Featured "COINS - AS SEEN ON TV!" Featuring RCTV Rare Collectibles TV

I️ recently started looking at coins since I️ had kids was something my grandfather got me into while being a commercial pilot when I️ was very young. Bought a 2017 s congratulations silver eagle on HSN obviously paid more than I️ should of after doing research. Coins is pf70 very nice. Since I️ trusted in some eBay purchases of gold eagles pf70 and gold buffalo pf70. At the end of day I️ buy what I️ like. Would love some feedback who some of you coin vets really trust on quality and price?

 

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You can look at the coins on HSN, but I would suggest you don't buy any of them. In my opinion, they are the highest priced coins on TV and he uses ANACS a second tier grading company. PCGS and NGC are the top two grading companies. Most of the time I see what's new on a show called Coin Vault and then check eBay if I see a coin I like. The TV shows have a high overhead- TV time, crew, lights, phone bank, etc. so eBay normally beats the TV shows by at least 25% or more.

There's a show called Rick Tomaska's RCTV, it's worth watching a few times, but he tends to do a lot of talking and a little selling. After a while you realize he's repeating what he said before. He loves to tell his audience the difference between proof and circulation strikes, but he does it almost every show. If you like Franklin Half Dollars or gold coins, that's a good show to watch, but again, check eBay or an online dealer, they're sure to beat his prices.

 

Cause coins look awesome on a huge screen, plus the hosts make me laugh with their sales pitch.

How much did you pay, like 400? For a silver eagle, just cause it came from a set? It's the same proof coin you can buy for 50 dollars, you know....

 

Where are the other programs mentioned here being broadcast? The only thing I see on local programing is Mike Mezak on HSN and on the History Channel with CSN.

 

I have watched Collectible Coins with Steve and Don as well. Among the TV coin shows, it seems to have competitive prices, even with eBay. The other shows do not. Well, I should add since I have not bought coins from them (or from any TV show), I don't know what the shipping and handling charges are.

Rick Tomaska, Rare CollectiblesTV, is repetitive but different enough to get me to watch. The episode with Leo Frese discussing his company OSV-Original Set Verification gave information I could not find anywhere else, even at the public library; but if Tomaska reads that Pres. Teddy Roosevelt letter one more time....

 

Yeah was $399

 

Too late to send it back?

 

Yes unfortunately but if it wasn’t for the show would not be collecting coins so lesson learned now watch to see what’s out there and then shop through other channels.

 

That’s not true. The 2017 S is not the same proof you can buy for 50.

 

Yeah, but as the put on the bottom of the screen, he's "The leading Coin Expert and Author". He has no shame, he spends 90% of the time talking about himself or his accomplishments and 10% actually selling coins. Yes, he has given interesting information, the only problem is he gives it over, and over, and over again.

I have Dish Network and get just about all the coin shows on that.

 

I have never collected US coins but use to collect US stamps so I understand collecting. As a novice, I find Rick provides a very important service and this review and the many comments totally lose......I will try to explain a concept I think is sadly being lost.

For me, Rick is a superb resource to learn whay coins to shop for. All the pricing comments are an after the fact assessment of what Rick may charge vs some un specified alternate seller....this is false logic and wrong. First off, lets imagine the other way around. Go to some unknown seller , pick a coin and cross reference his coin price vs Rick. Now a person like me has the problem of #1, how do I even decide which random coin to shop for? In my situation the mere fact Rick had a convenient TV show brings to my attention and many many thousands more, the coins to shop for to begin with. I view him pointing us in the right direction as very valuable information. Now armed with this, I go shopping. Rick has already provides me a free consultation to select certain coins. #2. Imagine we select a coin that Rick show never brought to our attention and looked for prices. We go to dome unknown people and we go to his prices. Lets say he is higher priced. But now we have to fqvtor in the safety factor of his reputation and service and being tip of the line. To me, buying a graded collectable coin must be from a reputable source. That has value. #3 Does the coin collecting community understand that shows like Ricks do all collectors a huge service because he is creating mire demand for collectable coins. He brings new people into the market and then we specifically have interest in the coin he is offering. This bigger interest broadens the market creates more demand and the coin us worth more and goes up. The review analysis is flawed on value because it pre supposes that the safety and security of purchase from a reputable dealer has no value. Thay is very wrong. Would you buy a diamond from anyone or pay more at Tiffany? The review pricing stance is taken "After the fact" meaning once RCTV has steered the buyer in the right direction to begin with. Knowing what coin to even consider for a novice like me is valuable......so to my thinking, I place a monetary value of 15- 20% for 2 HUGELY IMPORTANT services RCTV provides a novice like me. And non novices too. Namely what coin should I consider buying and I know you are completely reputable for coin quality and service.......it seems absurd to me to be OK paying auctions all kinds of xtra fees above the actual price of a coin yet a highly knowledgable and reputable reference like Rick in a jungle of otherwise unknown and unreliable sellers should have 0 value.

