I tend to see a lot of threads across all the mainstream coin forums bashing Ebay, the crooked sellers, the misrepresented items, scams, items not received and frankly........I can't blame any of you as we certainly know the Ebay is a breeding ground for the internet criminal element and folks overseas and they use it to make a quick buck

We always talk about knowledge being power and sticking with coin series you know, looking for good feedback, identifying quality sellers and sticking with them, if the deal looks to good to be true....it is etc etc etc. So now that we can agree on the fact that there are some real horror stories out there.....let's talk a little about the good sellers and the accurately graded problem free coins that can also be found on the old Bay of E.

We know they're out there......probably a good idea to post the names here for some of the newer board members to learn from.....if we can save some of the less experienced collectors some dough during the learning process then we gain bench strength on the boards

I just received a few Raw coins that I purchased off Ebay and you could say I took a double chance since the coins were both raw and Toned . I got a fair deal on both coins, the pictures and descriptions were both accurate, and the seller shipped the coins promptly.......so good things can happen if you use some simple precautions.

What are your tips, tactics and safety secrets for a positive Ebay experience? I am not asking you to post snipping 101 rules etc....just some basic lessons learned etc?

Here are a few images of the coins I purchased......please feel free to post raw coins that you purchased on Ebay that were as advertised or better

I've had some good deals off ebay on raw coins. Several what I would call "honest" deals. Good pictures of the item and true descriptions. I do favor slabbed coins from there though.

You've had not only amazing purchases from Ebay, but luck as well. Love the colors on the Morgan.

Really the only coins I bought that came better than stated were 3 Washington proofs as a lot for $5.

This is my best E-Bay purchase so far as raw coins go. I compared the mintmark position to known genuine 77-CC to check if it was real.It may have been dipped at one time, but there are no hairlines.

That is easy - you just collect what other people DON'T. And when there is a crazy fuzz over such market over time, you basically win I was betting that Russian coins would become expensive 3 or actually 4 years ago. Indeed it sure had, and blown over 3 times of what I paid for some particular coins

But let's keep that aside since we can never know what kind of coins would become hot over time.

One particular area that has kept my interest going is overstruck coins. Since almost no one bothers to find out what the original layer could be because it is just TOO difficult at times, or because it's total ugliness, people just tend to sell them as the first year and denomination they can see.

Here is a particular coin that I will never forget that Banivechi got hold of this for me last year, and thanks to the seller who did not have any idea what it really was:



At first glance, if you DON'T bother to find out what it is, it may seem to be a Russian 1759 2 kopek. But if you know your numismatic field much better, it is actually a double overstrike. Indeed it is a 1759 2k over 1755 1k over 1727 5 k! To add to the recent discovery, I found out that the mintmark of the 1755 1k is from the Moscow Mint.

Typically because of the nature of the cruelty of overstriking, you can rarely get to see three years on a single coin, let alone mintmarks. Because of this, the novelty adds on several factors, and hence, depending on the market situation, you might be in luck. But regardless of that, Banivechi got it for me a lot less than what I feared - probably a single digit figure if I am right

I guess if you had the time, you click on every url to see if there is any bargain. Another thing would be if you seriously trust where the coin is coming from, i.e. ex-Soviet states, Africa, etc. I had several bargains from there too...

What's a raw coin? I've never seen a cooked one!