I would like your opinions on where is the best place to buy raw coins. I would appreciate any help. Thanks Shawn
Wouldn't exactly agree with that for it presumes that you are going to know what you are looking at. What about for those who do not know ?
OK people, I guess I must be doing something wrong, for I cant seem to get a response from anyone. The only place I know is ebay, I dont go there anymore because of their policy. (paypal only).
There are 4 sources I use for raw coins. The local coin club auction ( no fees) Members on CT and other forums who participate. Coin shows Ebay with decent photos, description, ratings, and return policies. Once a good dealer is found, keep them on your favorite list. Personally, I think the paypal only policy will help reduce fraud and the fees are much less than the Auction Houses which many will probably give as one of their sources. Jim
To this list I would add Jack Beymer and JJ Tea Party if you are interested in strictly raw coins. You will pay fairly strong prices with each, but the liklihood of getting an overgraded coin is extremely low. I can confidently recommend each. Since you are not in NoCal or Boston you would have to deal with them by mail/internet, but both are trustworthy and can be found at all the national shows.
Thanks for ALL the helpful advice I have to admit that I got so carried reading all the other post, that I forgot to slow down and check out the other avenues...lol
Local estate auctions can be good. I've picked up so many Large, Flying Eagle and Indian head cents at bargain prices lately that I had to buy some Danscos this weekend to put them in. By bargains, I mean winning bids that are 25 to 50% of values shown in Coin Values magazine. My wife and son both work Saturday nights at an auction barn, and they call me when there are coins there. There were two evenings that I bought groups of U.S. silver coins at below face! Other nights coins can go rediculously high. A few months ago, an auctioneer friend of mine was gathering items for an estate sale, and he found a nearly complete year set of cents from 1800 to 1901 in a case that had a 1901 newpaper as backing material. The 1877 was XF+, and many Indian heads looked like they had been pulled from circulation very soon after being released. Those coins, an additional canvas bag of mostly large cents, and a small box with Civil War medals (some were engraved with names and dates) were all in the same wooden box for who knows how long up in that attic. You never know when or where some coin goodies may turn up. If you want a tool to help you find auctions that advertise coins, I have found the auctionzip website to be very useful. Enter a keyword(s), your zip code, and radius you wish to search, and it will find auctions for you. There is no substitute for knowledge if employing this method.
You are most welcome coinblogger. Hopefully I won't create too much additional competition for the items I'm after, lol.
Try "Dave's Coins". He sells a lot of coins with an excellent reputation with the vast number raw. I have bought several from him and happy with each.
You have to be careful at auctions. Preview the coins, and determine the absolute most that you will bid on each, and DON'T exceed it. I have seen far too many auction coins get bid to far above their value, because uninformed bidders get caught up in the excitement of the moment, or think the coin is "rare". IMHO, garage sales, estate sales, pawn shops, and flea markets are good places to hunt. Just check the coins carefully, and don't be afraid to walk away if you don't like the price, or the coin doesn't look quite right.
