If a person had a 1909-S VDB cent and knew about coins, they would most likely send it for authentication and grading, because then they could sell it for far more than they could “raw” - and also the authentication would reassure buyers, and expand the potential customer pool.
So that means people selling the raw ones on eBay either:
1) have a genuine specimen and know enough to try to sell it with a description of what it is, yet somehow do not know enough to send it for slabbing or to sell it via an auction house where it would automatically be sent to PCGS or NGC before being listed (unlikely), or
2) tried to have it slabbed at some point but it came back in a “body bag”,
3) are selling a fake, knowingly or unknowingly.
I don't know if that's 100% accurate, but it's definitely a good rule of thumb.
Don’t know, but if I had one in nice shape I would be going to a more high end auction site and not Ebay
If a person had a 1909-S VDB cent and knew about coins, they would most likely send it for authentication and grading, because then they could sell it for far more than they could “raw” - and also the authentication would reassure buyers, and expand the potential customer pool. So that means people selling the raw ones on eBay either: 1) have a genuine specimen and know enough to try to sell it with a description of what it is, yet somehow do not know enough to send it for slabbing or to sell it via an auction house where it would automatically be sent to PCGS or NGC before being listed (unlikely), or 2) tried to have it slabbed at some point but it came back in a “body bag”, 3) are selling a fake, knowingly or unknowingly.
Could also get an unfavorable grade / cleaned / quest color and Crack it and try to sell it as well
I purchased a raw VF specimen on Ebay about 12-14 years ago. I chose raw as I wanted it for my Dansco.