I have seen numerous ads for "Skyline Coins", it looks to me like they have some good deals. Has anyone ever dealt with them? Good? Bad? Also, I wonder what do you guys think about mail order coins in general? Thanks.
It all depends on who you are buying from. There are some dealer's that I would never even hesitate to buy from, mail order or otherwise. Can't help you with Skyline though.
I would not suggest buying from Skyline coins. Most of the full-page advertisers in Coin World sell dipped AU coins as BU. When I ordered some coins from Paul Sims(another Coin World rip-off), Skyline started sending me their catalog. When I returned some coins to Paul Sims, both catalogs stopped coming. Charlie
Btw, I have always been curious if Brilliant Uncirculated equates with a certain grade, or is a general term applied to multiple grades?
I try not to buy anything in coins that I can't examine up close, in person. Through the mail it is all just a chance in most cases. I always look at it as if it won't sell at a coin show, coin shop, in person dealer, then put it up on the internet or a mail order thing and there is always someone out there that will take a chance. I've only bought a few coins from so called reputable dealers via the internet system and not really hurt but in all cases the coins were just not quite as advertised.
It probably means you will receive a dipped coin that grades somewhere between AU and MS62 depending on a lot of factors including the grading skill and integrity of the seller.
Choice Brilliant Gem Uncirculated (with Chopmarks) It depends. Technically "brilliant" merely means "without toning or patina." (See the ANA Grading Guide.) Usually, however, Brilliant only goes ahead of the term "Uncirculated." In my experience, a Brilliant Uncirculated coin grades from MS-64 or MS-65. Uncirculated MS-60 to MS-63 Choice Uncirculated MS-62 to MS-64 Brilliant Uncirculated MS-64 or MS-65 Gem Uncirculated MS-66 + These are adjectives with no rule, law, definition or other guideline except common experience and expection. And the overlap comes from different dealers and collectors meaning similar but different things by the words.
