2008 Silver Britannia

[Bullionaire]

I bought this carded, still in original packaging 2008 brit the other day off ebay for £28. 

When I got it today, it's pretty tarnished on the edge which was not covered by the plastic holder. The seller failed to mention this in their advert, and hid the tarnishing in the pictures. They also claimed the coin was a proof in the title, when it is actually bullion.

I've looked at other sold 2008 bullion brits on ebay and a lot of them seem to have gone for a fair bit more than I paid (and some a bit less), so I wonder if I should just keep the coin and not complain. 

What would you do? Complain? Ask for partial refund? Forget about it?

 

Also, is it best to keep it in the original card and packet or capsule it to prevent further tarnishing?

 

 

The tarnishing on the edge:

[Paul]

A little Goddards silver polish from your local supermarket has gotten rid of tarnish very easily from very used Britannia in the past I have bought

Handy thing to have in your stack arsenal

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/257095153

You will find the Royal Mint card cause a lot of this tarnish to the coin on many years not just 2008

be cheeky and ask for the costs of the polish from the seller if youre keen  

[daz]

If your not happy with it you could send it back as not described because he had it listed as a proof which obviously it is not  , but just because he didn't mention the tarnish is not reason to send it back unless he actually described its condition as being better.

If people don't actually say the condition in the advert it's always best to message them and ask the condition or if there's any marks , scratches etc. 

As always , buyer beware on ebay

 

[sixgun]

So it is tarnished. i take Paul's comment as a bit jokey. Silver dip but no polish - Keep it in the card.

How much did you pay?  If you got taken for proof price then demand compensation.

A proof Britannia wouldn't have come in a card. These cards say Bullion in the top left hand corner.

Be careful when trading on ebay i guess.

[Bullionaire]

6 minutes ago, sixgun said:

A proof Britannia wouldn't have come in a card. These cards say Bullion in the top left hand corner.

Be careful when trading on ebay i guess.

Indeed. I realised this soon after I'd bought it, so I was going to complain and ask for my money back for false advertising etc, but when I then looked at the other non-proof versions that had been sold on ebay, a lot seemed to be going for more than I'd paid (I paid £28), therefore I thought it might be worth holding on to anyway. 

[Paul]

My comment was not jokey in the least, I have bought grubby and handled to hell Britannia's locally for a quid or so over spot and silver polish will brighten up a tarnished coin to a lovely shiny state.

If you went down the graded route it would be picked up there under x20 magnification by experts. 

I bet loads of folk are sat with lovely looking shiny coins in their stacks they to believe as new but have been buffed up by some silver polish or a silver cleaning cloth

But if all you want is an untarnished, super shiny 1oz of silver the goddards polish will do the trick, especially on the hard to get to rim where the tarnish is so, so common on these carded Britannias

It is not a coin worth an arm and a leg, its a 1oz bit of silver with a variant design

I would never advise cleaning rare / numismatic coins of known great value

[kimchi]

20 minutes ago, Paul said:

If you went down the graded route it would be picked up there under x20 magnification by experts. 

I agree with the rest of your post but for grading at NGC it is 6x magnification isn't it?

What about PCGS?

[Paul]

Sorry i dont know, it was a guess-timate. 

Higher than human eye/magnifying glass was what i was trying to say 

[JohnA]

As long as it's not scratched I would keep it but ask for a partial refund

[caloundracats]

I'd keep it too. If you are going to clean it up a little I would suggest a silver cloth would be preferable to silver polish, but hey, I have never cleaned a coin so what do I know? A bit of tarnish surely is just the patina and part of its charm.

[Pete]

Many sellers on eBay describe coins as proof coins but don't have a clue as to what is genuinely proof.
This is usually an error rather than deliberate deceit.
You have every right to reject it as 'not described' but at the same time you might have done a little homework when you would have immediately discovered that this is a regular bullion coin.

The price you paid for this coin is fair, assuming it included shipping.

Many of these coins in cards tend to show toning around the rim.
The toning is due to pollution like smoke in a room ( cigarettes, open fire  etc ) but will not get worse in a clean air environment.
Some collectors surprisingly like toned coins so place it in a sealed bag with a boiled egg and get it really golden all over !

If toning concerns you then the fastest remedy is a few seconds dip in eZest and the coin will look mint.

I would keep the coin as inexpensive and not bother with the hassle of returns.
You did not pay a high price so a lesson learned - research and experience.

[caloundracats]

hahhaa, loved the boiled egg effect!

[sixgun]

4 hours ago, Paul said:

My comment was not jokey in the least, I have bought grubby and handled to hell Britannia's locally for a quid or so over spot and silver polish will brighten up a tarnished coin to a lovely shiny state.

The reason i thought you were joking that was this is a carded coin. It would mean damaging the card to get it out to polish it. This would knock value off i am sure. For tarnish i would have thought silver dip would be preferable, no marks under a loupe.

[SILVERFINGER]

If you are not happy with it and its going to grind away at you and wind you up everytime you look at it and the seller wasn't honest with the condition (happens a lot) send it back.

[Bullionaire]

Thanks for all your replies. It certainly won't grind away at me and I never really believed it was a proof, despite the fact it said it.

It was mainly the tarnishing that annoyed me, but looking at more examples of carded coins on the web it seems like a common occurrence.

Think I'll just leave it as is for now, and do better research in future! 

[Paul]

34 minutes ago, Bullionaire said:

Thanks for all your replies. It certainly won't grind away at me and I never really believed it was a proof, despite the fact it said it.

