jaggy

Might want to rethink your wording! LOL … good point …. "multiple examples"

I have no problem buying multiple copies of the same coin if it is a nice coin and the price is right. Anyway that it my excuse and I am sticking to it ….. honest But I think you are right. Heritage bidders often seem to focus on condition rather than rarity and pay a hefty premium for that. I did buy a couple of coins at Heritage yesterday .. a 1787 sixpence (with Hearts) and a 1757 shilling. Okay fairly common coins and the shilling is about VF at best. But that lot was $20 cheaper than the 1887 sixpence went for and the 1787 sixpence is a nice example at AU58.

I have bought from Heritage and am generally please with the deals I got, the condition of the coins and the overall service. But I refuse to get caught up in the bidding frenzy. I make my own decision on what I think a coin is worth. I started this thread because of one particular coin which is not at all rare (I already own 5 of them plus the proof) and which, in this case and in my opinion, is over-graded. You have to wonder, do some of these bidders know anything about the coins they are bidding on?

I am not criticising Heritage in any way. I have bought from them before and agree with your comments. My comments are to do with this particular sixpence. My valuation was $60 with a willingness to go to $70. Even allowing for a premium for the grading and slabbing, I don't understand why someone would pay $155. That is why I was wondering if there was some esoteric detail that I might be missing in the coin. What nationalit(ies) are the main customers for Heritage? American I should imagine

I am not criticising Heritage in any way. I have bought from them before and agree with your comments. My comments are to do with this particular sixpence. My valuation was $60 with a willingness to go to $70. Even allowing for a premium for the grading and slabbing, I don't understand why someone would pay $155. That is why I was wondering if there was some esoteric detail that I might be missing in the coin.

I laughed out loud

I'm not even convinced on the MS65 grade. There are a few marks on Viccie's cheek which, IMHO, would bring the grade down a notch. But when I see coins like this going at prices like this I do wonder if others are seeing something that I am missing.

There is a 1887 withdrawn type (shield) sixpence currently being auctioned at Heritage. The bids have reached $155 I see no JEB on the truncation, no R over I in Victoria and nothing else to justify a price at this level. Am I missing something here? http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=231344&lotNo=61077&lotIdNo=21001#Photo

No, this is a normal 5. To be honest, when I first looked at the coin I thought it was a six and not a five. Then I wasn't sure which is why I thought a second opinion might help. It isn't a high grade coin and I have no idea where or when I acquired it. But for the sake of completeness I wanted to get it catalogued. Appreciate everyone's thoughts and help.

Thanks … I just wasn't clear on the 5. Wanted a second opinion.

In the process of completing the cataloguing of all my coins, I came across this shilling. I am not sure exactly what the date is and would appreciate some thoughts.

Looking forward to what 'Met' comes back with next, "anti-American racists" indeed!! It would appear that he is a sensitive soul

You might have to start collecting stamps

I have bought from Heritage but never tried to sell through them. Generally, I am very happy with the quality of service they deliver. Auction info is clear, the photos are excellent and delivery of won lots prompt. Certainly, some lots go for way more than I think they are worth. But it is hardly the fault of Heritage if American collectors are willing to pay silly money.

Most mobile phones nowadays have more than 3MB, When photographing anything I personally would prefer the higher resolution. I do quite a bit of microscopic photography and with that I use a 20MB camera, obviously over what you need for a coin but somewhere around 10 would be the best for me. I use my Nikon SLR. At first I was photographing my coins hand-held. Now I have acquired a tripod for the Nikon and that makes the photo even better.

This domain is up for auction at Heritage. Interested? http://domains.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1115&lotIdNo=26001&ctrack=2795324&type=featured-13-ip-domain-tem102113

I think it is still partial as we are over a month away.

I'm not sure where I bought the 1787 6d ... but I think it was around 1984 from Joseph Lepczyk Auctions. In the time it has been in my possession it has not been dipped, cleaned or artificially toned.

Someone has bid $37,500 on this: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1190&lotNo=33334&ctrack=2795324&type=featured1-coin-1190-open-tem102313

Oh, I tone off all of mine by feeding them to Sumatran Civet cats. Messy process and the shipping costs are horrendous but the results .. oh, wait. Maybe that's my coffee .... I like it

Nice! I like it when the toning is in the hair giving that little bit of contrast.

Looks like there are some interesting coins in the upcoming - Dec 4th - sale.

While I do own some coins that have been cleaned, none of my coins have been cleaned by me. Neither have I ever resorted to AT. Indeed, in my naivety, I didn't know that such a thing existed until the recent thread.

And another ......