Not sure if this was a good spot for this or if World would have been better, but has anyone ordered coins directly from the Royal British Mint, or the Royal Canadian mint? I'd add the Australian Mint too, and I regret not buying coins when I was there for the semester, but I didn't add them because shipping would cost up to $50 for us Americans. Do you feel that ordering direct from international mints is cheaper than buying from dealers located in your own country? I've been considering buying from the UK and CA mints recently. What are your opinions?
It usually depends on the specific coin in question, but it is often cheaper to buy from dealers in this country who buy the coins in bulk from the international mints.
Usually it is less expensive to buy "locally", ie. from US dealers if you are in the US. As Doug wrote, a mint in Europe, Australia, etc. will charge the regular price plus shipping - a dealer near you will want less for shipping, and the price may be the same or even less. Also, _if_ anything goes wrong with the order, it will be easier to contact (or return a coin to) a dealer in your country. Then again, a domestic dealer may not always have all the latest issues. Have a look at the sites of these dealers for example www.eurocollections.com (has more than euro coins) and www.rsmint.com (not a mint but a dealer/distributor too). Compare their prices, and those of other dealers near you, to what the mints in Canada and the UK would charge for the coins plus shipping. Christian
Thanks, I just feel like it would be fun to do, you know? I want to get a 2010 silver Britannia, they are 22.50 pounds plus 10 pounds shipping from the Royal Mint, and 27.50 plus shipping from provident metals, but yet with the currency conversion it would end up being more. I kind of want to drive up to Canada to get some coins. I just feel like it would be more fun than ordering them from the US. Thanks for the sites too!
And when you go to come back across the border you might just get a surprise too. It's a lot easier, and cheaper to just buy them here in the US. You can get one here for $35 - http://www.pandaamerica.com/subcategory.asp?subcat=109&categ=10&grp=1
like poor GD got when he woke up one morning and found me on CT. Rest assured he proof reads everything 3 times these days . ah i see him online after a long time at the same time. this should be fun