It was mainly the tarnishing that annoyed me, but looking at more examples of carded coins on the web it seems like a common occurrence.

Think I'll just leave it as is for now, and do better research in future! 

 

All part of the learning exercise lives and learns.  Not the end of the world. You learn from every deal 

The carded Britannia's seem to hold their value well on eBay tarnish or no tarnish.

The tarnishing issue is well known and very common

The describing it as a proof could also be seller error or not knowing what he had thought it is something more special than it is, as it is in a funky looking card

Put it down to experience and stack on

 

[NewMSmatist15]

21 hours ago, kimchi said:

I agree with the rest of your post but for grading at NGC it is 6x magnification isn't it?

What about PCGS?

NGC states on there site it uses 5x magnification, PCGS states "High Magnification" and "no detectable imperfections" for a 70

[NewMSmatist15]

@Bullionaire I bought a similar coin off eBay (a 2007) also in this same hard cardboard packaging. It was roughly $81 USD with shipping. I decided to get it graded since I have a registry set and am a collector of Britannia coins. My 2007 looked good in the packet and had some tarnish on the side, but no visible marks to me without taking it outside the plastic holder. Grading cost me another $31 USD roughly and it came back an MS 67 DPL. I definitely did not add value to this coin grading it and while I didn't sell it, I don't think I'd make money off this coin either. I doubt I'd break even unless I wait some time. 

I would recommend if you got a good deal on it and like it, keep it. If you think it might grade 68 or higher you could def sell it for a profit, otherwise it may break even or cost you money. Less than MS 67 you still have a better chance than me of breaking even, but why risk it? If you don't like it and would rather a better example, I bet you could sell it as is and make some money as well. 

I strongly suggest not cleaning this coin as these coins have numismatic value even though they were sold originally as bullion. The design changed almost annually (depends on the year) and the mintages were limited enough that it makes available, but collectible. Leave it as is, sell it, or grade it. But DO NOT clean it.

[Bullionaire]

1 hour ago, NewMSmatist15 said:

@Bullionaire I bought a similar coin off eBay (a 2007) also in this same hard cardboard packaging. It was roughly $81 USD with shipping. I decided to get it graded since I have a registry set and am a collector of Britannia coins. My 2007 looked good in the packet and had some tarnish on the side, but no visible marks to me without taking it outside the plastic holder. Grading cost me another $31 USD roughly and it came back an MS 67 DPL. I definitely did not add value to this coin grading it and while I didn't sell it, I don't think I'd make money off this coin either. I doubt I'd break even unless I wait some time. 

I would recommend if you got a good deal on it and like it, keep it. If you think it might grade 68 or higher you could def sell it for a profit, otherwise it may break even or cost you money. Less than MS 67 you still have a better chance than me of breaking even, but why risk it? If you don't like it and would rather a better example, I bet you could sell it as is and make some money as well. 

I strongly suggest not cleaning this coin as these coins have numismatic value even though they were sold originally as bullion. The design changed almost annually (depends on the year) and the mintages were limited enough that it makes available, but collectible. Leave it as is, sell it, or grade it. But DO NOT clean it.

Thanks for that. I don't really have much of a clue about grading. So no chance I'd be able to estimate what it would get! Plus I don't really like the look of slabbed coins. 

I did buy a 2007 britt around the same time for £20. Hardly any toning on that one

 

[NewMSmatist15]

@Bullionaire the 2003 is one of my favorite designs! I have one in MS 68 I "cross-graded" from an old ANACS holder. Hard to see in photos, but from this angle your 2003 looks nice. That 2007 looks much better than the one I had. At the very least you have some nice bullion semi-numismatics. 

With regards to your comment about the look of slabbed coins I tend to agree. Some coins I think look really nice in an NGC holder, but I get the dislike. My argument would be it is almost the same as putting a coin in a capsule and there is little doubt and disagreement over the authenticity or quality when in an NGC or PCGS holder. I like knowing I have one of the finest known 2001 Britannias and that it is protected. Just preference. 

[Bullionaire]

5 hours ago, NewMSmatist15 said:

@Bullionaire the 2003 is one of my favorite designs! I have one in MS 68 I "cross-graded" from an old ANACS holder. Hard to see in photos, but from this angle your 2003 looks nice. That 2007 looks much better than the one I had. At the very least you have some nice bullion semi-numismatics. 

With regards to your comment about the look of slabbed coins I tend to agree. Some coins I think look really nice in an NGC holder, but I get the dislike. My argument would be it is almost the same as putting a coin in a capsule and there is little doubt and disagreement over the authenticity or quality when in an NGC or PCGS holder. I like knowing I have one of the finest known 2001 Britannias and that it is protected. Just preference. 

Yes, I like the 2003 design. It is in pretty good nick,  although the previous owners obviously handled it as it's a bit grubby. Doesn't seem to have spotted or toned though. 

Of course grading has its place, I just don't think I'll be doing it anytime soon. I like to hold my coins once in a while (with cotton gloves on)

[SILVERFINGER]

On 15/06/2018 at 19:19, Bullionaire said:

Thanks for that. I don't really have much of a clue about grading. So no chance I'd be able to estimate what it would get! Plus I don't really like the look of slabbed coins. 

I did buy a 2007 britt around the same time for £20. Hardly any toning on that one

 

I really like all three of these designs, at the end of the day its silver, and silver does tarnish over time, its one way we know its silver (at least on the outside ).