Coin Buying Ethics

I would not have bought from him, however,that's easy for me to say sitting here on my sofa. Being there, seeing coins I want might be a different story.

I would need to be there to really know what is going on. They could be stolen or they could have been inherited. Look at all the threads here about finding people dumping silver coins into a coinstar machine. They don't have a clue what they have, but it doesn't mean it is stolen. It could be grandpa's coin collection and the grandson would rather have cash than those "stupid old coins". On the other hand, if the guy really seemed suspicious instead of just clueless then they might be hot.

At this point you can either say what's done is done and think whether stolen or not at least they are in the hands of someone that appreciates them (instead of ending up at the refinery). If you are really concerned and want to ease your conscious then call the police and tell them about your situation and see if there are any coin collections reported stolen. They may send an officer over to talk with you, but if they don't have any reports of stolen coins matching yours they will probably just say they are yours.

I would normally expect a stolen collection to find its way to a seedy pawn shop before craigslist, but I have learned to never underestimate the common criminal.

There are too many unknowns for me to say whether or not this was a dirty find. This is why I prefer coin shows to craigslist, pawn shops, flea markets, and other places where ill-gotten gains can be liquidated.

I would have just purchased the entire mess if the price was right. You really have to look at it this way. If you don't and it's on craigslist, many others too have seen this add and will be appearing soon. Whatever you don't buy, someone else will, again if the price is right.

One thing I would have done is to simply ask why he is selling them. Nothing to loose by asking. If he appeared to get mad, irritated, etc. the worst he could do is tell you to leave. I don't think he would have shot you for asking.
Very possible he is like many others that buy stuff and just don't know what they are doing. Sounds silly but I've seen that to many times. A nighbor of mine, husband and wife retired, buy all kinds of STUFF they see on TV regardless of needing it or not. A doctor I know also does that. Just buys STUFF if it looks like something they should have. Rmember the Beanie Babies. A relative bought and got for presents hundreds of those things and never had any idea of how much they were worth, what to do with them, why even have them.
I'm afraid there are lots like that and that guy with the coins could well be just like that.

This is the reason I don't do CL. I browse occasionally, but the place just seems to... unverified, hit and miss, for my tastes.

I don't think that you got stolen coins. If he had mint sets and seemed to be a TV shopper, then that's what he probably was. He may have seemed anxious to get rid of his collection because he needed the cash. People from all walks of life can end up needing cash at times and he may be a bit mad at himself for having wasted money on stuff he didn't care about -- and it didn't appreciate in value to the degree promised in the ad. Or maybe he's just downsizing and needs to get rid of stuff before he moves.

I wouldn't worry about it anymore. You certainly didn't knowingly buy anything hot.

Oh yeah, it's a sad state of affairs. You have to be careful when buying coins. If you have them and the person selling them gets caught and says you have some, you can get receiving stolen property and other theft charges, possibly. Don't want that at all. And of course it isn't right to accept stolen goods.

But then who really knows in your situation. As others have said, ask the guy questions about the collection. It would also be wise to look into his eyes and watch his body posture for any reaction. Some reactions could be indicative of a lie, maybe but not always.

As others have stated, you just don't know the whole story, and you should have asked more questions, like why he was selling, and most importantly, how much were they? The price alone may have been a huge clue.

If indeed they were stolen coins, the guy would have been pretty stupid to have invited you to his house to conduct business. But there again, there are a lot dumb crooks.