Hello everyone, my name is Chris and I have been a coin collector for ten years. My question today is the following, I have been offered a job in Eastern Europe and I am very stressed because of my coin collection. I have to ship several completed sets of Morgan Silver dollars, Silver American Eagles and 5,000 other raw silver coins. How can I take my collection with me, and are there restrictions on this issue? I have contacted USPS and other shippers and no one has been able to provide a clear answer. I am counting on my fellow numismatist's to help me with this, I will decline this job if I cannot take my collection with me. I need your help folks, please. Thank you all in advance for your courtesy and help.
Yes this job is permanent, I have been laid off for two years and this is the first offer since. Again, I am an active collector and I do not trust leaving it in a bank vault.
Wow. I really can't help with advice but I'm sure that someone who does know something will chime in soon. You raise a very interesting question. I wonder if there are any private concerns who deal exclusively in the shipping of valuables such as coin collections and works of art. I wouldn't trust the postal service or any of the European postal services as well.
Luggage is physically checked previous to departure on all international flights. My collection would only become a TSA agent's early retirement plan.
Do you realize how much luggage gets lost at airports? Sometimes stolen or accidentally picked up by someone else? As to the OPs question, dealers came into the ANA show at Rosemont last summer and they had a FedEx booth set up right there. Some shipped their entire inventory there which Im sure was in the millions. FedEx ships them but dont know about an over seas shipment. Its got to be about the same process plus some customs fees and paperwork. Thats the scary part.
I would either leave it with parents, a trusted sibling, or a SDB with a few years prepaid. Sorry, but I simply foresee reimportation issues, VAT issues, or similar bringing this much stuff overseas long term.
Thank you I appreciate your input, I am very much adamant about my collection due to the time, money and effort in building my sets. I need this job, however, my collection are like children to me and difficult to entrust to anyone. I will continue to research this dilemma and share my results with everyone.
Really? Re-read the OP then re-think your question. You may have to repeat these instructions a few times before you get it, though.
First, welcome to the neighborhood, Chris! Have you checked with DHL Global Services. I know they shipp overseas, and you can even have it delivered overnight. The only thing I'm unsure of is the restrictions for insurance purposes. Chris
If you've been unemployed for 2 years now and really need a job, I'd say don't decline due to your coin collection. Call TSA and the airline you plan to fly on about their rules on carrying these on the flight with you (not checking them in to get potentially lost). Also, you should be able to send these via postal carrier, just make sure you have paperwork proving their worth and insure them. People send coins all the time through sales, probably not whole collections but it's allowed. Just check with the carriers, etc.
Thank you for your advice, I will be going to DHL in person in the morning. I believe you may have hit the nail on the head, and yes I will also ask about the restrictions and insurance. I appreciate your help, thank you.
Hello & welcome to CT. I hope that you will start a few more threads & post some of your coins for discussion(s). The fact that you have completed sets of Morgan dollars is intriguing. IMO you should store the material in a few USA bank safe deposit boxes. This recommendation is multi faceted. Recognize that you may not know details about the security in Eastern Europe. You haven't discussed the vault & SDB situation in your Eastern European country. You also haven't discussed the taxes & tariffs regarding your import, and possible later export of your materials. The actual transportation of the coins is simple compared to these issues. Like others have said, Fed Ex and DHL can be used for the safe transportation. It is the rest of the story that is messy. Please post some coin photos.
:welcome: May I ask what country you are moving to? Over here I don`t think banks offer vault services (that is in Ireland but based on what I hear in Britain too, other countries I`m not sure of) People over here (in general) rely on alarms and insurance on valuable items.