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 Replies: 48 / Views: 6,977 |
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Valued Member
United States
84 Posts |
Hello. I've been collecting Canadian Silver Dollars for a few years now. (I really like this series:) I've enjoyed acquiring some 'better-date' ICCS graded and common date, raw ones. But I don't feel like I am really developing as a collector of this series:( I still can't grade them well and such. A big part of the challenge is that I live in the Washington DC area (as opposed to a border state where I am guessing there are more Canadian dealers, collectors, shows?). As it is now, even when I go to a major, national show like the Whitman Baltimore, I see the same handful of Canadian Silver Dollars sold by a small number of (mostly part-time) world coin dealers. (I mean the inventory is really 'thin'....) I do have one Ontario-based dealer that I have forged a relationship with (I've bought most of my higher-grade/'better date', ICCS dollars from him). I purchase and use the Charlton guide each year for reference. I also subscribe to Canadian Coin News, and I've been a member of RCNA for a few years now (it's publication has helped me learn a bit about topics like grading). But I still don't really know how to grade Canadian dollars,and I don't have the confidence to buy more valuable raw examples. I suspect that I need to see more silver dollars, but as I've mentioned, there just aren't the numismatic resources down in this part of the country. An anecdote some readers might find amusing: I have family in the Anaheim, California area, and so I visited the ANA World's Fair of Money held there last summer (as part of a vacation trip). I had been hopeful that I would see some Canadian Silver Dollars, but alas, I found that even the big name dealers did not even bother to bring raw (much less ICCS-graded) inventory. What a reality check that was for me (very dejecting:( Anyway, I wonder if there are any other U.S. collectors of Canadian coins that do not live along the border and are experiencing the same challenges as me? Short of waiting until retirement twenty years or so from now, and relocating northward, how can I develop more as a collector (in my case, of silver dollars)? I apologize for the long and probably difficult to read post (I am not a very 'polished' writer). But thank you for any ideas you can give me. |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
9862 Posts |
ebayCheck prices of sold listings, for a reality check on pricing.. Thousands of pics available,both raw and slabbed, for honing your grading skills.
"Dipping" is not considered cleaning...
-from PCGS website
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
Have you thought about attending the annual Torex show? http://www.torex.net/torex_coin_show/index.htmlThis would allow you to gain more contacts both in Canada and the USA, as well as giving you the opportunity to see more of our coins, and perhaps meet other CCF members. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5239 Posts |
Don't forget the Canadian auctions. Geoffrey Bell is one. Also, if you can get the CNA convention this July (in Boucherville, Quebec) you will certainly see a lot.
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Valued Member
 United States
84 Posts |
OK, thank you folks for some great ideas (some of which I should have thought of on my own!) I've known about (bidded on) ebay for several years, but I hadn't considered Canadian auctions. I guess to see lots of Canadian coins in hand, I need to attend actual shows held in Canada (duhhh, slapping my head:) With the 2017 RCNA convention, I didn't make the connection until now that Boucherville, Quebec is a suburb of Montreal? I have always wanted to visit Montreal, so I wonder how logistically possible it would be to attend the RCNA show and do some sightseeing if I stay several days? Google says the cities are separated by about a twenty-five minute drive. Anyway, thanks for pointing me in the right direction so that I can research this more. One other (probably dumb question), but I am guessing most (if not all) dealers at the RCNA Boucherville show will speak English (I don't know any French)? Thank you again. (This is a very friendly forum:) |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
The Montreal area is notoriously bi-lingual, I don't think you will have a problem, just remember Parlez-vous anglias? and you should be ok.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
Sturm, best advice on raw high priced Silver Dollars........stay away and stick to certified if you doubt your skills.
Sounds like you are feeling your way but going in the right direction. Grading dollars properly is both skill and art , due to the difference in grading philosophies employed by the differentTPG services . Lately the entire lot of them , have been all over the road map. Market grading is rampant .
In your third paragraph, you stated you have developed a relationship with a dealer you feel comfortable with. That is a good move on your part.
Good luck in your quest and acquire as much knowledge as you can. There are lots of people in the numismatic world who will help you out. BTW you will really like Montreal . One of the neatest cities in North America for a true cultural experience.
Even though I speak a good deal of French myself and my wife is completely trilingual , you can get by famously speaking just American( LOL). Bonne Chance! Enjoy! Jack. Paccoin
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3049 Posts |
In the U.S. but want to get some decent Canadian coins..? Truth be told I think some of the best stuff goes down to the states... at least that's what one seller on here seems to think and with the exchange rate I wouldn't doubt it. But do a bit of research into some really good reputable coin stores up here.. I know Gatewest in my city ships to the states and they have a very good selection. I'm sure other stores like J & M and Canadian coin have a decent selection as well. for grading canadian dollars.. I recommend this book http://www.cdncoin.com/Guide-for-Gr...81500915.htmFinally I'd recommend that you search on sites like icollector and watch the Canadian auctions... they're great and you'll see a lot more cdn material! Good luck |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5585 Posts |
I'd also check out Dale Shafer out in Tulsa who comes to all the large US and Canadian shows. There is a Toronto Coin Expo Spring and Fall that has some excellent Canadian dealers and lots of collectors to chat about and buy/sell coins. Also, check out this thread from the "Grading" CCF forum where there are some good grading guides mentioned or link provided. http://goccf.com/t/277314. I think that the best grading primer or guide is on an archived site. You have to take the last part of the "doubled" URL and plug it into the archive site itself (the archive site is the 1st part of the "double" URL link. Keep trying til you get to the Coin Coinoisseur archived site. Here is the link that leads to the "double" URL archive site http://web.archive.org/web/20130902115503/http://coinoisseur.com/GradiNGCoins.htmlCut and paste the last URL part (above) into the first URL part and you'll eventually get to a great coin grading reference. Edited by okiecoiner
01/16/2017 3:21 pm
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Valued Member
United States
84 Posts |
Many thanks for all of the great input/ideas here, folks. I just ordered the book 'Grading Coins of Canada' book through Trajan Publishing (I subscribe to Canadian Coin News, and they sell this book). I did not know such a grading primer exists.(Thanks AgCoinAu).
