Is APMEX good? I see a lot of drill holes,wiping, and other cleaning stuff on many auctions and I'm looking for a good vendor. I have a list of silver /gold commemoratives, silver and gold US coins (including 20 Ase rolls) I want to get but worry about real quality and fakes. I don't want stabbed either as I enjoy looking at the coins in detail. Of course I don't want to pay any large premium as they are not only an investment (bullion valuation notwithstanding) but an art that I enjoy. Thanks for your input
I've dealt with them. I have not ever had an issue, but I use them exclusively for bullion buys, not numismatic. Their pricing is on par with anyone else in the game.
I've bought bullion & semi-numismatics recently from APMEX. And I've placed many orders in the last 6 months with ProvidentMetals and JMBullion. No problems and would buy from any of them again. Of course, shop for best price!!! And unless you're in a hurry, you get best prices with a "cash" payment -- snail-mail personal check works for me. There are other payment options.
Watch for limited-time "flash" bullion sales: https://www.reddit.com/r/Silverbugs But sometimes the window-to-buy is VERY small (2-4 hours). And sometimes quantities are limited.
As far as real quality and fakes go, I don't think that's an issue with any of the major bullion dealers. Drill holes wouldn't bother me on generic bars, provided I'm paying for the actual silver weight of the bar. And, if I'm in it for the silver, cleaning doesn't seem like a big deal, especially with generic rounds and bars.
Try https://comparesilverprices.com Up to the minute prices for several dealers on a variety of items. An excellent matrix.
You're right, pretty hard to look at a coin if a knife is stabbed through it. I wonder what high-quality knives PCGS and NGC have.
