Would you place heavy bids on coins auctioned with poor images...

Broadstruck

if there's a 7 day money back guarantee

I was shocked to see this 30-S net $349.00 shipped on EBay based on the images.



This 1919-S was another EBay shocker as $ 1,393.00 shipped, which again is strong money for a coin you can't really see.

LindeDad

I have a certain dealer that I keep tabs on as his scans hide jewels all the time.

RYK

There is always risk bidding sight-unseen, with the natural tendency to win the coins that look better in images than in person and to lose the coins that are terrific but do not image well.

I have never been comfortable putting a strong bid on a sight-unseen auction, no matter what the photos look like.

llafoe

Buy the slab, not the coin!

Broadstruck

Good answers so far... except for llafoe!

I hate returning coins and also feel that since both are auction style listings it's not fair to the seller to sell it for a record price only to have to relist it. I've been thinking about this for a few days as I feel I've gotten spoiled with the technology advancements in this hobby. As I still remember mailing in my bids to Bowers and Merena pre fax days on unplated items with just a description. If you didn't have a set of eyes at the lot viewing, there was a good chance you might be getting set up on a bad blind date. Well poor digital images are just about as worthy as no images at all.

mozin

If the pictures are not good, I simply pass on by. There are lots of coins out there, that I can buy without taking a chance on a poor picture.

Rampage

The 1919S looks likea nice coin. If you go to their website, you can see the same coin with a bigger image. That is what I have done when I bought from them in the past.

Broadstruck

<< <i>The 1919S looks likea nice coin. If you go to their website, you can see the same coin with a bigger image. That is what I have done when I bought from them in the past. >>



The 1919-S did look nice but I wanted to see more upper obverse details.

It wasn't listed on their site and I did email them for larger images when the SLQ was posted.

I never got them and it's no biggie as I wasn't a player at almost $1400.

questor54

<< <i>I have a certain dealer that I keep tabs on as his scans hide jewels all the time. >>



Exactly! Sometimes I will send out a small trial order and see if the seller is any good (despite the images), and if he is good I will follow hime around.

DuCrozat

No. If they can't take a decent photo, too many surprises. My scanner can do better than what I've seen sometimes. It can turn in to a gamble, literally. And I don't like to be disappointed.

rlarick

churn and burn volume sellers often leave lots of money on the table with out of focus small pics. I purposely look for sellers with out of focus listings and then wait! what am I saying!

goodmoney4badmoney

I've gambled over $100 on worse pictures and raw, turned out to be pretty good a couple of times.

BlackDiamond

I typically pass on coins with poor photos. If I bid, the bid would likely be lower than for the same coin with good photos.

illini420

Though I haven't done it often, I've paid up some big prices on eBay coins with horrible photos in the past. But only if there is a full and clear return policy. Especially in the case where it is a Buy It Now auction, I don't see it as being much different than buying a coin from an online dealer on approval.

ColonelJessup

Shirley, Shirley, Shirley.....

A famous football coach is credited with saying "There's 3 things that can happen when you attempt a forward pass, and 2 of them are bad"

.

tydye

I gambled once on a 1814 bust half with one of those "Mars shots" I could barely make out the date in the photo. But I gambled because while I could not see details the patina on the coin looked great and it was being sold by a non-coin seller. This is what I received (I am the one that sent it in to PCGS though)

ambro51

I picked up an 1867 gold dollar off ebay in a thirld world slab with bad pictures and now its in a pcgs slab with a cac sticker.