Another misattributed coin on eBay

MrHalfDime

I do not mention the following ebay coin for the fact that it is one of the third tier slabs that are supposed to be tabu on eBay, nor do I mention it because of the assigned grade:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1840-W-Drapery-Half-Dime-Gem-Uncirculated-Very-SCARCE_W0QQitemZ190159356159QQihZ009QQcategoryZ149930QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I only mention this coin because I sincerely hope that any and all prospective bidders are not misled by the description "With Drapery". If that coin has drapery, I would like someone to point it out to me. The 1840 "With Drapery" half dime is a well recognized scarcity in the series, and worth a premium over the "No Drapery" issues of the same year. However, this coin is a "No Drapery" example, and not worth that same premium. Perhaps the seller was merely misled by the TPG, who improperly identified it on the holder, but the seller has a presumed responsibility to unsuspecting bidders to properly identify the coin before it is bid up beyond reasonable levels.

This topic has been discussed previously on this forum, regarding misattributed coins from the various TPGs. Who should bear the responsibility if an unsuspecting bidder believes the description and bids the coin up to a level consistent with the misrepresented variety? The TPG? The seller? The buyer?

This coin was listed after the October 1 rule change regarding third tier TPGs, and I do not see any mention of a return privilege. At present the bids are very low, but someone could get burned on a coin like this.

19Lyds

I may be wrong but you can list any TPG or slabbed coin you want on EBay but you cannot state that it is "certified".

AUandAG

LINKY

MrHalfDime

"I may be wrong but you can list any TPG or slabbed coin you want on EBay but you cannot state that it is "certified"."

That may very well be true, and I will defer to your opinion on that. However, the misleading attribution should be corrected, and I have sent an email to the seller to that effect.

Thank you for the link, AUandAG.

oxy8890

Link

RichieURich

I agree with MrHalfDime.

Hopefully any prospective buyer will look at the seller's feedback, which indicates the seller likes to sell "mystery lots" "worth $40,000" for somewhere between $90 and $210. As I have said often before, the only mystery associated with "mystery lots" is why anyone would bid on them!

numisma

I disagree. The seller has listed a rare 1840 "With Sheer Drapery" half dime. The fabric is so sheer that you can see right through it.

I am just kidding, of course. Looks like the auction is over with no bids at $9.95 with $7.95 for shipping. I would have gladly bought it at that price!

ziggy29

As far as seated stuff goes, is it as common as weak-mintmarked 1866-S dimes being sold as the rarer Philadelphia coin, despite the obvious diagnostic that many of them have with the sharply downsloping date?

notwilight

Looks like he ended it while he makes a new label. also, I think he may be in compliance with the new rules although I'm not sure he can show a photo of the slab.

MrHalfDime

Before the seller took the coin off, there were two bids on it, although the high bid was only about $11.00. Yes, I would gladly have paid that much for the coin, even with the missed attribution.

It is one thing for a TPG or seller to make a mistake about a specific die marriage (e.g., V3, LM-6, or O-103, etc.), but to label a "No Drapery"
coin as "With Drapery" is the result of either ignorance or greed.

The seller has not responded to my email.

Maybe he is making a new label.