owner to use anything posted to their forum? Might want to think twice about posting a picture you don't own. Are you posting the picture such that you're painting the dealer in a less-than positive light? Best try to work things out first. Are you posting because you've been defrauded? I wouldn't call posting in this case bad form if you tell the full story.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
If you bought the coin and want to show it off as a new purchase, most won't mind.
If you did not buy the coin and it is still for sale, it is generally frowned upon to post.
If you are not sure, ask the dealer if they are ok with you sharing the photo.
I’ll be very honest…..I’ve copied the dealer pics to post in the new purchases thread a lot here. As a small business owner/operator myself, I generally have always been thinking that doing so while attributing the dealer as the source of my new purchase is essentially free advertising for the dealer. My line of thinking has been that they would appreciate having excited customers post new pickups from their inventories, if they cared about it at all.
It never occurred to me that any of them wouldn’t want me to do so. I hope I haven’t been overly presumptuous. I definitely understand the proprietary element of a coin dealers’ photography, and I would never attempt to resell using anyone else’s photography for this reason.
Your thinking is reasonable as most won't care and it's a benefit as there are others that might go to their website/store to buy something. There are a few that will care but it will be rare.
Good question Chris!
My own opinion is that it is proper to ask.
That said, I also believe that after the images of the coin are released in a public venue (i.e. at auction, dealer website, grading company site, etc.) they belong with the coin ... and not necessarily just to the photographer or the consigner of the images.
So, in essence, whoever owns the coin, also has rights to the images ... while they own the coin. As does the next caretaker, and the next, and the next.
I know I will get a LOT of pushback on that thought, and there are huge gray areas even within my simple statement ... which is why I make it a point to ask if I can use the images that are part of a venue, unless the terms of the venue allow for those images to be used.
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
+1 although I’m sure there are potential legal issues
What rubs me the wrong way more is when a dealer posts one of my coins in their ads, and I know they have never handled the coin. It gives the misleading impression that they have handled the rarity.
And to a lesser extent it bothers me when another forum member uses one of my coins as their avatar- it has happened at least three times that I can remember.
It depends...
It has been years since my days as a semi professional photographer.
Unless the photograper (or company) has filed copyright on images then they have no real recourse.
If you are sharing a purchase or asking a question on authenticity then nobody will care or likely know.
If you are using it in advertising, avatars, your own website etc... then that is illegal.
Is it worth pursuing the offender? No
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