Here is where your options are only limited by your time. http://anamarket.money.org/ http://greysheet.com/cdn/numdd.asp There are so many places to search for dealers. I would suggest that anyone searching for a dealer, should look for dealers who are members of the ANA or PNG. They should also be listed in the numismatic dealers directory.
Watch for dealers who sell coins certified by lower end certification companies. This should be a warning. The acceptable grading services are: NGC PCGS ANACS ICG All others should be avoided by collectors who are not very well-versed in grading standards.
I went in to look around at the local coin shop and spoke to the dealer. Had some interesting dialogue with him. The local dealer here told me that a proof is typically, generally, normally MS-69 when it leaves the mint. Is this true, National Dealer? Perhaps I misunderstood him but after our conversation, I was left with that impression.
The mint has gotten very, very good at the minting process, but 69 is reaching. All modern coins whether Mint state or Proof have an average of 67-68. This does not include circulation quality coins. These are coins that come in Mint or Proof sets. Anything lower than 67 is a weak or bad strike. I routinely submit thousands of coins a year for certification. 69 is not an easy grade to hit. 68's are a dime a dozen. But consider this, most 68's hold a value less than the price of the slab. The only way to get 69's or 70's from all modern proofs or mint coins is to send them to a less than reputable grading service.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, National Dealer. The local coin dealer here may have exaggerated somewhat with his comment and his personal opinion may be wrong but now I don't feel as though he was feeding me a line of horse manure... for lack of a better way to put it.
Nd - I will readily agree that 68s are a dime a dozen for Proof coins - but I would aslo say that 69 is a far more common grade than 68. A quick look at any of the population reports would confirm this. I would strongly disagree that this is so for business strikes - even if they do come from mint sets. MS68 coins are anything but common. MS69 is all but unheard of. I should qualify my statement to say that I am talking about coins graded by the top tier grading companies.
What if I would prefer to buy from dealers that frequent this board? Is there a thread somewhere that I have missed that lists the members of his board and their websites? Or do I have to click each member profile?
A couple of our dealer friends are out of town. You might want to see if this gentleman can help you: LINK(click here)
Well said, sir. Many people refer to the internet only to discuss the various scams but the fact is it has brought the world of numismatics to the rural collector, and to collectors who have impaired mobility and can't travel easily. And you make a good point that overpricing etc has always been a problem to watch out for. It's not a new problem, for sure. Regardless of the medium...mail order, internet, coin show...the most important thing you can carry with you is knowledge. Knowledge is power and protection. Nick
I have some coins I know I'd like to sell fairly quickly. I would like to sell them to a knowledgable collector or dealer because I am not yet qualified to accurately grade the coins. I've been practicing enough that I'm pretty sure I can tell if someone is offering too low a price, but I don't want to take advantage of anyone out of my own ignorance or theirs. What's the best way to do this? A coin show?
A coin show is an excellent way. But have some idea of exactly who at the coin show you wish to talk to first. What I am trying to say is this, many collectors make a common mistake at coin shows when they are trying to sell their coins. They think that need to go to every table there looking for the best price. Well, you won't get the best price that way. What you will get is largely ignored. You see the dealers at the coin shows depend upon the other dealers for 90% of their business. So when someone starts making the rounds like that, word gets around rather quickly and the dealers will just say not interested. Your best bet is to talk 2 or 3 dealers and that's about it. Then take the best offer from those. Of course it helps if you know a bit about certain dealer's reputations, and then you talk to just those dealers.
Did you look at when that post was made ? It was in 2004. At that time there were many people who had never even heard of ICCS.
Buy the coin, not the slab. The coin is what the coin is, no matter who slabbed it. A dealer cannot be judged by the company who slabbed a coin he has.
That's not necessarily true. If you see a dealer whose inventory consists primarily of (I'll be kind, here)coins graded by "less respected grading companies", that can be a sign that he is trying to take advantage of uninformed collectors.