What went wrong on these two auctions? Your opinions please.

mnmcoin · September 18, 2003 1:57PM

This first one, went for well under blue sheet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3045381039&category=39465&rd=1

This second one, I can understand slightly, but it didn't go for anything over greysheet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3045381095&category=39465&rd=1

thanks for any opinions, as I am trying to understand this toning thing like everyone else.

morris <><

Placid · September 18, 2003 2:02PM

1st one common date easy grade. Picture dosen't look like the toning is that exciting and it's on the reverse.

2nd one lots of fingerprints.

jacktheknife · September 18, 2003 2:03PM

I think the market is softer for anything other than high grade, super coins, which are out of control.

sinin1 · September 18, 2003 2:04PM

selling on eBay has turned into rolling dice at a craps table -

possibly many major buyers for these toned coins looking at signature sale?

ElectricEye · September 18, 2003 2:26PM

1. I didn't see the auction before hand to bid (there are only so many hours I have to devote to EBay as I have a g/f that requires constant assurance and attention to the point of madness and a business that makes me understand what it is to want to move into the hills in a little wood shack by myself). The toning looks nice and could be nicer in person as the pictures look a tad washed out. The pictures could have been Airplane Nut or Russ quality and may have gotten the hammer price higher. They're not bad pics, just not as good as they could have been. Not that my skills behind the lens are any better, the snaps often look like a drunken shaolin master of 90 years old took em after a night of rubbing alcohol shots.

2. That has more fingerprints than the last two sets of cards I sent to the NCIC. Not my thing, some people don't mind em.

ohbaby · September 18, 2003 3:00PM

Superior, ANR, Goldberg, BM, Heritage Exclusive Internet, Heritage Signature, Heritage Bullet.

Does anyone have any money left?

Wolf359 · September 18, 2003 3:30PM

lol. Are you saying there's a vast coin-wing conspiracy to fleece us?

lordmarcovan · September 18, 2003 3:31PM

The first is a pretty coin, and I like the toning. But then, I like lighter pastels instead of the heavy, mottled stuff.

I think the person who won it got it at a nice price, it's true.

The second doesn't do that much for me, especially with the fingerprints, but it ain't awful.

YOU certainly aren't the problem, because you pass the test on all the things I look for: you have perfect feedback, you accept PayPal, your pictures are good, and you keep the hype to a minimum, plus you offer a return privilege and you don't charge an absurd rate for shipping.

Why do you think something went wrong with the auctions? Did you lose money on the coins? If that's the case, try starting the bid at your cost next time (and don't forget to factor in your eBay fees). Not above your cost- but right at your rock-bottom, break-even price.

Or does your disappointment stem from the expectation that you were going to get some of the stupid money that people are paying for toned coins?

If so, there are two things wrong with that logic: one, your coins aren't THAT dramatically toned (and I personally like them better for that), and two, I think the fad may be cooling a bit.

Who knows? Five years from now, or maybe even less, the pendulum might have swung back to "blast white" again. It certainly needs to swing back a little bit, because the premiums on wild toning have gotten insane, in my humble opinion. Interesting toning should be worth a small premium if you like it, but not several multiples of the coin's untoned value. (My personal rule of thumb is no more than a 20% premium for nice toning, if that- and for most folks these days, it's 200% or even 2,000%!) Dont get me wrong- original coins with nice toning will always be in demand, but the overexuberant pricing may not last forever. Looks like a bubble that is ready to burst, in my opinion.

Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw. Win some, lose some.

relayer · September 18, 2003 3:40PM

People on eBay are cheap

lordmarcovan · September 18, 2003 3:43PM

Relayer summed it up very succinctly, in five words.

And I'm one of the cheapskates! (Who isn't?)

BigAl · September 18, 2003 4:39PM

don't know about you guys, but i wanna see quality toning on something other than a common date morgan. would be a refreshing change.

lordmarcovan · September 18, 2003 5:43PM

Buy early proof coins, then. Or really high-end Buffalo nickels in MS. That seems to be where a lot of nice colors are. And they're usually not as heavy or mottled as the colors on the Morgans. The Morgans seem to get the wildest colors, but I don't like the way they lie on the surfaces of the coins. If more Morgans had perfectly symmetrical target toning, I would probably be into the fad, too.

BigD5 · September 18, 2003 8:31PM

Hey, don't feel bad. I believe it's something of a trend At least for my auctions also.
That particular coin sold for bid, which should be a crime. I wasn't expecting huge multiples of bid, but $100 wouldn't have been out of the question in my mind. Oh well. I've been listing less and less on Ebay.
I've almost totally given up on $1 start items, unless the coin is something special. I thought my example above was at least better than average, but apparently the buyers of Ebay did not.
Again, the special stuff will bring decent money, but I'm not telling anyone something they don't already know, and the average stuff will bring lower than average money.

MrMoo · September 18, 2003 8:56PM

I think there is a goverment office that hands out slabbed MS 1881-S's.

darktone · September 18, 2003 9:04PM

common coins in common grades. Just too many for buyers to choose from. mike

dorkkarl · September 18, 2003 9:06PM

what were you expecting on them? they're common coins. also, if you thought the toning would fetch a premium, you must not realize that the "toning mkt." is 98% fake & little more than hype.

K S

rd5425 · September 18, 2003 9:32PM

they went so cheap because I didn't see them

Barry · September 18, 2003 9:34PM

Perhaps the market is not as hot as some dealers would like us to believe.

puff · September 18, 2003 9:54PM

<< <i>what were you expecting on them? they're common coins. also, if you thought the toning would fetch a premium, you must not realize that the "toning mkt." is 98% fake & little more than hype.

K S >>

The toning market hype........

I collect "originally" toned Walkers only if they have the original skin. I like them for their individuality.

But I agree that there is alot of AT coins on the market, with unscrupulous "dealers" taking "full" advantage of the situation and taking advantage of the neophytes particularly on Ebay.

I don't know who "MNMCOIN" is from Adam, but with his feedabck history I sure wouldn't be afraid to bid on his/her coins if they had a nice high end Walker that I wanted, or needed!

Wheat's Walkers #1 current late date set:

EvilMCT · September 18, 2003 10:03PM

Looks like they went for a fair price imho. I'm not, however, a morgan fanatic either.

Ken

291fifth · September 18, 2003 10:05PM

The market for ordinary and problem (fingerprints) coins is actually very soft.

dorkkarl · September 18, 2003 10:07PM

the coin market is SIZZLING HOT HOT HOT only for coins that belong to legend or dhrc.

K S

IrishMike · September 18, 2003 10:09PM

These common Morgans with ordinary eye appeal are often worth more to the current owner then to a prospective buyer. Ebay prices go in the tank till after the first of the year on ordinary stuff.

What went wrong on these two auctions? Your opinions please.

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