The Definitive List of reputable online coin auction sites?

I most certainly agree with 2 and 3. 1 would really depend on the type of coin and the price.

 

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I think this is a great thread and have endorsed one of the OP's suggested online auctioneers. With that said, I wish I could purchase every single coin viewing it in hand first, and through people I've come to know. Sometimes that's just not possible though.

I was at a great Clearwater, FL show in 2013 where I really scored with some beautiful dates. The one I remember most, is with an older couple and a gentlemen whose son completed my set in a similar fashion... coin by coin, over many years. It just so happened, that the old man had 4 or 5 of my target date, out of an old dealer roll but in flips. One of them really jumped and it was an experience to compare. He must have been in his early 80's at the time, and told me I chose the right one. He'd "seen 'em all." That was the first and last time I truly ever saw any semi-key quality MS Washington's in that quantity from an old school dealer roll. I looked long and hard too. While I wish I could have taken his and his wife's experience and eye for quality w/ me, at most I took a fraction. Those are the types of dealers I'd want to trust to find my coins. As much as we genuinely enjoyed one another on a more personal level, it's the decades upon decades of viewing that they had (and I didn't and could never) that struck me most.

 

Ahem, schmuck in Yiddish is derived from shmok (Google it), and to call someone such is the same as a couple of short English words beginning with "p". Strangely in German, it means jewelry. Go figure.

Cal

 

I would expect everybody to have a different list. I know several online reputable dealers that I like - but prices are high and you do get quality coins in my opinion, but is it worth the cost? You have to judge that for yourself. At the same time with heritage a lot of people get hung up on buyers premium - just figure that, taxes and shipping into your bid. I would also say compare heritage to ebay - one or the other maybe best for a coin in question that you are looking for.

What is funny is just this week for the first time I read reviews online for my local dealer - several bad ones and one was where they did not like the premiums on precious metals, they do not hide those and will tell you when asked. I have learned with the local shop the more you know the better you can do - pretty much the same with any dealer. Just my 2 cents worth of opinion.

 

I think that for the quality offered, Heritage have some of the best coins at competitive prices. And in some auctions they offer coins that would suit almost every pocket. I have been following similarly graded coins on eBay and find that they can reach astronomical prices compared to Heritage.

The reason for that....unfortunately the less experienced buyer with an itchy trigger finger is much more common on eBay (except perhaps for ancients) than on the experienced auction sites. Also people like HA and Great Collections are well kept (or perhaps better kept) secrets.....and its best kept that way.

Now when it comes to feedback scores, I DON'T TRUST THEM AT ALL!!! Why? Simple....most of the feedback scores represent feedback from inexperienced amateurs who could not tell a fake coin from a lump of lead and are too quick to leave positive feedback. In the past I have purchased coins from sellers with 10,000s in positive feedback and they've turned out to be fake. If one leaves negative feedback, a 'well respected' seller (read 'one who earns big bucks for eBay') can and will have the negative rating removed.

Returns policies do not matter. Ebay protection is always available and again I've purchased fake coins from dealers offering a full refund, excluding postage, just to gain customer confidence. When the coins turned out to be fakes, they pleaded lack of expertise and did not even demand that the coins be returned to them.

Therefore my advice would be....initially try to buy a cheaper coin and have it checked. Once you have identified the honest dealers, try to stick with them. Ask about dealers on forums like this one. And above all....pictures can be very misleading and deceptive.....so try to but slabbed coins whenever possible, to reduce risk.

Perhaps its time to start a thread identifying honest, reliable dealers for different types of coins on eBay.

 

agreed.