It sounds like a Montreal vacation this summer could work for me, as there is a lot to see there and I'm sure the area has good public transportation to get around. (Incidentally, I always envisioned visiting there in winter, because I thought it would be really pretty then (snow and all). But I'm sure it's a great place to visit in the summer, too).
Perhaps the questions that follow here are better posted in a different, more applicable thread? But with U.S. coinage, I know that many of the retail price guides are way too high (not realistic at all) in that the prices they list for many coins are very inflated. When I first started collecting, I did not realize this Talk about fools and their money soon parting:( I know a little better now. Even when I shop for U.S. certified coins at shows down here (at shows like Baltimore,etc.), none of my regular American dealers charge me these prices from my coin magazines and guide books. When I meet a dealer for the first time at a show, I explain that I carry the greysheet not because I expect to receive dealer buying prices for them, but rather just to give me some idea of their rough buy-in. With some, I reach a price that is certainly well above the 'sheet', but significantly lower than 'published retail'. I guess it's called compromise:)
I don't know if the Canadian coin market is a similar beast, so to speak? My (perhaps erroneous) understanding is that no such comparable wholesale price sheet exists for Canadian coinage? I guess my overarching question is whether the prices in the Charlton Guide and Canadian Coin News Coin Trends are similarly somewhat unrealistically higher than those yielded in the actual market? Or are they pretty spot on with Canadian coinage? The one Ontario-based dealer I mentioned buying ICCS coins from almost always sells me coins for less than 'Trends', but I don't know if this is true of most dealers. Thanks again for letting me avail myself of you folks' knowledge and experience:)
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5585 Posts |
Use Trends as a guide only. Unless you have a fairly scarce coin or super high grade, you can usually get most coins for about 70% or so of Trends and about 60% of Charlton. You can usually sell most stuff to dealers for about 40-50% of the same guides, unless it's really common stuff then probably no sale. Most Canadian dealers will dicker on prices. Don't pay much more than a raw coin for any ICCS or other holstered one.
Edited by okiecoiner
01/17/2017 04:04 am
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Valued Member
United States
84 Posts |
Oh, LOL. I didn't see your post Okiecorner until after I posted my latest reply. Thanks for the tip! It sounds like there are some great free resources for helping me with learning Canadian coin grading, too. I'll definitely check them out.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
849 Posts |
I have been interested in Canadian dollars for the last three years. I have been buying most of my silver dollars via ebay. For the more expensive ones (over $75) I have been sticking more to the graded ones, usually ICCS but a few by CCCS, NGC. Some members might say that these companies grade wrong but I am not good at judging coins by pictures on the internet and for me feel that those particular companies have a better chance at being right than I would be. I live in a large Canadian city and attend a major coin show twice a year but don't buy silver dollars there a bunch as I have found I can do better on ebay. That being said, I did buy my graded 1948 from that coin show. I might have paid 2% more than what I was looking to pay on ebay but it was worth it to see the coin-in-hand on what will be the most I will ever pay for a coin in my life. Because I like silver dollars, I have tracked ebay sales on reputable graded coins for the last two years. Using the auction prices sold only, and adding shipping and tax if there was any, I find many of the reputable graded coins selling for an average of 75% of trends (or 25% off). The exceptions are some of the harder to find coins that go closer to trend value. In EF45 to MS62, the 1945 averaging 82% of trends, the 1947 Pointed at 81%, the '47 Maple Leaf at 87% and the '48 at 92% of trends in those same grade ranges. Good luck with your coin searching. Edited by punman
01/16/2017 5:16 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4233 Posts |
I share your disappointment with dealers at US coin shows. They score a collection, dip them all, then ask Canadian trend prices in US dollars. If you can find a show dealer with anything Canadian at all.
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Valued Member
United States
84 Posts |
If I visit Canada and bring back (Canadian) coins I purchase at shows, I wonder how they are treated for purposes of U.S. duties? I tried searching the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website for information, but I could only find mentioning of gold bullion as being exempt from duties (it doesn't state anything about collectible coins). Has anyone tried bringing collector coins back from Canada (into U.S.) and had to pay duties for them? (I know that one should always declare goods if in doubt). Thank you for explaining.
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Valued Member
United States
84 Posts |
From reading posters on this thread, it sounds like coin prices in Canadian retail guides are similarly 'inflated' (like in ours down here), but useful as tools nonetheless. (But 'key coins' are exceptions to this 'rule'): I guess I will have to bite the proverbial bullet when I eventually buy a 1948 dollar.
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Replies: 48 / Views: 6,977 |
Posted 01/16/2017 10:58 am
