Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;NovembersDoom6, post: 3641613, member: 105392&quot;]Hello,</p><p><br /></p><p>I have always been interested in collecting coins and have a bunch I collected as a child, though nothing particularly valuable. Now I&#039;m looking to get back into collecting, and have decided to start a few series of modern, BU, one-ounce silver coins from other countries. (E.g., some of the recent animal bullion series from Canada and Australia.)</p><p><br /></p><p>I have been wondering where I should get these uncirculated coins from. Here are some of my thoughts; but I was wondering what you guys think based on your experiences, as I&#039;m really not sure which is the best.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have thought about the bullion sites, such as APMEX and JMBullion. These seem to offer some benefits. One is price; usually a couple bucks cheaper than eBay even with shipping. Another is I feel confident that I would be getting genuine coins, no worries about unscrupulous sellers or fakes. But a downside is not being able to see the exact coin, especially if it&#039;s one that&#039;s a couple or a few years old. Even in BU condition it could have some white spots or scratches, and it would be hard to return or exchange if it&#039;s advertised as BU. I like to display my coins and so if I get an uncirculated coin with stuff like that and it&#039;s too noticeable, it would always bother me. Another potential downside is they don&#039;t usually ship in airtight capsules and may not be&nbsp; stored the best way. I have capsules to transfer them to once they arrive, so that isn&#039;t the problem, I&#039;m just a bit worried they may arrive in not the best shape.</p><p><br /></p><p>For eBay, downsides are cost (often people reselling them from the bullion places), and the potential for fakes or coins that aren&#039;t as advertised. The coins I&#039;m looking to collect aren&#039;t particularly rare or valuable ($20-30 range for most including shipping) so there may be less incentive to make fakes but still I know it&#039;s possible to get fakes. (I also plan to collect a few others that may be riskier, like Chinese silver pandas, but I think for those I&#039;m gonna stick to NGC- or PCGS-graded speciments.) eBay from my understanding offers protection against this but still it just sounds like a hassle. An upside is individual sellers may be more willing to accept a refund or exchange than the bullion sites. And of course lastly, the main upside is I can see the exact coin I&#039;m purchasing. This is a big reason I&#039;m drawn to the eBay listings, given that the aesthetics are important to me as more of a collector than just an investor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Overall, I think I&#039;m leaning toward buying from the bullion sites. Cheaper and more trustworthy, and they probably wouldn&#039;t sell coins that are too damaged or else I could contact them about it. But I&#039;m curious to hear you guys&#039; thoughts on this and see what you think the best option is, before I start buying coins and realize I&#039;ve already made a mistake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in