I have really only dealt with coin shops and the mint. So can any of you tell me if the ads in coin magazines like skyline coins or coast to coast are worth buying. Thanks
I have heard several collectors say that Coast to Coast overgrades their coins. I have only dealt with one dealer from a magazine, I think he advertises in Coin World....Har-Mans Coins from Harrisburg, PA. I think he's pretty fair with his prices. Others in here will have their favorites and pass them along to you.
I've bought stuff from Robert Charles Coins, who has an ad in coin world, a few times, and was satisfied with the quality and prices, at least for the stuff I got. YMMV.
I buy most US coins from dealers whom I've dealt with before. I would never have a problem buying anything from Jack Beymer, or Steve Estes. I don't want to recommend too many others, because some of them, I just haven't purchased that much from, and others, I wasn't impressed 100% every time. Just to be clear, I never expect to get more than I pay for, and I will not stand for paying for more than I get. With the two I mentioned, I've always gotten what I considered to be an accurately described coin, at a fair market price.
Some people may think that Jack Beymer's prices are a little high compared to others in the magazines, but I believe that most of his coins are of very nice quality and as advertised. I think Ken Pines was expelled from the ANA for selling whizzed coins as UNC pieces. I usually avoid the large outlets advertising in the coin magazines.
A long time ago I bought some Philippine silver pesos from Valley View and now after 2 years with no further orders they are still sending me their stupid catalogues. I've sent over a dozen e-mails asking to be removed from the mailing list but to no avail... I've given up and don't even bother opening them now. just throw them into the composter...
You've got to look at it like this. Would you buy a car based on an add in the newspaper? Would you buy a house based on an add in the newspaper? How about a mail order stove and refrigerator? Most people, if smart, want to see what they are buying prior to slapping down the money. I have bought coins from 3 different dealers in the past based on adds or thier web sites. In all 3 exaples the coins were OK but if I was to see them first I wouldn't have gone though with the deal. I now only buy coins from coin shows, coin stores, flea markets or any place I can see what I am buying.
Beware of Skyline Coins ****DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM SKYLINE COINS****** I bought a gem brilliant uncirculated 1931-s Cent from them and when I sent it to be graded it came back as Altered-ungradable. Seems the S was added later. Very good job but didn't hold up under magnification. I thought OK this kind of thing happens from time to time. I will call the company and explain what happened and they will send me a replacement. I called skyline to ask about an exchange and the person in customer service was very unhelpful and rude. Told me too bad, I couldn't return it and they don't accept the "opinion" of grading services like PCGS. I asked to speak to a manager and they refused to get one on the phone. I asked who the president of the company was and where I could send the letter. She said she didn't know the presidents name and to just send it to the PO box and address it to customer service. I was polite and reasonable and in no way deserved this type of treatment. Take my warning do not buy coins from this horrible company. You will be very disappointed.
My grandmother's maiden name was Estes. About 20 years ago I came across Steve Estes at a coin show in Reno. (I'm not 100% sure about where so don't quote me.) Anyway, I was drawn to him because of his last name and I bought a raw BU Pan-Pac half from him for $425. He guaranteed the coin was Uncirculated. My grading skills were all but non-existant back then so I submitted the coin to ANACS. It came back AU-something. I returned the coin to Mr. Estes for a refund. I remember him blasting me for questioning his grading skills and his reputation (which I did not). He ranted and raved for a good bit and said some bad things about me but finally refunded my entire purchase price. He made a lasting impression on me. I decided then that I did not want to do business with him again and so far I have not. That is just one person's experience. Your mileage may vary.
All of the big dbl page spread ads you see every week have been a source of a grief thread on many different blog sites and message boards. I think it best to avoid them. They are like the Ebay "blue listers" that highlight all the generic "deals" every week and prey on newbies. I have had great success with the folowing advertisers, Millers Mint....Jack Beyhmer.....EBW Coin. Both Millers Mint and Jack Beyhmer were in person deals tho, I made large purchases and was able to get a better deal due to size of order or quantity purchased. Have not ever bought from them online or thru the ads tho.
I have dealt with Skyline for some time now. Here's my take. They rarely if ever use the M.S. grading system, instead, useing terms like "choice" or "Gem". If you are looking to buy B.U. coins this can be misleading as I have found that many of their choice B.U. coins can be borderline B.U.'s. I have not bought a really bad coin so far but a recent purchase of a group of Unc. full red Indian Head cents returned me a coin with carbon spots that were not in the description. On the other hand a recent purchase of a 1918s Liberty quarter in Unc. at about half it's book value was a truly nice example. Not a full head, but then I would not have expected that for the price I paid. All in all they do sell nice coins. I would try a small oder from their monthly catalog, which you can request, and not order from their spreads in Numismatic News. The catalogs contain all sorts of specials and I have run into many clearance items that were a really nice value. Hope this helps you. Take care.
This is sort of like the many posts about different coin dealers. There have been posts about good, bad, great on line or through the internet dealers. One of the problems is if the dealer is new and you have a bad experience, after a while they may change and become a great dealer. I know of one that USED to be fantastic and now I wouldn't even mention thier name. Probably one of the worst. People change, stores change so some dealers do also. One of the few I've done buisness with is Millers Mint. Nothing great but you get what they say, fast, not bad prices. Hopefully they don't change. But you never know. I've always wanted to see a permanent sticky here about dealers but that would mean a constant update by everyone I guess.
As a follow up and having had some time to think I will add the following...A purchase many years ago from Steve Musil was excellent, a recent purchase from Mt. Vernon was well recieved but my last visit to my local dealer in Pittsfield,Ma was a disaster. I brought along my price guide and while looking through some coins, I pulled out the guide to do a price comparison and was promptly kicked out of the store along with language directed at me that I will not mention here.Was this the wrong thing to do? Bringing along the guide? Heck, I can't remember what day of week it is sometimes, let alone remember the price of every coin I would like to purchase.Jeez, what's a poor collector to do?
coin mag ads ...........it's too bad that consumer reports magazine doesn't evaluate coin dealers with their "best buy or recommended" listings. until then it might be a good bet to choose dealers advertised that belong to reputable organizations such as the ana or png. jmo
I have had experiences with these coin magazine ads. Many times you will recieve whizzed coins, so be aware how to detect this. Most will take them back or exchange them, but it may be a bit more of a hassle than you care to deal with. I've gotten burnt once, but since have educated myself and it will not happen again. My best coin purchasing experiences are still from my local coin shop.
Heck no...it was the right thing to do. Always go prepared. The coin shop I visit the most always hands me the latest grey sheets the second I walk through the door, as they do with all their regulars. They want to make sure I know I'm being treated fairly. I wouldn't go back to that shop in Pittsfield if I were you. Guy~
