A suspicious Ebayer

[Emperor Oli 0]

Well, a few days ago, I bought three Farthings off Ebay from a guy called "Sharpclaw". The pictures were fantastic, absolutely no blemishes or anything - "This is too good to be true!" I thought. Sadly, it was; the coins arrived and although they did have some lustre on all of them, it was nothing compared to the photos purporting to be the coins for sale . I was miffed because I'm trying to assemble a collection of Farthings between 1902 and 1956 in the best Uncirculated condition.

[Chris Perkins 223]

Well you get that on ebay. People use the same pictures to sell different coins. I'm sure even some ameteurs steal other pictures thinking that as long as it's the right date it'll do.

I hope you sent them back for a refund.

Chris

www.predecimal.com

[Guest Dan]

There's alway that element of risk with Ebay. Think "broken lawn-mower engines"! However, not all sellers are dodgy - I've got a couple of nice coins on there at the moment, with more to follow

[william 0]

Yes, there are a lot of dodgy people on ebay. There are quite a few topics about bad ebay experiences around here!

Think "broken lawn-mower engines"!

Why "broken lawn-mower engines"?

[Sylvester 15]

Well, a few days ago, I bought three Farthings off Ebay from a guy called "Sharpclaw".

Sharpclaw, that name rings a bell!

I think i've come across him, not good if i remember rightly.

[Emperor Oli 0]

Sharpclaw, that name rings a bell!

I think i've come across him, not good if i remember rightly.

Indeed. Buy your 20th Century BU Farthings from Chris Perkins in future - the best guy in town! plug

[Sylvester 15]

Sharpclaw, that name rings a bell!

I think i've come across him, not good if i remember rightly.

Indeed. Buy your 20th Century BU Farthings from Chris Perkins in future - the best guy in town! plug

I bought some scrap silver from Sharpclaw, talk about acid dipped... yeuk, you couls see where the surface was patchy due to being eaten away at by the acid...

Pretty cool coins none the less, but not what i was expecting! (ha the evils of dipping... i dunno what they used, but it must have been aqua regis! )

[Emperor Oli 0]

couls see where the surface was patchy due to being eaten away at by the acid...

Talking of acid, I spilt some concentrated (not the dilute stuff) hydrochloric acid on my exercise book in chemistry and it bore a hole through it in no time!

[Sylvester 15]

Talking of acid, I spilt some concentrated (not the dilute stuff) hydrochloric acid on my exercise book in chemistry and it bore a hole through it in no time!

What did the teacher say?

Mind you my father once knocked over a nice big jar of mercury whilst he was at school...

[Emperor Oli 0]

Hehehe the teacher said "Oh it doesn't matter, just don't do it again!". And you're dad knocked over a jar of mercury eh?

Well my grandad blew his house's back door off when he was younger doing some chemistry experiments, became a chemistry teacher but then got banned from teaching it as he performed a little "fireworks display" for the pupils (destroying half the lab in the process) and made this stuff called 'gun cotton' where when one touches it it bangs and combusts rapidly and does allsorts. He put it on door handles....ahhh the hilarity.

[Sylvester 15]

Hehehe the teacher said "Oh it doesn't matter, just don't do it again!". And you're dad knocked over a jar of mercury eh?

Well my grandad blew his house's back door off when he was younger doing some chemistry experiments, became a chemistry teacher but then got banned from teaching it as he performed a little "fireworks display" for the pupils (destroying half the lab in the process) and made this stuff called 'gun cotton' where when one touches it it bangs and combusts rapidly and does allsorts. He put it on door handles....ahhh the hilarity.

Yeah my dad got given a ruler to pick it up with... (those were the days!)

Now your grandfather sounds like the kind of Chemistry teacher most kids would have wanted! I bet the attendence rates would go up, and so would the chemistry pass rates! (probably the school mortality rates too!)

[Emperor Oli 0]

Now your grandfather sounds like the kind of Chemistry teacher most kids would have wanted

Yeah, they liked him apparently. After he got banned he went on to teach maths. btw he taught back in the days of corporal punishment and as well as a cane, he had a gym pump. When anybody misbehaved, he took the pump and wrote his initials (T.K) backwards on it in chalk and then swiftly hit the child on his backside with it. Et voila! His initials backwards on the seat of the pupil's trousers!