Where Do You Buy Your Coins?

A few dealers I've trusted for 40 years, Spinks, Baldwins, Alistair Mackay,www.coinmac.co.uk, local coin auctions, ebay.

I only buy low-price on ebay, stuff I can afford to lose on if it's not as described and can't get my money back.

Local auctions only if I can pick up and hold items.

I see on TV and I've been to auctions in Germany where lots are in clear bags but that's the only sight you're allowed.
I hope that doesn't catch on here.

I have never bought a coin via the Internet.

1. Lots of my more valuable coins have come from auction, where I am able to closely examine each coin in hand, under a glass, before deciding to place a bid. Have done this for over 30 years.

2. Some of my more valuable coins have been bought directly off dealers, either in coin shops or at coin shows.

3. A few of my most valuable coins have been bought on approval from dealers with a highly regarded international reputation, mostly London based.


4. The greater bulk of my coins have come from dealers' junk bins in coin shops or at coin shows.


About 1,500 coins have been obtained by one of the above four methods of acquisition, over a period of about forty years. All of them have been dependent on close 'in hand' examination, before inclusion in my collection.
I maintain a reasonably good collection of fake coins, a reasonably decent reference library, and refer to internet data bases to assist in making good decisions to buy.

I also feel reasonably lucky to be able have indirect reference to a huge reference library, maintained by a coin dealer, (Noble Coin Auctions), who auction perhaps $20 million worth of coins in a year. They are also happy to provide excellent professional opinion. I have to admit: they have saved me quite some numismatic pain on occasion!

Mostly coin shows. There are better prices and the sales tax is already figured into the price on the holder. Plus the selection is typically much better as well.

Second choice is buying off Craigslist. I have found some really good deals but there is always the safety concern and often times you have to buy junk to get what you want (i.e. someone selling an entire collection).

Last choice is LCS. Prices tend to be higher, and then you have to pay tax on top of it.

Sadly, no Bacchus. All my current collection has been acquired since 2004. And interestingly in contrast to Sel, almost all of my coins have been internet purchases!

I have one coin I obtained through a swap with a fellow dealer when we met up. And in the early days I did buy a few (under half a dozen) coins at dealers, but all of my collection bar the swap were bought online.

I have never attended an auction, coin show or (in the last 10 years) visited a dealer's shop! In fact I have only ever met two other collectors in person. And yet I don't feel any less part of the coin collecting community. Nor do I feel I have missed out in building my collection.

Interesting eh?

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The best place for me to buy my coins is the local shows near me. they have them twice
a month. See coins in hand, no tax, no postage, no waiting for it to come in the mail, can easily bargain their sticker price.. If you get in good with some dealers, they will go out of their way to get what you need at a good price.

This is a very interesting thread. More people buy though local shows than I would thought.

My purchases are in the following order:

1. Auctions
2. Shows
3. Online dealer sites
4. ebay

I find that most auction houses and dealers offer a variety of ways to make payments, or to even offer credit.

ebay is the least flexible in terms of payment and selling rules. The ebay fees have drifted upwards over the years, so that I don't find it to be the most competitive forum for selling anymore.

Add me to the local coin show list. I have never bought from ebay or any other online venue. I used to mail order coins, but that was more than twenty years ago.