barryetchells Using Copied Sovereign Images on eBay
eBay seller barryetchells of Darwen, United Kingdom, not only stole a number of our gold sovereign and other images without permission, but omitted to mention to potential buyers that the coins pictured were not the same as those for sale, if they even existed at all.

Sample Listings

• 1973 Isle of Man Full Gold Soveriegn
  Isle Of Man 1973 Full Gold Soveriegn - Proof in plastic sleeve

• 1974 Queen Elizabeth Full Soveriegn - Uncirculated
  1974 Queen Elizabeth Full Sovereign - Uncirculated

• Jamaica 1979 $100 Dollar Proof Gold Coin
  Jamaican 1979 $100 Dollar Proof Gold Coin in original Blue Leather Box with Certificate of Authenticity

• 1976 One Hundred Balboa Platinum Coin
  1976 One Hundred Fifty Balboa Platinum Coin in Original Blue Velvet Case with COA

Seller ID	Item Number	Date	Description	Price
barryetchells	200368867065	31st Jul 2009	1974 Queen Elizabeth Full Soveriegn - Uncirculated	£150
barryetchells	200368602212	31st Jul 2009	1916 St George and The Dragon Full Sovereign coin	£138.20
barryetchells	200368850909	31st Jul 2009	1973 Isle of Man Full Gold Soveriegn	£156
barryetchells	200368848745	31st Jul 2009	Jamaica 1979 $100 Dollar Proof Gold Coin	£155
barryetchells	200368856970	31st Jul 2009	1976 One Hundred Balboa Platinum Coin	£360
barryetchells	200368594925	31st Jul 2009	1973 Isle of Man Five Pounds Gold Coin	£800

What's Wrong?
First it is dishonest to steal images. We select the best coins from thousands of sovereigns, then take high quality photographs of them, followed by extensive post production work (airbrushing) to make them look even better. This draws on our wealth of experience, education, training, trial and error. Our two graduate photographers work very hard to produce our high quality pictures. We have invested thousands of pounds in equipment and software. When some dishonest eBay vendor thinks it is acceptable to use them without our permission, we get more than a little annoyed. If we were a family business from Sicily, we would send one of the boys round to talk to them. If we were in Northern Ireland, we could set the Intellectual Rights Association onto them. As things stand, we simply report them to eBay, who usually get round to removing the copyright infringements. We also request full contact details of the eBay member so that we can take legal action against them, or send them a warning.

Deception
Not only does it infringe our rights, it is an attempt to deceive any and all potential buyers. This is fraud, which is a criminal offence.
We thoroughly recommend any potential eBay buyers to avoid dealing with this crooked member.

High eBay Feedback is No Guarantee of Integrity or Honesty
When we wrote this page, this eBay member's feedback was 66; with 100% positive according to eBay, which all goes to show that you cannot rely on the eBay feedback system as any indication of the honesty or integrity of the member.

Selling Gold Sovereigns & Other Coins on eBay
We point out that sellers may often get more money, for less effort, by selling to a specialised dealer, such as us, rather than via eBay.

Copyright Notice
Please see our "Copyright" page for further information.