a little less description sometimes works

laurentyvan

I have an eight reales on auction with what looked like slight doubling here and there. I wasn't really sure so I decided not to mention it in the auction description but I kept a weather eye out for interest.

Coin is doing well- does it sometimes make sense in your auctions not to describe something that seems to be apparent and let the bidders "discover" the attractive element, encouraging higher bidding? Having said that, a really unique feature of a particular coin would certainly be mentioned in the auction description.

TwoKopeiki

Link?

lordmarcovan

If it's a potential selling point or point of interest, I don't leave anything to chance and I try to tell it up front.

(Under the assumption that many coin browsers are as unobservant as I often am.)

Of course, if it's a negative point, I try to mention it (without elaborating or going into great deal), so nobody thinks I'm trying to gloss over or hide anything.

theboz11

Out of focus polished brass, with a description of " I don't know if it is gold", always brings big bids

lordmarcovan

laurentyvan

Link?

8R Link Sorry...

Nothing too remarkable here, old cleaning and scratches, but I'm seeking a reason for higher bids than anticipated. Can you see what seems to be doubling on the obverse in the Dei Gratia and possibly the nose?

Ricke

edit

laurentyvan

Well, this is a coin I purchased from a rather eminent member of the forum and have never had doubts about it.

Having said that, let me do some research...

CIVITAS

Well, considering I can sell any problem free portrait 8R for $50.00 wholesale minimum, I don't think the bidding it out of line for that coin. It seems to have an exceptionally nice strike for a piece of that period. Lots of lustre. Nice coin all things considered. If it weren't for the scratches, I'd say someone's getting a real bargain here. Don't be shocked if this one tops $100.00.

drjules

OT but I have to admit you always have very interesting books!

Dr J

TwoKopeiki

That's .... an interesting piece... I wonder what's going on with the dentils at 6 o'clock on the portrait side? I'll have to examine the pictures closer once I am at home tonight.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>does it sometimes make sense in your auctions not to describe something that seems to be apparent and let the bidders "discover" the attractive element, encouraging higher bidding? >>

I've often wondered about this. I think there's something to that idea, too. I don't know what the marketing folks would call it, but imagine somebody looking at your coin. The first impression was good... they liked what they saw, and the price seemed OK. They eyed your terms, which looked reasonable. You've almost got 'em at this point. Then they notice some little "bonus" factor to it that you didn't mention. That pushes 'em over the edge. They probably are thinking, "wow, this guy didn't even hype up that little extra factor to the coin. He must either be ignorant, or he's so conservative that it makes no difference to him".

Edit:

Wow. I just resurrected a year-old thread, completely by accident. I guess I was reading along in a search results page instead of the live forum.

After I posted, I began thinking this thread looked vaguely familiar, particularly Boz's joke about out of focus, highly polished brass.

Hyperion

nice! you got me on that one LordM!

This listing (250076702389) has been removed or is no longer available. Please make sure you entered the right item number.

I was wondering why the auction got pulled

SYRACUSIAN

A bidding war creating a record price takes at least two bidders that have discovered a hidden secret that sets an otherwise common coin apart.

It doesn't always work like this though. An ebay seller had a lustrous 1901 10 lepta from Crete for sale a while ago, in a PCGS MS64 holder. Because of the way he had taken the photos,with the obverse of the entire slab, incl. the label, but the reverse of the coin only, without letting us know if the slab was rotated or not prior to the image,we all assumed that it was the common coin alignement variety.

All but one, who had the intuition to ask the seller privately during the auction, and who placed a winning snipe on a very rare coin, (with medal alignement as it turned out) for a small fraction of its value.As for the seller, he never knew what he had ,or that he practically gave it away.

MacCrimmon

About 8-9 years ago an eBay seller listed a 1796 large cent with only an obv. image. Unfortunately, I didn't see the auction, but one bidder that did ask the seler for a pic of the reverse. Turns out it was an S-96 variety - 3 leaves under "A". This EAC guy bid $700 for the coin, and then sold it about 6 months later to a "knowledgeable" EAC crowd for over $11,000......

KNOWLEDGE IS KING!!!!

Oh yeah, at least one other bidder knew it was an S-96, so both guys were trying to buy it cheap. I'd let the buyers know every jot and tittle about a given coin. IMO, it's better to let a dozen prospective bidders ruminate over their max bids than to give it away on the cheap.