Okay everyone. I'd like some advice on coin buying from those who advertise in Coin World. I am fairly new at coin collecting and in the past I had asked whether the big advertisers in CW were worthy or not and most responses said to stay away from them. My question tonight is; Has anyone out there dealt with Mount Vernon Coin Company? They have a small ad in CW and I have checked out their website. If you have done business; Would you buy from them again? I do go to my local Coin Shop, but I'd really like to find an online dealer I can trust. I don't want to waste my hard earned money. Thanks.
You know, I have found that depending on what type of coins your are targeting, the seller I utilize may be different. I use alot of ebay, 'buy it now'/ 'visit sellers store' functionality and take advantage of multiple purchase S$H incentives for these Lincoln cents I'm into now. These sellers are understandibly always in the US. I would make sure that you review their feedback before even considering dealing with them or any other ebay seller however. For my Canadian collection, I'll buy off this or that seller for older Canadian silver coinage, and for recent RCM products, I'll either order right from the mint if it is still available, or from another preferred seller. Who-ever I order from, I feel much easier when the items are shipping from Canada where I live. I've got stung on one occasion by Canada Customs demanding 20 bucks in duty on a Canadian coin that was originally minted in Canada that I bought from a U.S seller. I contested it and they sent me a cheque for 7 bucks, with no follow-up explaination what so ever. In a nut shell, I wouldn't dismiss ebay as an important source, providing you do your homework properly..ie) know the value of what you are after, do the math properly pertaining to S+H charges etc, feedback reputations. Ok gotta go now...going to click the link that Noost posted, that I never knew existed.Thanks for the info Noost
Any certain type coin? There are lots of good dealers online - plus Heritage, DLRC, teletrade auction houses. I use heritage more than Ebay, but I do use both. Then again, I only use dealers who have decent pictures of the coins I am interested in. So you have mesacoin.com, indiancent.com, harlan berke, vtcoins.com, etc. All of those I have used with success.
Thanks to all for your feedaback! I appreciate your help. Bottom line is I want to enjoy collecting, but with all I read regarding chinese counterfiets and big dealers selling items maybe not really BU but cleaned or dipped has me concerned. So , I thought I would bring it to my peers. Thanks again! I'll look at the sites you've all listed for me.
I was going to say check out local dealers first but then I saw your location & said never mind. (No offense intended) Start off with getting the cheap coins you can get BU coins that are current for just a few dollars. Always check the online retailer's shipping costs & return policies. Just remember they are human. Not every online retailer is huge like Littleton. It may take time for them to process your order. It happens they send you the wrong coin just let them know. I know people love slabbs but if you really want to get into the hobby I highly suggest a coin grading book such as Photograde or Making the Grade.(Your online dealer may have these on hand to include with your order) Also I know many people love ebay. You can get great deals or be burned. I'd say learn more about the hobby before attempting e-bay.
You can't go wrong by clicking the Mesacoin.com link at the top of the pages for this thread. ArizonaJack is a member here and is a top notch dealer to work with. As others have noted, it may depend on what you are looking for. It's just that some dealers are stronger and have a better inventory of specific series of coins.
I last dealt with Mt. Vernon 35+ years ago as a novice. I bought their ad leader, a 1922 BU peace dollar. It wasn't bad as it was priced as an AU, which was fair as it was an AU rather than a BU. I still have it as it is symbolic, and now it would probably grade AU55 or so, dipped but lustrous. Obviously with other sources now such as coin forums, I would be hesitant to buy, but this is true of 90% of Coin world dealers. Jim
Thanks again for your feedback. I guess I'd say I am somewhat looking at low end to mid right now. High end merchandise isn't possible at the present. I'm still trying to figure how I want to collect, ex: by a certain coin or by denomination. I do have one local dealer about 40 minutes away and I have been treated fairly. I check values with pcgs, red book, blue book, and so forth so I get a ballpark figure. When I go to purchase I try to have my shopping list with values, although I do sometimes grab up a coin that may catch my eye. I am learning by using coin talk, reading websites and I do have a grading book(ANA Grading Standards).
I do most of my buying on the internet these days, but tend to avoid Ebay since it is a much higher risk market. Who you use depends on what you want, and cheaper isn't always better. One dealer might be better for moderns, the US Mint website is good for their offerings, another dealer might be better for ordinary circulated coins, and still another for high end stuff. The dealer list posted above is a good start, but you have to develop your own sources over time.
