What is the best return on an EBay purchase you made?

thezookrew · April 26, 2006 2:02AM

I have made quite a few Morgan purchases on EBay over the last year or so. I have found most people that give a grade are way over and I slightly overpaid (when the outrageous shipping is added) on them. Every once in a while, though, I get a great steal. Mine would be an 1880 O Morgan that I paid $29 (with only $1.50 shipping) for and it is a solid MS63 and possibly a MS64. It is also marginally PL. On the low end I received a 10X return on investment AND got a great coin for my set. What is the best deal you have gotten on EBay?

paigowjohnny · April 26, 2006 2:07AM

Paid $1500 for an NGC F-12 1893-S Morgan a couple years ago.

Haven't sold it, but I'm sure if I do, I'll realize a nice profit.

Russ · April 26, 2006 2:14AM

These sets are the best deal I've gotten on eBay:

Paid $21.25 each for the sets. One of the halves graded PR65DCAM. The other graded PR68DCAM, which is a pop 8/0 coin and the last one PCGS has graded - a little over 3 years ago. Sold the PR65DCAM for $963, and still have the PR68DCAM.

Russ, NCNE

braddick · April 26, 2006 2:16AM

Mine is on a coin I haven't received yet but as soon as I do I'll brag about it here.

jmj3esq · April 26, 2006 2:29AM

I made about $100 bucks when I sold my St. Gaudens last week. Thats the best i have done.

Trinketts · April 26, 2006 2:30AM

Mine was actually a comic lot and not a coin purchase... I bought a comic lot(100 comics) which contained an entire run of X-MEN 1-20 in about VF condition considering I paid $80 for the lot about 2 years ago.

Deadhorse · April 26, 2006 2:32AM

A cheap lot of circ Morgans from an antique dealer on eBay Canada while looking for antique radios.

They were very circulated, but the lot turned up 3 CCs including an 89!! The holy grail of CC morgans.

That one turned a very tidy profit that paid for the rest of the lot and put a nice small stack of C-notes in my pocket.

That was several years ago and unlikely to happen again, but one never knows.

I also grabbed a stunning endroll toner with a horrid flat elongated picture that required imagination to see the colors. I took a chance on it for $20. Graded and slabbed, it turned into a $425 sale for me. The seller said he didn't know coins and wasn't very good at taking pictures. That was an understatement, to say the least.

I've also had several failures/losses along the way as well. Goes with the territory.

Russellp23 · April 26, 2006 2:38AM

I think mine will probably be my 1998 Kennedy matte proof sets I bought a couple of years ago for around $250 each.

rhedden · April 26, 2006 3:45AM

A friend of mine bought a plastic holder with 25 Unc. Morgans in it, paid roughly $20 apiece. Three of them were 1882-O/S coins in Unc with decent colorful tone. I believe one slabbed MS-63 and two slabbed MS-62. $$$$$$ I wish I could match that one, but I'm not even close with my best purchase. Two coins I've bought that were good deals were an 1805 half dollar in VF-35 to XF, with original tone, no damage, no cleaning, for about $450; and an 1811 large cent in choice, glossy, light brown XF for $930. Both of those were raw coins for which there were few bidders who were brave enough to pay that kind of money. However, I recognized the sellers as reputable dealers, which is a big advantage when shopping on ebay. They weren't really rips, but the prices were 20-40 % below retail. I also cherry picked a F-VF 1803 stemless (S-243) large cent that is probably a $350 coin for $185 or so. There were no other bidders because the starting price was $180, and 1803 cents are common as a date; the stemless variety was not mentioned in the auction title or description. One final large cent cherry pick would be an 1829 "wheelspoke" cent in F-12 (little corrosion, but nice color), Buy It Now for $32. I am still waiting for the day when someone sticks an 1834 N-5 cent on there with a $30 Buy It Now, just as I'm looking through the large cent category....

LincolnCentMan · April 26, 2006 3:48AM

A few years back, I bought a coin off e-bay for $500 then sold it for $2100. The best mark by percent that I've made has to be a bunch of wheats that I bought raw off ebay. I paid $2-$10 each, plus $18 slabbing = 8 $300 coins.

