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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;jeankay, post: 373348, member: 12159&quot;]Hi Coinked,</p><p>A couple months ago I ordered two coins from SGS/Aboncom.</p><p>Fortunately I was skeptical of their claim the coins were perfect MS70, as I know that relatively few coins can meet that grade at the more reliable grading companies.</p><p>However, with that said, I did get coins that are obviously business uncirculated. The coins were good enough for most of us amateurs who need to fill empty spots in our albums.</p><p>Only one time have I received a coin from them that I felt was well worthy of a really good grade, but still not MS70. It is a beautiful Buffalo nickel that is a great uncirculated MS+ example.</p><p>The last time I ordered one coin from them, they had changed their shipping costs. They were going to charge me twice+ for postage than I paid for the coin.</p><p>No way was I going to do that. Apparently they are now shipping only UPS, which is more expensive than the post office. </p><p>I went back to the ad and discovered a section in their shipping quotes that said you can request post office shipping, which is what I demanded, as it was ten dollars less.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>With any auction or direct purchase you need to do a little research and determine what you are willing to pay for the coin based on its actual worth and the amount of money in your budget. Even though other collectors might disagree with me, I think a copy of the Red Book of Coins (for US coins) is a good starting place. In time you will likely want to branch out into specific areas of interest. Because I was most interested in completing my Lincoln cent set, the first three books I acquired were the 2008 Red Book, the &#039;Photograding&#039; book, and the &#039;Looking Through Lincoln Cents&#039;. </p><p>These books gave me a fairly good foundation for knowing at what price the coins are valued, and the grade my wallet can afford. </p><p>Later I purchased more books, including &#039;Cherry Pickers Guide&#039;, &#039;The Lincoln Cent Double Die&#039;, and for nickels the &#039;Official Red Book, A Guide Book of Buffalo and Jefferson Nickels&#039;. And, of course, the new 2009 Red Book.</p><p>As for affording the books, try Amazon and stores that sell used books, and you can probably find a bargain or two.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I guess I have babbled on enough for this post, so I will let it go at that for now.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Do not ever feel like you are bugging the knowledgeable collectors on CT because they really do like to help. Maybe someday I can be knowlegdeable enough to be counted among their flock. Until then, I keep asking questions, posting pictures for opinions, and hoping I am doing something right when it comes to purchases I plan to keep for a long time.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Good luck on your searching and acquisitions.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>jeankay[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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