A coin's true originality....
dizzyfoxx
Posts: 9,823 ✭✭✭
When it comes to coins with very pretty color or what appears to be original skin, have you ever wondered if a coin's true originality sometimes depends on who owns it or who currently has it for sale?
...There's always time for coin collecting. 
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I'm probably of the minority here.....I go by, do I like the appearance or don't I.
If I need the coin for my registry, then "originality" plays a part, but I usually buy because of eye appeal.
<< <i>have you ever wondered if a coin's true originality sometimes depends on who owns it or who currently has it for sale? >>
No.
But I suspect that, for the most part, true originality is an ideal rather than a reality for most classic coins.
Take a coin with incredible toning and have it in a graded slab and for sale by a reputable seller, 95% will most likely give the coin praise and ooooh's and aaaah's.
Now, take that exact same coin with incredible toning and put it for sale on the internet, raw, by a seller with 0 feedbacks, 95% will most likely scream AT, Cleaned, or messed with in one way or another.
Just an observation, which IMO is just about spot on.
*Edited for spelling.
You're probably right. Collectors need reassurance that the coin they are buying is worth the money they are spending.
Coins slabbed by top tier grading services and sold by reputable dealers provide a level of that reassurance...and when the coin is being sold over the internet, the collector must make some assumptions about the coin and trust that the dealer is being honest and the images are accurate...at least until the collector has the coin in hand.
It's all relative...
Put another way, collectors need reassurance that the money they are spending can be recouped (or close to it).
I think that this is a mindset created here (internet).
I'm sure there are still collectors that collect for their enjoyment, without worrying about resale value.
I would add that these collectors are probably not spending crazy money on coins.
Sometimes I wish for simpler days.
<< <i>Here's a prime scenario....
Take a coin with incredible toning and have it in a graded slab and for sale by a reputable seller, 95% will most likely give the coin praise and ooooh's and aaaah's.
Now, take that exact same coin with incredible toning and put it for sale on the internet, raw, by a seller with 0 feedbacks, 95% will most likely scream AT, Cleaned, or messed with in one way or another.
Just an observation, which IMO is just about spot on.
*Edited for spelling.
OK - I get it now too, and I would say that your comment is definitely accurate.