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It helps if you are knowledgeable in your chosen field when shopping for coins on e bay. Then the world is your oyster in terms of finding bargains, as opposed to the bay of sharks it is to the greenhorn newbie collector. Let's not forget that e bay sellers are just as liable to make mistakes or omissions in categorising, as they are to offer a costly dud. How else did I get a F76 for next to nothing, and a few members here have nabbed similar bargains. Before we get too sanctimonious and judgemental on sellers, maybe we should equally ask ourselves whether we would notify the seller what they'd got, if they were offering a real 1877 narrow date penny as a Bin for a tenner. As Gary says the type of seller is as varied as the types of people you meet in life. Some are thieving little toerags and others ultra honest folk who would never knowingly rip you off.

As with everything, there is the good and there is the bad (and sometimes it gets ugly [sorry, I couldn't resist]). You could change coin seller with any other type of seller and the analogy is still valid. Please note that I use the term "seller" and not "dealer" inasmuch as, at least to me, they mean something different. By my definition a dealer, (in anything), is someone who earns his living by marketing and selling a specific genre of item AND has some sort of professional status and respectability. A seller is someone who has no professional status and is a casual purveyor of whatever he/she purports to sell. Specifically as an example, speaking for myself, regarding coin dealers and admittedly applicable to other products, there are professionals whom I would trust implicitly on their word alone as to a description or authenticity. There are others I have so little confidence in, I wouldn't trust them if I examined the item myself in hand. Some of these dealers do not even have a presence on ebay. I'm sure that most of you have had experiences that you can apply these ruminations to. Ebay, being a vast wasteland, has become a haven for charlatans, snake oil peddlers, and others of that ilk. Ebay, being a vast worldwide marketing venue is also home to some of the most respectable, honest, and classy people that I have come to know. Essentially it is a world within a world with its own broad spectrum of inhabitants. Unfortunately there is a miniscule amount of monitoring of sellers by ebay except where it affects their business model. It takes much effort on the part of potential buyers to convince ebay that an issue needs to be addressed, and more often than not, their actions are sadly inadequate and insufficient. When all is said and done, however, class and honesty will rise to the top and as a result will bring repeat sales, which is the foundation and cornerstone (keystone) of a successful business. The fact that any business, whether online (by itself or part of a larger market venue) survives for a significant length of time is and of itself a testament to its integrity and that of its management. Ebay survives because 8t is a worldwide venue that still has good sellers on it that draw repeat business despite the bad sellers that draw the ire and complaints of buyers. There is that old adage, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". You just don't buy from them again. This diatribe is not focusing, accusing, or targeting any individual or business. It is merely an observation and commentary of the way things are. Simplistically, you can't have good without evil, nor can you have evil without good. They are the yin and yang of life.

Absolutely. Mine was my F69 and the 1926ME in EF..... I do feel sorry for people just starting out in coin collecting- it's such a minefield now.

Yes, I see they have three of them. What luck! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PENNY-1877-EXTREMELY-RARE/283541690785?hash=item420466d9a1:g:tdIAAOSw7l1dAk6m https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PENNY-1877-CLOSE-DATE-VERY-RARE/283534832407?hash=item4203fe3317:g:etQAAOSwLW9c9rlq https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PENNY-1877-CLOSE-DATE-VERY-RARE/283538984078?hash=item42043d8c8e:g:hGIAAOSwThddDWfr And from the same seller; don't miss out on this opportunity to grab yourself an uncirculated, lustrous, 1875 H…. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1875-PENNY-LUSTROUS-UNC-HEATON-MINT-SCARCE/283536659002?hash=item42041a123a:g:P1sAAOSwsU5dE~yv

tea stains all down my shirt😂

If the seller and the "Expert knowledgeable specialist" were both dealers there might be more at stake. Some ramifications might (although doubtfully) on a criminal level, however if the seller belongs to a professional numismatic dealer organization they might probably be subject to some sort of censure, especially if there was a history of this type of activity. If the seller was someone who does not make their living selling coins, I'm sure there would be leniency or call it giving the seller the benefit of the doubt. A significant issue is the same as with which we contend with ebay, the ignorance of the subject and lack of consulting experts by the entity in authority. Plus of course, relative to ebay specifically, is being in the position of biting the hand that feeds you. It does make for interesting conjecture though....

As you say yourself " there are a few of us " just the same as there are some who are just trying to have people over. This thread is....Ebays worst offerings and therefore not about the people who are genuine sellers being honest.

Typical ebay seller buy some coins cheap ,Hype them up or just say they are something that has sold for a few quid (even if they are not ) and add a nought on the price......Easy money and every seller is a winner on ebay . Cheap listing and if we dont find someone this week who we can shill or sell too we will try again in a month. SAD and the people who do it hide behind a computer thinking they are being clever , whereas most just tell lies and PISS ME OFF ☹️

Shyster !!!!!!!!!!!!! I messaged them after they put up the first 1877 "narrow date" to correct them and, when they didn't, I threatened to message Ebay at which stage they replied that their (I don't know their gender) father had just died and they hadn't had time. This may be true but I suspect not.