The seller says that it came from an estate sale and he does not know enough to identify it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=290209024680

The same individual has sold other questionable coins with the same story about an estate
sale. I assume that his identification of the ruler as Peter I is a trick to make buyers think they
are dealing with someone who really does not know coins and therefore the piece is genuine.

RWJ

The ploy must be successful and who can argue with success? The same exact wording and the same exact photos were used to describe a coin offered only a week or so before the current one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=290206561350

So much for using your own judgement in evaluating the coin since the seller is not "experienced in grading or authenticating coins." One would end up evaluating the same photos over and over again.

And if it previously worked with Peter "II" then it stands to reason that it should work with Peter "I":

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=290192329934
(with a positive feedback no less!)

Now, this seller has been selling on eBay since 1999 (Nine years) and has handled over 3800 items. Of course not all the items have been coins. Let's say only one third has been coins or medals. That would make about 1000 transactions. How many years can one be dealing in a particular type of item, and how many items can one handle and still claim complete ignorance. Shouldn't some knowledge have rubbed off over the years?

Good question.

It is indeed amazing that someone who professes to know absolutely nothing about coins (despite dealing in them for years) manages to keep going. Presumably the business must be profitable even though the seller has no familiarity with what he's selling.

I don't know of any other businesses where you can trade in a class of items for years without knowing or learning anything in the process and yet somehow still manage to make a profit. It really is astonishing, isn't it?