How often do you end up liking a coin you bought sight-unseen?

pcgs69 · February 13, 2008 12:43PM

I don't think I've ever liked one... or at least I can't remember the last one... anyone else in the same boat?

PrivateCoinCollector · February 13, 2008 12:45PM

None that were memorable come to mind now that I think about it.

lasvegasteddy · February 13, 2008 12:51PM

i had bought a 09-vdb unseen and when it arrived...if was a fs12 ddo ms64rb

fc · February 13, 2008 12:52PM

i buy mostly circulated coins via good pics so i am never truly disappointed.

i think though you mean totally sight-unseen.. not even pics. i have
never bought that way.

YaHa · February 13, 2008 12:53PM

Never!!!

percyb · February 13, 2008 12:55PM

Never, except when I have my eyes closed.

ozzyfan269 · February 13, 2008 1:00PM

When you say "sight unseen" do you mean not even having seen any photos?

pcgs69 · February 13, 2008 1:14PM

<< When you say "sight unseen" do you mean not even having seen any photos? >>

Yes, no photos at all... such as from an ad in Coin World, etc.

smokincoin · February 13, 2008 1:16PM

Never bought one that way and never will!!!

commoncents05 · February 13, 2008 1:35PM

Never bought that way. Would only buy some sort of common thing that way. PR/MS69 coins, bullion material, etc.

-Paul

WTCG · February 13, 2008 3:46PM

I haven't bought too many coins sight-unseen that are totally hideous as the majority of them fall in the okay to ho-hum quality for the grade. I have also made sight unseen purchases that the coins ended up being upgraded upon resubmission.

BECOKA · February 13, 2008 3:50PM

If you count an e-bay photo shot from a mile high, I bought 1 and it was about what I expected. So actually liking them I am at 0%.

oldcameoproofsguy · February 13, 2008 4:38PM

I haven't purchased a coin sight unseen for many years. I remember getting some proof sets from mail order when I was a kid. That was the last time.

Boom · February 13, 2008 5:10PM

The ONLY coins I've ever purchased "sight unseen" were from the US Mint.

Buying sight unseen from ads in a periodical can easily lead to Disaster.

No Dice.

TwoSides2aCoin · February 13, 2008 5:32PM

Everytime I buy "BULK" from someone who wants to dump, I am rarely disappointed. More often than not, opportunity presents itself. The answer for me is : quite often I end up liking a coin I bought sight unseen. Even if they're just widgets.

Bochiman · February 13, 2008 5:47PM

I bought some from Mark Feld....sight unseen....after describing what I wanted/liked.
I still like them

My 55/55 DDO
My 09svdb
Some of the IHCs I have.

Would like I some others better? Maybe but probably not at the prices I paid for the grades/looks I got.

thisnamztaken · February 13, 2008 7:02PM

I would never buy one on those terms!

OKbustchaser · February 13, 2008 9:52PM

There have been a couple of coins I bought out of major auction houses which I was less than totally pleased with. Even those were OK. However, I have never bought sight unseen directly from a dealer or from Ebay.

Remember, though, if you have the ability to return a coin then by definition it isn't a sight unseen purchase. You saw it before you irrevocably committed to buy it.

dorkkarl · February 13, 2008 9:56PM

<< I bought some from Mark Feld....sight unseen....after describing what I wanted/liked.
I still like them

My 55/55 DDO
My 09svdb
Some of the IHCs I have.

Would like I some others better? Maybe but probably not at the prices I paid for the grades/looks I got. >>

mark feld does not sell coins sight unseen. he offers a return privilege

K S

ricko · February 13, 2008 10:08PM

I only purchase that way from the mint... minimum photo's... but only from trusted sources. Cheers, RickO

Coxe · February 13, 2008 10:09PM

These days, I do pretty much always have decent enough images. When Teletrade was a rag in the middle of NN and CW, I did phone bid and win coins based on descriptions. Most of the time the brief descriptions were surprisingly accurate enough and I was nearly always pleased. Bought an 1811 wide date half cent with the 4-star break once from an outfit that ran monthly (coins/stamps/dinosaur skulls/...) "auctions" from mailed paper catalogues. Got what I paid for ok but wouldn't normally buy that way. Oh, I also bought form a dealer in Florida (ML Cline) on the net maybe 20 years ago some inexpensive stuff, things like 1931-S cents. Every single piece ended up conservatively graded, problem-free and made me money on eBay in recent times. I wouldn't have hisitated to buy from that guy again. In the distant past, I would never buy mail order, even as an approval sale. Didn't have that much to spend and settled for what I liked from among the material I could see in hand.

Newcomp103 · February 13, 2008 10:52PM

Because I have no coin shop within a normal driving distance...buying online is about my only option. As long as I am given a return option if I am not satisfied I am ok with sight-unseen transactions. Last year I sent back only about 25% of what I bought unseen. I promised myself I would not do it anymore, but until I have other options, I guess I will continue to do so!

