raw coins and ebay

krazyace5

Should I assume that if a there is a high grade raw coin on ebay it is most likely
tampered with? Is any sellers on ebay trustworthy with raw coins?

Is it best for newbies to stick with slabbed coins?

Thanks

Cladiator

For raws on the bay I try to deal with sellers that are forum members here only. If I'm really interested in a raw auction and have no clue about the seller I'll post pics of the coin here for opinions before I bid...the people on this forum have saved me lots of money lol

Boom

Set yourself up to accept Private Messages. Stick with forum members or ask them here. They pretty much stay on top of things. Most raw coins I stay away from but I have been fortunate in that I check how long a seller has been around along with his feedback. There are some good sellers of raw coins but the vast majority are not!

UncleJoe

There are no absolutes and there is no substitute for a little "common sense".

There are some very honest sellers of raw coins (myself included ) that don't doctor the coins or the pictures and that have very liberal return policies. You just have to find them.

Remember, if it's too good to be true ...

Joe.

razorface1027

What denomination do you seek? There are some reputable dealers on eBay that sell raw specimens; whereas, tampering, if any, is at a bare minimum (in all likelihood, they didn't tamper with it, someone else did). Despite what the vast majority here may believe, I've ran across a few dealers that sell quality raw coins; however, they are far and few in between.

CarlWohlforth

<< <i>Is it best for newbies to stick with slabbed coins? >>



Yes.

While there may be some newbies that take lots of time to learn about grading by looking at thousands of coins at shows and taking a grading course (I didn't) even they should buy expensive coins that are already certified. Some key date coins and some expensive gold coins are well done counterfeits. I personally bought an artificially frosted cameo proof coin and am not happy about that.

UncleJoe

<< Is it best for newbies to stick with slabbed coins? >>

<< Yes. >>

I think that needs to be qualified. If as a newbie you are going to buy expensive coins (you define expensive) then you will be served well by only buying slabbed coins in reputable TPG holders.

However, I only buy and sell circulated coins and most of what I buy and sell cannot be found in slabs. Therefore I have bought and sold relatively few slabbed coins compared to raw coins.

I think I am very much in the minority on these boards as it seems that most who post here are mostly concerned about MS coins or high grade coins (usually expensive).

It all depends on what makes you happy and what and why are you collecting. For me, I do not have the eye to play the MS game. So for me MS coins are out of my comfort zone. I also happen to truly enjoy the look of nice original circulated coins so that is what I collect and buy and sell.

Joe.