I have been wanting to start a world coin collection that are dated around 1800 to early 1900(G+VF) and I have been unsuccesful on my searches. I bought some bulk of world coins on 5 different occassions, all have been a failure. I tried ebay 3 times and found that the coins are usually around 1940's and up and tried a couple of sites. And I see people selling these coins on ebay individually but the shipping are sometimes outrageous for some of the ones I liked. Its obvious that these sellers are getting these coins somewhere in bulk and Im being ripped off maybe on the coin itself and obviously the shipping. Anyone have any Idea where I can reach those sources or Idea to find these kind of coins in bulk???. I have like 25 lbs of coins and I only found 13 coins that are dated along those lines that im looking for. I actually LOVE the search, I find it very exciting but isnt this a bit ridiculous?. 25 lbs and only 13 coins... I need direction! please.... :headbang:
13 1800s coins in 25 pounds is not surprising if it's the $5-$10/lb mix. If you want a bulk mix with lots of 1800s, expect to pay $15-$25++/lb off ebay, and high quality bulk lots are somewhat rare, sometimes there are weeks between decent offerings.
Ah, i see... I specifically have to look for those kind of bulks to find what I want. Are there any other sellers besides people on ebay where I find these types of coins in bulk?. Thanks for the reply by the way.
I was lucky to be able to pick up 1.4 kilos of old Tsar copper coins that ranged from 1700-1916. It wasn't cheap as it ended up to be around 170USD which I thought was outrageously expensive as this was a totally corroded, rusty lot. The funny thing is, I sold all the duplicates at 10 dollars or more per 100grams. I guess there are value to it even though they are corroded... I was also lucky to win about 300 corroded Japanese Meiji era coins, most of them being 1 sen for about 40USD. I guess they aren't THAT cheap but you get my idea. Unless you lower your expectation to corroded / scrap condition, I don't think you can find them much cheaper.
Buying old world coins in G-F grade is certainly a bad idea in the first place unless they are silver. Old copper and other metal coins are very affordable in Vf-Xf condition. I have never bought coins by weight coz first the quality in most cases won't be satisfactory and there will always be chances of finding what I already have. I would recommend you to buy the coins individually from ebay or any dealer. If you buy from ebay find a seller who sells atleast 30-40 coins in your want list at fair price and then bargain with them the shipping charge before bidding; that's what I do and for that much coins the sellers happily decreases the combined shipping rates in most cases. If you don't have any idea about world coin prices buy the latest Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins and also check out this website
You might try some local coin shows. Meet dealers that deal in foreign coins and spend some time chatting them. GL and welcome to CT
Wow, that is amazing. The oldest coin I have found from the bulk was 1888. And that rest is early 1900's.
The thing is I am starting from scratch and I am not really picky about the grading. Im going to try that though.
I tried speaking to a local dealer and as soon as I said "bulk" of world coins, he pretty much gave me an attitude(dont know why). He said he only deals with individual coins and gave me a very firm NO, like im am not a true "collector".
www.educationalcoin.com www.smyrnacoin.com I am looking to buy some coins from these two sites. What do you guys think?, anybody ever purchase from them before?.
He makes money off of buying in bulk and selling individually. Try another and another until you find one willing to deal with you. Finding a local source could have advantages when coins come available. GL
I'd suggest taking an afternoon sorting through your dealer's stock. So long as the shop isn't busy they won't mind you sitting there for a few hours. Pull out the ones you want, you'll pay more per coin but considering you weren't interested in 99% of the coins in the bulk lots this way will be a lot cheaper. You should be able to sort pretty quickly if you're only looking for a certain date range. I do this all the time. I take a copy of a spreadsheet with the coins in my collection, take a seat and look through the containers of world coins getting the ones I don't have yet. Depending on the shop the coins are anywhere from 10 cents to $1 each bought out of the bulk lots. Lots of shops have different containers for the older and nicer coins, I'd check there for the C19th coins you're after. I only have one duplicate 19th century coin at the moment otherwise I'd offer to do a trade with you.