OKbustchaser · February 13, 2008 11:26PM

<< Because I have no coin shop within a normal driving distance...buying online is about my only option. As long as I am given a return option if I am not satisfied I am ok with sight-unseen transactions. Last year I sent back only about 25% of what I bought unseen. I promised myself I would not do it anymore, but until I have other options, I guess I will continue to do so! >>

Once again, you didn't buy them sight unseen. You may have ordered them sight unseen. You may have bid on them sight unseen. But, as long as you were able to return them AFTER SEEING THEM you didn't buy them sight unsee.

doh · February 14, 2008 12:43AM

I've never bought a coin unseen. Doesn't really seem worth the hassle. I know a couple dealers who have websites with no pictures...they say they offer a good return policy, but I'd rather not have to find out.

rgCoinGuy · February 14, 2008 12:52AM

The only true sight unseen coins other than the mint I believe I have purchased were some BU silver dimes (Roosies) from the Robert Charles Coin Company for my Dansco, and I was pleasantly surprised that for the price they were nice coins. **I am not affiliated with this company other than being a customer***

Shamika · February 14, 2008 12:59AM

I bought a raw 21-S Lincoln sight-unseen 9 years ago that was described as AU and it turned out to be a 100% original MS63BN with a little red in the divices. But other than that one instance, I don't recall a single successful sight-unseen purchase. It became such a problem that I completely stopped making sight-unseen purchases some 6 or 7 years ago.

cyclonus11 · February 14, 2008 1:01AM

When I was a YN, I purchased some sight unseen stuff from Littleton. I did actually like what I got.

Haven't purchased any sight-unseen stuff since then, though.

Fairlaneman · February 14, 2008 1:06AM

Have bought many off the BST forum and have never been disappointed. Two last week were very very nice.

Ken

Frankcoins · February 14, 2008 1:15AM

The term sight unseen has a strict definition. The trading of certified coins based
ONLY on the grade on the slab, with absolutely no returns. The only promise is that
you will get a PCGS 1914-D cent in MS63RB, for example, but NO MATTER WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE,
the sale is final.

Jcarney · February 14, 2008 1:18AM

Dunno yet. Waiting for Longacre to offer me MS64 Franklins sight unseen.

Barndog · February 14, 2008 1:21AM

bought this sight-unseen via a mail-bid auction. Maybe one or two sentence description. I'm happy with it.

Newcomp103 · February 14, 2008 3:08AM

<< 

<< Because I have no coin shop within a normal driving distance...buying online is about my only option. As long as I am given a return option if I am not satisfied I am ok with sight-unseen transactions. Last year I sent back only about 25% of what I bought unseen. I promised myself I would not do it anymore, but until I have other options, I guess I will continue to do so! >>

Once again, you didn't buy them sight unseen. You may have ordered them sight unseen. You may have bid on them sight unseen. But, as long as you were able to return them AFTER SEEING THEM you didn't buy them sight unsee. >>

Oh ok...thanks for clarifying this....so I guess my new answer is....NO, I never purchased a coin that I cannot return!

jmski52 · February 14, 2008 4:01AM

Barndog, that's a really nice hunk of metal. Do you mind educating us about this, and if I might be so bold as to ask - how much did it cost?

ziggy29 · February 14, 2008 4:04AM

I've purchased a couple from RCNH that way, and I've been pleased with them.

Bochiman · February 14, 2008 4:20AM

<< 

<< I bought some from Mark Feld....sight unseen....after describing what I wanted/liked.
I still like them

My 55/55 DDO
My 09svdb
Some of the IHCs I have.

Would like I some others better? Maybe but probably not at the prices I paid for the grades/looks I got. >>

mark feld does not sell coins sight unseen. he offers a return privilege

K S >>

Yes, he does....however, to me, I take it as sight unseen. No pictures, I buy the coin.

Fairlaneman · February 14, 2008 4:21AM

Well now that I know what sight unseen means the answer is NO. For most folks I believe it would mean nopicture or not in hand. I guess most of us people are just idiots.

Ken

OKbustchaser · February 14, 2008 4:27AM

<< Well now that I know what sight unseen means the answer is NO. For most folks I believe it would mean nopicture or not in hand. I guess most of us people are just idiots.

Ken >>

Ken, no one is calling anyone an idiot--merely stating that a return privilege allows one the ability to see it in hand. Maybe not prior to paying for it, but prior to actually buying it.

dorkkarl · February 14, 2008 5:08AM

i've never understood what's so hard about understanding what "sight-unseen" means. if you get a return policy, THEN IT IS NOT SIGHT-UNSEEN.

"sight-unseen" means you never actually see the physical coin before being FINANICALLY COMMITED to its purchase. if you are allowed to back out , then it was NOT a sight unseen purchase to begin with

K S

messydesk · February 14, 2008 5:28AM

I have several coins I bought on Teletrade that way back when the catalog was a newsprint insert in Coin World and you bid by pressing the * button on your phone. Many were nice, some weren't. I don't see a need to buy sight unseen today unless you count buying on advice from a Trusted Dealer™ who has seen it as buying sight-unseen.

How often do you end up liking a coin you bought sight-unseen?

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