I will be moving across the country in about six weeks and I was wondering how I should transport my coins. In the car with me or in the moving van or pod depending on which one I get?
Mail them registered mail to youself. You can put alot of coins in a large flat rate box. Even if the RM costs you $60, it's probably worth it.
Keep in mind that Registration BY ITSELF carries a maximum indemnity of $45. You must add insurance to the level of protection you desire. In case of loss, you must also PROVE what the coins are worth, and for obscure items, that's damn hard. A delay of six months is not unusual for payment for lost collectibles; it is not a high priority at USPS. When I moved thousands of dollars' worth of stamps cross-country in 2005, I packed them in the middle of boxes of bedding and clothing and ordinary household goods, in plastic bags, inside more plastic bags to protect against a leaky van. I did not ship anything. Every state has different laws for carrying guns in a vehicle, and most of the laws are stacked against self-protection. The biggest argument against carrying collectibles in your car is the risk of accident and injury, where your car is towed somewhere while you're taken to the hospital or at least the ER. Nowadays, any traffic stop may lead to a complete search of your car, depending on the officer's nasty mood, thus revealing both guns AND coins. If a mover is not picking up additional loads en route to your destination, coins buried deep down in household goods are relatively inaccessible, and, no one knows they are there except you. Most movers will not insure coins. A private insurer like Joseph Wood or Collectibles Insurance Agency may have a special, but costly, plan. Still, I'd look into it. Both are, or have been, affiliated with the ANA and/or APS. Your homeowner's (or tenant) policy essentially covers NOTHING, after all the exceptions and conditions. I will admit, moving valuables is a real problem with no good answers.
The maximum indemnity you quote is for international registered. The maximum "published" indemnity for registered in the USA is $25,000 but I know for a fact it is actually significantly higher. That said, moving with a coin collection is a complete PITA.
As Tom said, look into insuring it, if you feel it's value is worth it. Don't leave in your car if you are not with it every minute.
This could be the ideal time to insure your collection, using an ANA-recommended company, provided it includes travel insurance which meets your needs.
One thing I would NOT recommend is shipping even low value coins etc by UPS. I did that one time I moved and they ended up at a nearby high school - fortunately for me I tracked them down and retrieved them.
Yeah it's never out of my or my wife's sight. I do have moving insurance. It's going in the car with me though not in the truck.
It really depends upon how many coins you have! When I moved from Denver to California, I had 8 - 18 gallon totes filled with coins along with a 1976 Les Paul Custom Deluxe, a Gibson Hummingbird and a new wife. It was a 2 day drive and we stopped for the night in Nevada moving the coins and guitars into the Motel Room. No problems at all even though the car was carrying close to 250 additional pounds of weight and it showed. If you only have coins enough to fill a suitcase, then take them with you and be careful if you're carrying a weapon since you could very well be arrested in a State where you do not have a permit. The trick to security is to simply act unobvious and not act suspicious as the only folks that know what you have is YOU. Everybody else has to guess and you don't want to give them a reason to start guessing. Coin Dealers get robbed because they leave major coin shows and get followed. The crooks KNOW what they are carrying. Crooks have NO IDEA what every car on the road might be carrying. Good Luck in your move.