question for Great Collections winners

ad4400

Are their images true? Considering my first bid in that venue but am struggling to figure out if the piece really toned as the image suggests or whether the color may be an imaging artifact. Anyone have a similar struggle only to find the piece was not as imaged?

Edited Oct 15, 2015

So I recently took the plunge, winning the coin below in a GC auction. For those that commented that the coins generally look better in hand, I could not agree more. I won the piece below (their image) and was very pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The color is very intense and vibrant and the luster is very, very nice as well. The piece is graded PCGS63, I was able to pick this up for plane Jane 63 money, perhaps even on the low end at $105, which is a mystery to me. I am most certainly going to keep my eyes on GC auctions.

leothelyon

robec

You still have to use your imagination with most of the photos. Compared to eBay and some of the auction houses GC's photos are decent. I've bought close to 50 coins and in most cases been quite happy with the toning.

BG

I'll say that they are better than most.

I've been happy with all coins that I've won from them.

DAM

I find them to be so, for copper anyway. Because I primarily buy copper from GC. GC does a good job providing an image you can enlarge. That allows me to look closely for marks and blemishes. The color and toning, if any, have been pretty accurate too.

Hope that helps

oih82w8

From the auctions that I have won, they are pretty darn close.

TonerGuy

I will say their images arent perfect but they are better than most large auction houses.

georgiacop50

The few surprises I have had have been pleasant...ie a coin that looks so-so toned being very attractively toned in-hand.

sparky64

Their images are true. I always get what I expect.

Of all the toned coins I've received from them, never has the auction pic been juiced.

RCDB

I do not bid on any toned coin that I have to guess what it might look like. I have purchased 7 toned coined from them, have been pleased and generally think that the coins have more colors and look better in hand.

DennisH

<< <i>I'll say that they are better than most.
I've been happy with all coins that I've won from them. >>

Same for me.

ranshdow

<< <i>The few surprises I have had have been pleasant... >>

Proofmorgan

Hands down the best auction house for not juicing their photos. If anything, the photos don't do the coin justice...meaning you are very unlikely to be disappointed. My worst experience for juicing photos come from David Lawrence.

mercurydimeguy

Every coin I've won (5 now) have been disappointing.

I think bottom / low end coins go to GC with of course a few exceptions.

I find GC one step up from eBay and a few steps below HA. Most of what I look at is details graded, overpriced, and the non details coins are also expensive and ugly.

I've bought 5 coins in he past year, I tested my thesis by cracking two PCGS coins and resending to PCGS. One was a rattler holder one was a green holder. Both coins came back cleaning/altered surfaces. One coin I submitted 3 times.

Net net from where I sit, unless the coin is CAC (very few in what I'm interested in), the coins sell for more $$ and they are inferior quality...a double whammy as a buyer.

I still look but it has been months since I bid on anything.

Lakesammman

I like GC and their service.

Buying sight unseen is always a craapshoot.

That said, they have a very good return policy if you're not happy with your purchase.

SoCalBigMark

I almost purchased this coin but the images were so completely different it made me unsure, so didn't pursue my bidding.

Great collections

Text

NGC




What I was hoping it looked like. Did anyone here win the coin?

BStrauss3

They are good people to work with. Ian does monitor the boards and is probably biting his fingers to keep from jumping to the defense of his photos. They do all their own imaging so the consistency is quite good. For the couple of items I've bought from them I was very happy: the pictures were a good representation of the coin. But I'm not a copper nor toner person.

jdimmick

Couldn't post this last night, because of forum problems, but if you have a question on a coin, call ian, great guy. Now I probably wouldn't bother him a small $ coins, but on something of decent value. Call em up and ask him

jdillane

I've done quite a bit of business with GC both as buyer and seller. I think the images overall are a fair representation keeping in mind that images will always be inferior to in hand inspection. Also, GC takes additional images (as they did with a toned proof I have consigned) which IMO was very beneficial in terms of highlighting the eye appeal of the coin.

Ian is very responsive (has me wondering at times just how sleep deprived he likely is).

ad4400

thanks for the advise everyone, now quickly becoming a fan

derryb

A photograph will show a "true" image whereas the one processed by the brain is often different. A photo taken under fluorescent lighting is a perfect example - it will appear to have a greenish tint while the brain will correct the tint. This is why many photographed toned coins do not appear to have as much toning when in hand.

oih82w8

I replied earlier about buying from GC, and as a seller I can say that their images are a little on the dark side in comparison to PCGS TrueView. I am not slamming Ian and company, the fire is not there in the images at GC, different lighting, but whoever wins the coins that I have listed are going to very satisfied. Here is a comparison example of one of my coins presently listed;

1861/0 H10C PCGS XF45 CAC

ElmerFusterpuck

Every GC coin I've bid on and won (mostly toners) has been better in hand. Their photos are very good, but their lighting is set where the whole coin is illuminated, which is a big plus. This tends to mute any existing luster a bit, but it shows the colors and any splotches/flaws of the coin very well and accurately. Also a fan of the 10% juice, very reasonable shipping charges and fast shipping. GC is making me miss Teletrade less and forget about Stack's almost completely.

Walkerfan

<< <i>Every GC coin I've bid on and won has been better in hand. Their photos are very good, but their lighting is set where the whole coin is illuminated, which is a big plus. This tends to mute any existing luster a bit, but it shows the colors and any splotches/flaws of the coin very well and accurately. Also a fan of the 10% juice, very reasonable shipping charges and fast shipping. >>

cameonut2011

Great Collections photos are a hit or miss. Some of them are very accurate and others - well - not so much. I will say that I have had some mega rips from that site that I attribute, in part, to their imaging.

Unknown

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lordmarcovan

I've only won one, but was quite pleased (with how it looked vis-a-vis the photos and otherwise).