Easing Into Heritage Auctions

Throughout my short 3 years of collecting, I have bought basically all of my coins from ebay and Great Collections. As my collecting taste has grown, I have started to look on Heritage's website. That's where I now find the coins I want/need more often.

So I made my first purchase last week. I bought one lowly coin I couldn't find anywhere else. I won the online bidding, and then it moved to floor bidding. Either the bid moved up some, or Heritage just charged me my max bid amount in the end, and I won. I promptly paid my invoice.

I know with GC, I win on Sunday night and they ship on Monday afternoon, and I have it in hand on Wednesday or Thursday. About how long does it take Heritage to ship, and do they send you a notification and/or tracking number when it has shipped? Can I find the shipping info on their website? I am anxious to get my coin.

 

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Ok, 10 minutes after I posted this I got an email from them with my tracking info. All is good.

 

Heritage does not unilaterally move you up to your max bid. They must have had floor bidders, or other bidders, push you up.

 

I didnt think they did, but I know it has been briefly discussed on here in the past where others felt like the same thing happened to them. I just found it odd that it was right at my max bid. Maybe I just guessed exactly right what to bid...

 

That's normal processing time for Heritage. They send the winning bid announcement email (invoice) usually a day after the end of an auction. In this you are given the time in which to make payment under their normal terms, you complete the transaction, then some days later you receive the shipping email with tracking and service (such as USPS First Class with Signature Confirmation", etc. noted) and then you can estimate and track when your parcel(s) will arrive. Never had a problem with HA. Customer service is stellar in my experience.

You might also like to check out other auction houses that deal in numismatic material. There are lots of them out there who have their own, but Heritage is one of the largest.

Be sure to check out: sixbid.com

 

Heritage has top notch IT infrastructure. So much so, in fact, that posting to a coin forum wondering about your shipment triggers printing of your shipping label.

Seriously, though, shipping time depends on whether or not the lots won were at a show and needed to be shipped back to HA HQ before being shipped to you.

 

I noticed as a new customer at ha it took longer to ship my coins. Now I've been a regular customer and have spent a ton of money over the years not just on coins. Their real fast. They send me comp catalogs too. Most expensive thing I ever bought there not a coin a ca 1810 tavern sign in one of their Americana sales about a year ago for $12k. Cost me $750 to have it shipped to maine I sold it right away for $20k. Me I'm more comfortable spending big money on antiques then coins. Yet to break the $5k barrier. I find ha very easy to deal with and great customer service Pcgs could take some lessons from them.

 

I find stacks bowers a good place to get some good deals on coins. Partly as their site very hard to use But prices can be good

 

I have never even been to their site. Will try that out too.

 

There weekly auctions all over the place. There's a lot of crap but you can get some real nice coins for a good price. Was under $350!

 

I love Heritage. I've won many, many coins in their auctions. Some were below my highest bid, some right at it and others I had to go deep to add to my collection. Invoices are like clockwork. Shipping depends on the type of auction. If it's a signature auction, in my experience, it takes a little longer to receive. John already mentioned the reason for this. Rest assured, the coins will be in a self adhesive corrugated "sleave" inside another sealed cardboard envelope, and that will be in a USPS priority shipping envelope. Unless you buy a lot of coins, then they will arrive in a nice roll end tuck flap corrugated container.

Like Bill said, because the Stack's website frustrates so many people (me included), you can find some good deals. They have some consistently nice material too.

Legend has some upper crust coins which 90% are out of my budget, but it's fun to drool. The Morgan in my avatar was won at a Legend~Morphy auction.

Once you start buying frequently, they'll start sending you catalogs for their large auctions. Not only are they well done, the nicest coins include some interesting numismatic information. As one who is fairly new to this hobby, I learn a lot just reading the auction catalogs.

 

I've bought from heritage before and have had good luck. Although with that said they did send me the wrong coin one time. I to won a coin in the same auction that you won your in. I was hoping it was just me that thought they were slow to ship. It took them more than a week to send the coin out. I wonder if it was due to the MLK holiday, but it's for sure an area where they could improve.

 

Shhhhh, don't let the secret out. I picked up two very nice peace dollars for a very fair price.

 

I think they ship regular or preferred customers first. I win a weekend auction ships to me wed or thu. I got it Saturday or Monday signatures where I buy the most not as fast usually a week to ship stacks very fast shippers tho. If I pay Monday ships same or next day and I got it by weekend usually Friday or Saturday to go from ca to maine

 

Bought some great toned morgans cheap too. just threw in a bid on a coin I want. Really want the 76cc trade original color au 55 ddr but can't afford it right now $2600 reserve

 

All this talk is reminding me to check out the weekly lots.

 

They ship to Legacy Clients first. Since you are buying items worth $12K, it is my guess that you are indeed a Legacy Client. They ship my coins before I even pay for them. It should tell you at the top of the home screen if you have this status.

 

I know I can't be a Legacy client, but in the last three auctions I participated in they sent me my coins before I paid for them as well.

 

I watched the live auction on Heritage tonight for the first time after being outbid on the Internet bidding. It was fun to watch. I bid a few times and lost out. It seems like the coins were all selling for a lot more than I have seen them sell for in other venues. Maybe the excitement and the speed of the live bidding raises the prices...