Sweet Nothings

Inaccurate, Wrong, Misleading, Dubious and Unsavory Coin Sale Listings

Or

How To Lose Money When Buying Coins

For the August Coin Seminar Weekend I produced this video showing a number of coin sales listing that are suspect for one reason or another.  Sooner or later a collector is going to outgrow hunting through pocket change and bank rolls and will have to purchase coins to complete a set and grow
their collection.  Let's take a close look at some more to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

2013 Satin Mint Set

First up is a 2013 Mint Set listed on eBay.  I cropped and zoomed in on one of the photos.

This Mint Set is in it's original box.  The only indicator of the date is the number above the bar code: U13.  U = Uncirculated Mint Set.  13 = 2013.  The date checks out.  The Price is a bit high.  Numis shows 2013 Mint Sets with a fair market value of $26 on the day I found this listing.  $4 heavy on a $26 purchase is 15% over market value.  Compound this with the $8.52 shipping charge.  I've worked with these sets before.  They fit in a 6x9 padded mailer with additional cardboard for protection and still weigh less than a pound.  I could ship this anywhere in the US for $5.  $31 should get you this set, shipped.  This makes the final price $7.52 higher than reasonable.  I like the new blister packaging the Mint switched to in 2008 for Mint Sets but paying 24% too much is not a deal no matter how you look at it.  The description says 28 Satin Coins.  This is inaccurate.  If you have done your homework you'll know Satin coins were produced for Mint Sets from 2005-2010 ONLY.  These will be normal business strikes.  Does the seller not know or is this an attempt at deception?

Prices will fluctuate.  Right now, prices on Mint Sets are down.  It's a good time to buy, but at the right price.  Shipping is an administrative expense.  Charging more shipping than necessary is unfair and unnecessary.

Not a 1910-S

I found this Lincoln Cent listed for sale on USACoinBook as a 1910-S.  Problem is, it's not a 1910-S.  It appears to be a 1919-S that has been altered.





Several early wheats have lower mintage and  draw considerably better prices than common wheats.  I've found 1940s wheats that have had the side of the 4 removed to make the coin appear to be a teen.

This one appears to be a 1919-S that has had the last 9 worked in a manner to close it into a loop.
A genuine 1910-S has a round zero and a different mintmark style.

Close examination shows some blemishes on the shoulder consistent with filing off the metal around the VDB, added in 1918.

Top is a genuine 1910-S.  Note the round zero and the square outline of the S.





Bottom shows a 2nd 9 with a flat left side and blemish at 7 oclock that is consistent with 2 discontinuous pieces of metal moved close together.
The mintmark has been flattened, probably intentionally.  Flattening of the correct mintmark would not result in one this big.


Here are some more fake S-Mint Wheats

• 1909-S VDB
• 1914-D
• 1915-S

1925 Stone Mountain Half

I came across this Stone Mountain Commemmorative Half Dollar while surfing eBay looking for bargains.  This one is NOT a bargain.  Take a look at the photos, see if you can tell the difference between this one and a genuine specimen.

Compare with known authenticated examples on the PCGS website.

I went live with a video as soon as I found it.  Here's the way I see it.

Would you have caught it?