David

clackamas · April 26, 2006 4:10AM

I purchased 1800 1968 mint sets for $2500. Pulled a POP1 68-D Full step Jeff out of them as well as two FS 68-S Jeffs, an MS67 68-D Ken, an MS67RD 68-P lincoln, 20 MS67 68-P Washingtons and a dozen MS67 68-D Washingtons, not to mention the FB rossies. This is at least $20K worth of coins.

I also bought a 1909VDB DDO lincoln for $450 in an ANACS 65RD holder, it crossed to 65RD PCGS. I have not sold it yet.

TorinoCobra71 · April 26, 2006 4:14AM

Paid $300 for and 1891-CC Morgan that was stated as "Solid MS-61" Sent to PCGS and it came back an MS-63. Now an $850 coin.......

TC71

Petrpanman · April 26, 2006 4:20AM

I was scanning the "Buy It Now" listings when I noticed a 1925 Lexington Commem PCGS MS66 listed at a MS65 price (from a well known dealer no less). I quickly checked to make sure "I" was not the one that was not in error and I wasn't, so I purchased it for $640. I then sold it 2 weeks later for $1250.

Barndog · April 26, 2006 4:25AM

I purchased one of those mystery lots worth thousands of dollars for only a hundred bucks.

Just wait until I sell it and make a bundle!

jonathanb · April 26, 2006 4:33AM

Aw, c'mon, I know that people have made five-figure returns, and 100x returns. Let's get some of those stories!

This isn't quite five figures or 100x, but still not bad: Washington inaugural button (not technically a coin, but round and thin and listed in Baker): Paid $50, resold for $4,000 [and I heard that it changed hands several more times within a couple of weeks, with the last transaction in the $6,500 range.]

I've had a couple of even-better scores that folks may remember, but the Washington button is the best where I actually sold the item in question.

I've had enough scores in the $100 range that I hardly keep track. The British half-sovereign (0.1177 oz actual gold weight) that I bought on a $5 BIN comes to mind. There are lots of others.

jonathan

DennisH · April 26, 2006 4:37AM

Numerous instances of making 3-10x my money.

Best dollar figure was probably a PCGS MS63 1890-CC Tailbar I bought for less than $500 (Buy It Now) and almost immediately resold for $2,500.

coinlieutenant · April 26, 2006 4:46AM

I bought this coin off of ebay about a year and a half ago. The picture was a scan that only showed darker toning around the edges...It was in an OGH AU55 holder. I paid 454$. I have been offered over 1500$. It is quite solidified in my "color ho" set.

Russ · April 26, 2006 4:52AM

<< Aw, c'mon, I know that people have made five-figure returns, and 100x returns. Let's get some of those stories! >>

I guess you missed my post.

Russ, NCNE

jonathanb · April 26, 2006 4:55AM

OK, Russ: "Let's get some more of those stories!"

stephunter · April 26, 2006 5:22AM

Bought raw on Ebay and had graded by Ngc. Total of $105 invested. Sold two months ago for $1,710-

Barry · April 26, 2006 5:26AM

There's a guy I know (forum member, but I haven't seem him post for a few years) who occasionally buys bulk silver then sells small "grab bags" of coins on Ebay (reasonably priced, not Bluemoon-like grab bags.)

One of his buyers received a very rare variety, less than 10 known (Bust Dime, I believe, but not sure.) It wound up being resold for about $6K.

MadMarty · April 26, 2006 5:30AM

<< These sets are the best deal I've gotten on eBay:

Paid $21.25 each for the sets. One of the halves graded PR65DCAM. The other graded PR68DCAM, which is a pop 8/0 coin and the last one PCGS has graded - a little over 3 years ago. Sold the PR65DCAM for $963, and still have the PR68DCAM.

Russ, NCNE >>

and by today's grading standards it would only be a PR67CAM

21Walker · April 26, 2006 6:06AM

Bought an UNC 51S Franklin on EBAY for $22. Submitted it to PCGS...........MS64FBL woohoo...........Rick

koynekwest · April 26, 2006 8:01AM

A 1936 Satin proof Buff bought as a raw Mint state coin for $8 that now resides in a PCGS PR66 holder. One of three PR Buffs from ebay. Lots of doubled dies and other errors, too.

airplanenut · April 26, 2006 8:05AM

This coin would give me a massive profit if I were to sell it... but alas, in the A box it remains

ozzie101 · April 28, 2006 12:37PM

I still collect mostly stamps and a few coins and a number of years ago I bought a lot of Australian stamps on Ebay from a seller in Canada. The seller must have been selling off a collection that was inherited from a relative. The description had a number of photos and showed lots of cancellations which I collect and wanted.

