I'm Moving And My Coins Need To Come With Me, But . . .

I've heard a lot of insurance horror stories about coins and bullion getting lost in the mail and the insurer finding some way to avoid paying up for the loss. Make sure you read the fine print on what voids the insurance. No personal experience just stories that I have heard from other collectors and some dealers.

A good strong carry-on within the specified size should be enough (unless the US version of a shoe-box is different). I once did a carry on with about 50lbs. Although the security people asked me to open up the package (as mentioned before a large lump of metal can be suspicious) but there was no problem when they saw it was coins, in fact it actually amused them somewhat.
My daughter and friends have also done this on flights from the UK to Thailand (30-40lbs at a time)again no problems.

Since you are staying domestic the large flat rate boxes are the way to go. Up to 70 pounds for about $10 per box and anything valuable or that you REALLY don't want to lose ship it Registered. It WILL get there. (Your plane is more likely to crash than for your registered package to not arrive.) And Registered isn't really that costly

Split it into several boxes if you are worried about them being lost - sure, more chance one will be lost, but less chance of losing the entire collection.

Split it into...say, 5 boxes, value spread out, and post one a week. Then, you know they each go seperately, so if a plane explodes, then it will be all fine.

You have to either be in poor health then. I've driven many places for many hours taking rests frequently. My son is in his 30's and drives all the time so might be a reason he is used to that. When I was your age, a long time ago, I drove from Missouri to Colorado all in one day. I'll never do that again though at my age.


Now there is something we all missed. Not sure how well those busses are today, but try looking into a Greyhound Bus. Might be able to take your collection there that way. No driving and not much chance of your coins being lost on a plane or lost in the mail.

Carl, I have astigmatism. My problem with my eyes getting tired has to do with the way they focus (this is also why, when I get a box of pennies, I only do 10-15 rolls at a time even though what I look for is pretty basic). They do seem to be changing, because driving on the freeway isn't giving me as many issues as it used to, but not sure how that'd hold up on a two or three day drive. We'll see.


Greyhound is a bit scary (I always carry a Harry Potter with me in case I get stuck sitting next to a creepy old guy or gal, which happens relatively often--once I was trying to write and this genius kept leaning over trying to read my laptop screen, WHAT THE ACTUAL?), but might be worth it.

My sister suggested a combination of these ideas--my dad has kids in Oklahoma, so it's possible he could drive with me to Angel's in TX, swing up to OK to see other-Angel (yes, my sis and my stepsis are both named Angel, and even weirder, one is an Angelyn, pronounced Angel-lin, and one is an Angel Lynne) and the grandkids, and then head back to AZ. He hasn't seen them in years and, unfortunately, one of the grandkids is in very poor health. It'd be nice if he could do more than just chat on the phone, and my dad is a lot more of an even-keel than my mom. Him, I would trust with my life. Coins would be a non-issue.