Littleton Coin Company, Thoughts?

cladking is correct when he says that Littleton "is good for the hobby but not so good for their customers."

Very well said indeed.

I just think Littleton is no different than hundreds of companies that tout "collectibles" in a vaguely deceptive way.

This is their business model, fine, and perfectly legal. I just dislike it.

As I say, Littleton has always positioned itself to entice the ignorant customer and then feed on him as long as they can.

I would stay away from Littleton,a few years back my girlfriend thought she was doing me a favor by ordering some coins from them,they sent a Peace dollar that was over priced for the grade so I sent it back and they kept trying to bill me for it saying they never received it but the tracking number said they did.

Littleton preys on the uninformed, and has since the 1940s. Those who make it past Littleton's overpriced junk quickly move to better resources, and those who do not have essentially lost their money because their ignorant purchases will be lost in a desk drawer.

Every business has their Littletons operating on the fringe, and in our hobby, not especially known for its ethics, this should come as no surprise.

A lot of what Littleton sells is "value added". They make folders and put coins in them. They try to make just what the customer wants. It makes jobs for their employees and adds to the hobby.

I really hate approvals but their prices really are just retail. In this hobby very few people pay retail so it looks exorbitant to insiders. Jewelry and furniture stores quadruple prices but Littleton barely doubles them and their value added products sometimes are extremely inexpensive.

They are a major force in the hobby for two reasons; One is their buying power and two is their extensive advertising. Their buying power sets the base price for the entire industry and their advertising has lured millions into coin collecting. I advise friends to buy elsewhere but not because they are dishonest but simply because the prices are higher (and who wants to deal with approvals).

As do I. Their approval service worked well for me at the time. I consistently filled holes at a predictable rate and cost, which was pretty amazing for a preteen with limited income. The coins were high retail, but certainly not junk.

I thought I would jump in and continue to try and re-balance this bashing. I started collecting thanks to Littleton back in the early 70's. I collected 'foreign' coins and for a preteen/teen these were quite amazing. The envelopes they came in (the little yellow ones we all remember) had interesting pieces of information about the coins, country, etc. I enjoyed and looked forward to my approval selection every month. I have not done an 'official reconciliation' but I am certain all of the coins I purchased from them have appreciated.

I really like their Custom Holder cards for the various countries. Alas they are too expensive for the way I collect but they are quite nice looking.

I agree with the rebalancing of the last few posts. They are offering a commodity + a value added service in the sets. I too develop retail products for my profession, and the profitability in the service provided on top of the commodity is what pays the bills and supports families. A couple of my first numismatic buys where Littleton nickel sets back in the mid-nineties. Do I know now that I paid more than the commodity value of the coins, yes I do, In looking back on the fun of receiving it and how it further developed my interest in this hobby as a kid, that 2-3x over the commodity value wasn't unreasonable for what I received. I'm in an industry where some of my competitors routinely get 25-50x and I bet those griping about Littleton have a bunch of these other items in their bathrooms by the handful.

I will say the Coins in Approval is a sketchy way to earn revenue, however, but that might be a reflection of my younger generation too. Getting pulled into this and having to go to an effort to get out is lame.