Mint Products have uncirculated Mercury Dimes for sale that I have been looking for. The prices seems very high. http://www.mintproducts.com/index.as...ROD&ProdID=871 Do you think the price is fair for the year and mint mark? Thanks for your help! Is there a good web site which will give me a reasonable prices for US coins. Thanks! Al
I do a few things if I'm seriously considering a purchase that's more than a trivial amount of cash: 1. I look at ValleyCoins, see what price they have. I see a 1943-S ranges from MS-63 $15 to MS-65 $25 2. I look at Numismedia (which I think I heard are a bit on the low side) -- I see there that MS-61 is $10, MS-63 is $16, and MS-65 is $29 3. I look at "completed sales" on eBay, and see what they sold for. The problem with this strategy in your case, however, is that you really don't know the MS-grade . . . so, given the prices I just mentioned, assuming it is at least, say, MS-62 -- you might be getting a bargain or you might be overpaying! So, the above is not much help in your particular case, but might be of help in the future for you (or someone else) I should note something else . . . I know next-to-nothing about Mercs!
For a full bands merc, I don't think those are outrageous prices. That being said, the coin in my avatar has split bands and I got it for $10. I thought that was a good deal.
Possibly should have read the entire add but I didn't. Reason is I don't know the postage, handling, insurace, etc. That price for any Mercury Dime in Full Bands is really OK. Although someone says right from the original roll, you really don't know where they got them. The add shows a roll, not the coin you would be getting. All in all, not a bad price pending all those extras. As already noted you may want to do a little fast checking with the prices listed on the PCGS web site, Numismedia web site, even a few on line dealers such as Millersmint and ebay too. If all are in the same price range, you could take a chance if only purchasing one of them.
Looking at the add further I finally found the Postage and handling or whatever they call it. If you look they state a Minimum of $4.95 or as they state, starts at $4.95. Not sure if they mean per coin though. First of all if you had a Red Book, those coins are listed at $30 each in MS-6. Not sure if those are really MS-65 though. Even if MS-64 or -63 would be in tne $15 to $20 range. However, as most people would tell you that all prices in the Red Book or the PCGS web site are about 20% over. So using that as a guide, those Merc's would be about $24 or a little less. Now if you take the $18.99 they quoted, really $19, add the $4.95 you get $23.94. Again, not sure if this is per coin or for one of each of those. Moving along always note the statements about return policies. The will accept returns within 10 days but you pay postage both ways. So now you get a coin, don't like it, return it, you have just paid close to $10 for nothing. All sort of pessimistic on my part but all depends on how much you like those coins.
I've been happy with the quality of my purchases from Mintproducts. If they had a coin I wanted and the price seemed okay, I'd give them a chance.
In general you should shy away from coins described as "uncirculated" and available in "several dates". These are typically dipped and/or cleaned AU coins. I would suggest that you focus, instead, on either dealers who will send you a specific coin/grade, or review a coin in-hand (brick & mortar dealer or show) -- and pick one you like.
It really does depend... If you want FB 67's, okay... But you if you are just looking for silver, don't waste your times on grades and get coins in good-fine, they don't run up too much 1945 D BU 1943 S BU 1944 D BU, and choose one for $18.99 for split bands. Well... I bet they send you an AU coin I bet it barely has details, and if it does, it has been harshly cleaned Go to local dealers, and even ebay, they will have better deals
I have gotten some very nice Mercs from: http://www.alaskacoinexchange.com/Index.htm Good service, nice coins, pictures of thier uncirculated dimes.
You can do better at any show plus, You can do better at any show plus, these coins are common as "the day is long". I can think of no reason to pay that for these dimes or for that matter to ever buy common coins like this through the mail - I mean why would you do it? 1. They are not hard to find or rare. 2. They will always be available. 3. Your not going to get a MS-67, 66, and be lucky to get a 65 or 4. 4. You can find them anywhere. I don't see any reason to ever consider coins like this online or through the mail unless you live in Madagascar.
OK, all that makes sense, but: What if you find it difficult to get to a show? (And/or what are the costs, including transportation, to get to a show, which then makes relatively small purchases like this much more expensive) This is a serious question from someone just getting back into things. I understand that with online/mail, you'll never quite be able to just an MS-score -- and perhaps, just as you wrote, shows are the only way to go "for coins like this." But with other coins and good pix, the convenience of being able to make a purchase at 11pm on a Tuesday night without ever leaving your chair (ok, well, I guess you do have to walk to the mailbox to pick it up a few days later ;-), is worth something, too, no? But I'm all ears and open to ideas!
It's your picnic, pay your penny and take your ride. It's your picnic, pay your penny and take your ride. In all seriousness though I know it's kind of neat to get things in the mail - I like it too and have done quite a bit of it but as time goes on you learn what rare coins really are. The mail order coin people can provide a needed service and your correct about transportation cost - they are not cheap. But with a show or coin shops you can get both a coin and an education by being exposed to many more coins, coin people and trends. You can look and learn more about coins, conditions and pricing in one day at a show than you could from years of mail order activities. I just feel after years of learning that mail order coins should be the ones you can't find at other outlets and never common coins.