I think I paid around $175 Canadian for the lot which included about $40 to $50 in postage....I was a little concerned about the high postage charge, but when I got the lot it included a couple of albums of First Day Covers. Not a collector of those, I was going to dump them at the local stamp club for a few bucks, but did a little research.....

To my surprise, the lot included:

2 First day covers catalogued at A$150 each both in pristine condition plus about a 100 others

1 first watermark 3d Roo in MNH condition (Die 1) The current dealer ask price is $A275

1 block of 1st WMK 3d Roos with a Die pair (MNH condition) and the other pair of the block HH Value: Unknown, ????, but probably substantial as the price is POR for the Die 2 stamp and even higher as it is in a Die pair. Guessing around A$1000 minimum for the block................

1 1st WMK 1 pound Roo with a nice telegraph cancel and puncture

A couple of MNH KG booklet panes

A heap of MNH blocks of four, other blocks of four with beautiful cancels, and a bunch of singles with SON cancels.

Since then nothing much of value on Ebay with the quality of the material declining and the prices way up. Better value at the local clubs.

Still have the lot!!!

Did even better once with a lot of Canadian stamps from a UK auction house....the descrpition had the number of stamps as "SG XXX x 40" to describe the stamps....when I got the lot, the stamps were not singles, but in imprint blocks and sheets.....the description was very poor, but resulted in getting a bunch of stamps at a fraction of their value.

The some of the best were an imprint block of 40 of Scott J1 in MNH condition (never seen one of those since) .....as well as another block of 50, a full sheet of Scott 143 (MNH), big imprint blocks of the early Airs (MNH) and a whole bunch of others in full sheets as well.....

coindeuce · April 28, 2006 1:11PM

Bought a '88-O Morgan TOP 100 VAM 4 Hot Lips unattributed and described as VF(toned) for a whopping $11. Dipped that sucker and it became an AU-55. Sold as a condition census coin(raw) for $1500.

bestclser1 · April 28, 2006 1:38PM

<< I bought this coin off of ebay about a year and a half ago. The picture was a scan that only showed darker toning around the edges...It was in an OGH AU55 holder. I paid 454$. I have been offered over 1500$. It is quite solidified in my "color ho" set.

>>

John,how about a few more.

braddick · April 28, 2006 1:40PM

<<

Bought raw on Ebay and had graded by Ngc. Total of $105 invested. Sold two months ago for $1,710- >>

Serious rumor has it that coin was then flipped, at the show, for 3K.

Seriously!

joeyuk · April 28, 2006 1:45PM

I bought a 1960 sm/lg date icg proof 68 cameo cent for $300 and crossed it to
PCGS 67 cameo and sold it for $1,800.

ccex · April 28, 2006 1:50PM

Right before I went on a summer fishing trip I placed my bid on an 1895-O dime in Fine posted by a knowledgeable collector. When I was in the fish cleaning house, full of slime from Northern Pike, the auction closed and I won it for $306. It's still in my Dansco album three and a half years later. He mentions this on his "about me" page.

BlindedByEgo · April 28, 2006 1:58PM

Bought a partial set of IHC's (22 or 23)in a Whitman folder for about 21/2 bucks a coin (1999)... all looked decent, but really dark, in the undersized flatbed scan... When I got the book, the worst coin was an 1883 in XF; the 1894 was AU58, 3 coins in the 90's and 5 in the 00's came back from ANACS MS63 and the 1907 came back MS64 Red. I cracked out and sold the 1906 that came back net graded MS60 "recolored" for $75.00 in Long Beach that year - a beautiful rainbow that the buyer and I both agreed was NT, and which I wish I still had.

1999... The seller had like 3 feedback, crappy scan, and everyone ignored him. Wish that kind of stuff was still out there!

elwood · April 28, 2006 1:59PM

<< Aw, c'mon, I know that people have made five-figure returns, and 100x returns. Let's get some of those stories! >>

Paid: $4,500.00

Sold at National Auction: $16,000.00+

What is the best return on an EBay purchase you made?

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