For me, if I see coins on RCTV and they are priced within 15-20% of elsewhere, adding it all up and no hassle friendly service too, I see this as a bargain. And many of you should too.

 

Are you new to this, Mickey? Oh, that's right... you've never collected the types you're here advising us on. Well, neither have I, but what I did do was spend 25 years of my life dealing with folks on a daily basis who have thought along similar lines, and can promise you that very rarely did things turn out as peachy as you suggest. If you respect the man's books, that's great, but his approach (as addressed here) is garbage designed not to benefit the collector, but to pad pockets at their expense. Knowledge is key in this hobby, and there's no television show or marketed name that can ever make up for the lack of it.

If you liked collecting this way, that too would be great, but please don't come here suggesting the same should apply to everyone or that we should see things the same way as an admitted novice does. As sorry as I am to say it, the chances of you experiencing a big wake up call down the road are significantly greater than any supposed benefit of dealing with Tomaska TV will ever offer you. Best of luck.

 

A few years back, as an experiment, I created a list of selected coins being sold on his show and compared them to latest (6 month) auction prices. In all cases his prices were at least 25% higher. His use of EBay prices being asked as comparisons is laughable as they tend to be overpriced.

 

Thanks for the opinion on my RCTV write-up. You'll notice that overall, RCTV scored fairly well except in the category of PRICE/VALUE. I gave them a "D". I've seen a lot of RCTV since my initial write-up, and maybe a revisit is in order. But one thing that has not changed are the extraordinary prices that Rick, Jack, and James "don't call me Jimmy per Greg" Gerstel. Really. Owner Greg thought the name "Jimmy" wasn't professional. I value Quality, Knowledge of Host, and Trustworthiness in my overall assessment. And I see some ridiculously overpriced coins on RCTV when compared to other sellers. I have more notes on this than anything. If you're OK with 15% to 20% higher prices on RCTV as compared to elsewhere, great. But what about say, 50% to 100% higher? It happens a lot. There are other trustworthy sellers to buy from BTW, that even a novice can shop. Stay tuned for a more complete and up-to-date assessment of RCTV.

 

You've taken the words right out of my mouth.

 

I've been collecting coins since I was a paperboy, which was 58 years ago. I have never bought a coin from a TV show. As I stated earlier, they have large mark-ups to cover the costs involved with televised selling. I have Dish Network and they have just about every coin show on their network. I do, if nothing better is on, watch some of the shows because they tend to feature what's new. I'll then go to a local coin shop, there are 5 within easy driving distance, to see if they have the coin that interests me. I want the coin to be in my hand not on a television screen.

Mike on HSN has the highest prices, but he gets away with it for two reasons- just about everybody gets HSN and they stretch the payments out over several months. Rick Tomaska spends the majority of time either talking about himself or the difference between a Proof and Uncirculated coin. He said he would never sell bullion coins and he has kept his word, he has Jack sell them. The Coin Vault is interesting, their parent company is Silvertown, but they tend to repeat their presentations on the second half of the show. Jerimiah sold his show, the buyer didn't do well and shut down, and apparently Jerimiah decided to give it another try, but with higher prices and added S & H charges. As noted, Collectible Coins with Steve and Don seem to have the most reasonable prices, but they have a small selection of coins and judging from the condition of the original packaging, I get a feeling their buying other dealers rejects. So that's my review of some of the TV Coin Shows. Some may not agree with my comments, but that's ok, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I writing this on my Smartphone and I hate autocorrect!!!!!

 

@Mickey Rothenberg, If you would pay his prices, I have a oceanfront lot in Colorado I will sell you cheap. Rick is entertaining and does try to educate his viewers, but he twists the truth without totally lying. He tries to set the hook in unknowledgeable customers to pad his pocket. He preaches rarity, but in actuality, he rarely has a truly rare coin to sell.

 

One of Rick's favorite tactics is to create a list of populations of graded Morgan Dollars and then sell ungraded sliders to his customers, as if the are the same as graded coins. Most of his prices are 30-40% over market prices and when you add the shipping charges, then the price really inflates. By the way, he buys from the same sources as the rest of us mortal folks. If you don't mind paying a lot extra for his labor involved in building certain date runs and mini sets, then you may be satisfied with his over inflated pricing, but don't expect to re-sell your collection for anything even close to what you paid. I still get a kick from watching some of his presentations though...kinda like a numismatic comedy show. If you don't have much spare time for collecting and have deep pockets, then Rick is the right pick! Remember...he uses a proven production method to convince his viewers that his coins are the very best at the very best prices, but we all know these are just selling tactics which pay for his high overhead and make him , his staff, and the major grading companies a bundle in the process. Oh boy...guess who's on Dish in an hour?

 

Obviously the points I made are too esoteric for you to comprehend so no point repeating. America is consumed with its belief of todays lowest conceivable price on anything we can buy, except of course the business the individual seeking best price is in. I have been burnt more on lower price places than somewhat higher ones. I would gladly choose to make a purchase from Rick at what I said is a 15-20% premium for his knowledge and service. Based on that my maximum risk is 20%......to each his own