Hey everyone I have only been on this site for a week and I have become so humble in my once proud but modest collection of coins. You all have such beautiful rare coins in great condition and am sometimes embarrassed to post my treasured Morgan's. I am posting because I want to know your methods of finding coins. It's taken me years to accumulate a few coins through inexpensive methods and most were passed down to me by past generations. A few methods I am familiar with along with coin roll hunting are purchases through eBay and Craigslist, snoozing the tellers which is not always successful, and Through everyday commercial interactions. You'd also be surprised what you find when you look at the floor as you walk. So how do you find coins? And can rare coins only be obtains by paying large amounts? Are there any types of local or online markets that I should visit? Can any good deals be found in new York? Ps : Most of my silver quarters and dimes were found at work but has since become scarce since I told coworkers about the potential value.
Hey, we all have different size collections. I don't even have Morgans to post! I don't have anything expensive, but all my coins were from family who have found them in circulation, or ones that I got from the bank. The rest of my coins I have bought online.
First, you should never try to compare your collection to what others may have. Some of us have been collecting for decades......Doug for centuries......and the younger collectors can look forward to establishing a career and having greater disposable income down the road. The biggest advantage that you and others have, today, is the instant access via the internet to information that decades ago wasn't available so readily. What you are able to learn in a matter of a few hours took weeks, months, even years for some of us. Granted, you're not likely to find too many rare coins searching rolls and pocket change, but I must caution you about buying raw coins on eBay until you have gained enough experience to detect problem coins and counterfeits. That same caution should be trebled when using Craigslist because it is almost totally unregulated. Not only will you find disreputable sellers on CL, but the criminal element as well. In time, as your income increases, you will be able to afford those rarer coins and be willing to pay the premiums that are associated with them. For now, just have fun, and if you should happen to find a rare coin in your searches, it will be the icing on the cake. Chris
It's hard to not compare my collection with others. But thanks for the advice. It seems like the only way to get rare or silver coins is to buy them at a premium. Hopefully I will learn what is a good deal through experience. But it would still be interesting to know what methods other collectors use. Banks have been stripped of rare coins by collectors for the most part.
It really depends on what you want and/or view as rare. Sure, silver is getting much harder to find today than in years past, but it is still out there, and if you have a connection at the bank, all the better. If you stick with picking up rolls of halves, sooner or later you will find something. As for finding something (other than silver) that is valuable, you may wish to learn about varieties. While most are not worth much, there are a few that are. There are a lot of people who roll search looking for such coins, but another option is picking dealers or even ebay sellers. You really just need to know what you're doing, what to look for, and how to separate the good from bad. Books such as "Cherrypickers" can help, but are costly, and since there is a lot of good info available online, if interested in taking this route, I suggest you start there. Even if you do not find anything valuable, the fun can be in the hunt. Craigslist... be very careful. Cpm9ball is absolutely right. In my area craigslist is full of wannabes, dreamers, and deal seekers, so it is also full of those wishing to prey upon such people. Everything from self-slabbed nonsense coins to counterfeit US or foreign coins offered as junk silver. Almost every time I look (which is rarely these days) there is someone offering the deal of a lifetime, which is usually nothing more than near worthless dreck, while others are trying to sham silver/gold out of unsuspecting old ladies. It might not be this bad everywhere, but the point stands. This is (at least in part) what I was talking about in the other thread with the "deal mentality" and why it is important not to focus only on price. Ebay is another sinkhole, and is much better than craigslist, but you still need to educate yourself before jumping in. A good and honest dealer who is willing to work with and teach you really can be a valuable asset, but the best thing you can do is take the time to learn and get a feel for where your interests really are.
Create a thread in the introduction forum. I let the community know the vicinity in which I live in, and I received 3 personal messages recommending coin shops in my area.
Well - I will share an alternative to all the above: Put a small wanted ad in your local paper. I do that in the UK, and although I get asked to look at a lot of junk, I have also had some enormous victories that will pay for the ad for the next 50 years. Many people are convinced that their old drawer full of coins - local and foreign - are too worthless to take to the bank, so a small ad offering cash for old coins can get them moving. I have had a bag of old coins that the owner described as "c**p" which proved to be mostly 19th Century Indian Silver. I have had bag loads of pre-decimal coinage that the owners have wanted no more than face value for that have contained large numbers of 0.500 and 0.925 silver. And on top of that, searching and researching through 20 kilos of mixed coinage is great fun, and a real education!
748 I think you are going to find that there are a limited number of inexpensive methods for finding coins, and there isn't too much point in 50 more people posting to say what has already been said.748 Chris
There's gotta be lots of ways of finding coins. Doesn't have to be inexpensive just something out of the norm. I hadn't thought of putting an add in a newspaper or ordering through magazines. Any particular dealers that are notable? Some antique shops near me have coins and I am sometimes able to get at melt value.
i buy 99% of everything i have from coin stores of flea markets. if you have done your homework and with a little luck you can find expensive coins for far below their numismatic value. best two finds so have been an 1888 S morgan and a 1844 O seated half double die. lots of dealers go through so many coins they sometimes miss stuff, and thats where the bargains are.
