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 Replies: 11 / Views: 526 |
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Valued Member
United States
116 Posts |
If this thread is in the wrong place, please move. Thank you. I'm new to numismatics. I want to grow my collection but I am uncertain how. I was thinking that the Littleton Coin Club would be a good way to get legitimate coins without being scamed. I would like your opinion on the Littleton Coin Club. Also, I have been ripped off on ebay and am not sure how to proceed on ebay. Some guidance would be appreciated. Thank you as my pockets are currently empty and would like to fill them up. Joanne |
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Valued Member
United States
216 Posts |
Your best weapon is knowledge. Study, read, and read some more.
Auction houses are the most legitimate way to acquire coins for which you have no a priori knowledge.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
613 Posts |
Visit a local coin shop if one is nearby, also check to see if their is a local coin club in your area.
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Moderator
 United States
34393 Posts |
@emp, all good advice above. I will say that Littleton Coin has a bit of a speckled reputation here. You can use the search functionality to find prior threads where this was discussed, but here is one to get you started: https://goccf.com/t/254081"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Valued Member
United States
465 Posts |
My experience is Littleton is grossly overpriced. Often twice the price you can find the coin elsewhere. Educate yourself. ebay often has good buys but also cleaned and or damaged coins. Make sure the coin you bid on is the actual coin and not a stock photo. There are a lot of good online dealers and websites that they sell on. Local coin shops are a great place to start. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2213 Posts |
Littleton is a legit company but their prices are often higher compared to other dealers. Avoid buying gimmick coins like you see advertised on TV, silver or gold plated, colorized etc until you know what you are buying. ebay is a mixed experience. There are many good honest sellers on ebay and also bad sellers with way too high prices or sell fakes. Learn before buying. Some ebay sellers allow returns/refunds, some don't. ebay sold listings is a good place to see current prices. If there is a local coin club or coin show go to those. Many collectors focus on a certain time period or certain kind or denomination coin and get experience. If there is a coin you are interested in buying you could post it here on CCF for opiinions. You could use the CCF search line and their Numismatic Glossary and other online sources to learn. Here on CCF there are members who collect coins from ancient Roman and Greek to current US Mint releases and coins around the world. Coin collecting is a vast hobby covering thousands of years, cultures, empires, nations. Whatever money you want to collect there's likely someone on CCF that has knowledge to give their opinion. There are books you can buy for help, grading, prices like the Red Book for US coins. Edited by livingwater
02/28/2026 7:22 pm
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Moderator
United States
94586 Posts |
 to CCF. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19107 Posts |
Frequenting coin shows is a good habit to cultivate.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
73562 Posts |
To CCF! If you want to dive into varieties and errors, you can read and study these websites. For varieties: www.doubleddie.com www.varietyvista.com www.coppercoins.com For errors: www.error-ref.com It's up to you. You don't have to collect varieties and errors if you don't want to. Errers and Varietys.
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Valued Member
 United States
116 Posts |
I think I will start with mint sets from the US Mint. After gaining some knowledge I will go to my local coin shop which is in Sarasota. I'm sure I can fill my pockets there. Maybe I will post some pictures of my finds.
Thank you everyone for your sage advice. I really, really appreciate it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2213 Posts |
North of you is Spring Hill Florida. There's a couple of coin dealers there that have Youtube channels. One is Vermillion Enterprises who sells mostly bullion and a few collectible coins. The other is Coin Guy, he sells both collectible coins and bullion. I really like Coin Guy videos, he's very knowledgeable, knows a lot about history and coins. Each year he goes to a few schools and teaches kids about coins, gives coins to the kids. Mint sets are fun to collect. Coin dealers, ebay and at coin shows you'll find back years for sale. The proof and silver proof sets obviously cost more. Here is Coin Guy Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@coinguySpr...illFl/videosEdited by livingwater
03/01/2026 08:19 am
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
When I was a kid in the early 1980s, Littleton sent me coins on approval that filled holes in my Whitman folders. Prices were higher than other mail order vendors, but those coins had no shipping charges or sales tax, required less effort (being automatic and they kept track of what I already had), and I was a bit more desperate then.  Would I recommend them today? No. |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 526 |
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Posted 02/28/2026 5:48 pm
