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Littleton Coin Company Approval Service

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Valued Member

United States
465 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  9:41 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add Pmint1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Against my better judgement I took advantage of a special offer by Littleton and give their approval service a try. I'm interested in collecting some modern dollars and halves that my local coin shop doesn't carry and I thought Littleton may be a good way to acquire them. While the coins I bought on special were really nice, the approval coins had a lot of bag marks and were priced over twice catalog value. I sent them all back with a request to be taken off their list today.

Does Littleton sell any series on approval at a reasonable price? I thought I might try the Kennedy halves on approval for fun.

FYI my main interest is Morgan and Peace dollars but I see they are way over priced on those as well.
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CelticKnot's Avatar
United States
12813 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  9:51 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add CelticKnot to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
IMO, Littleton is expensive (as you mentioned) but you can get some decent stuff if you play the game. I think the best deal you can get with them is the introductory deals where you can get an ASE "at our cost" or whatever, and then get yourself off the list as you have done.

I believe I got an entire set of Presidential dollars at face for albums. They were probably just pulled from bags ordered from the Mint but it ended up being way cheaper for me. YMMV of course.

Regarding the high fees, think of all the costs that a middle-man-type business like Littleton has. Brick-and-mortar facility, marketing/advertising, shipping/handling/packaging, salaries, etc. There will be significant markup over face/market value to pay for all that stuff. Their MO is they try to find out your collecting style and cater to it, making it convenient for you to add to your collection.

The biggest detractor for me is that it's a hassle and expensive to return the things you don't want.



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GrapeCollects's Avatar
United States
8938 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  9:58 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add GrapeCollects to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Littleton is the only company that buys coins at retail and doubles their money. They generally sell to otherwise uninformed persons who have no idea what book value is
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CelticKnot's Avatar
United States
12813 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  10:04 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add CelticKnot to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
They offer a service. Services aren't free. Buy or don't buy -- the choice is yours.
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jimbucks's Avatar
United States
4691 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  10:12 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jimbucks to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
They generally sell to otherwise uninformed persons who have no idea what book value is

Like the "coin guys" on cable. Selling for highly inflated prices.

Littleton has a reputation for overpriced products. "Makes a great gift".
Edited by jimbucks
08/19/2021 10:13 pm
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Coinfrog's Avatar
United States
94367 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  10:13 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Coinfrog to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Littleton has been the carnival barker of the coin industry for 70 years. Hey kids, step right up!

I hate this company with a passion that defies words.
Edited by Coinfrog
08/19/2021 10:14 pm
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United States
10284 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  10:16 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add TNG to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Run away! My father in law made the mistake and coins poured in through the mail. Of course he could return them but it was overwhelming so he just kept buying what they sent. He was too embarrassed to let anyone know.
When he passed away the family had to deal with the mess.
Not one coin was particularly exceptional and all were very overpriced and generally very common coins.
He was old and not too savvy. They take advantage of new collectors and uneducated people who get junk mail and see the clever adverts in magazines and mailings.
You can do much better. In the end you will regret ever getting into coin collecting because you will have lost far more money than you'll ever recoup.
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Coinfrog's Avatar
United States
94367 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  10:37 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Coinfrog to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The Sundman family's motto should be "Ripping off Novice Collectors for Four Generations".
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GrapeCollects's Avatar
United States
8938 Posts
 Posted 08/19/2021  10:38 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add GrapeCollects to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
As others have said, pretty much anywhere else is cheaper. I have no idea what they have their prices at, but right now I've been selling Peace dollars at $32, Morgans at $34. I can almost promise any other dealer, myself, and a few other forum members included, are cheaper no less than 100% of the time.

Edit: Holy hell, they're asking $80 each.
Edited by GrapeCollects
08/19/2021 10:40 pm
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jimbucks's Avatar
United States
4691 Posts
 Posted 08/20/2021  12:04 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jimbucks to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Holy hell, they're asking $80 each.

But they are sold out at the mint.
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 Posted 08/20/2021  06:21 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add just carl to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I hate this company with a passion that defies words.

Not strong enough statement.
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jbuck's Avatar
United States
187702 Posts
 Posted 08/21/2021  10:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jbuck to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Well, back in the early 1980s I received Lincoln wheat cents and Buffalo (Bison) nickels from them on approval. Filled most of my folder (common) holes that way. The price was not bad (was not great either), but I was just a kid with no access to an LCS so I was happy. However, they were (are) notoriously difficult to stop. It finally ended after moving halfway across the country.
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 Posted 08/22/2021  11:05 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add TNG to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Against my better judgement I took advantage of a special offer by Littleton and give their approval service a try.


Not my advice but the way I look at it and I would imagine it works like this.

1.You subscribe and have to include a payment method to pay with some kind of credit card or paypal type account in your Littleton account.

2.They send you coins and an invoice and eventually charge you.

3. You have to return the unwanted coins within a time frame. (At your expense? I don't know?)
_________________________

So, if you want to stop them, first you will have to return the coins that you will be billed for. Next, I would contact my credit card co. that Littleton has on file and get a new credit card with a different number.

Then immediately cancel my Littleton approval service and do it in a way that I could prove it was done.
Keep an email copy and be sure to get a response or photocopy of a registered letter. Be sure you have proof you cancelled the approval service and effective date. (I don't know the procedure Littleton requires to cancel)

Anything that comes in the mail from them afterwards, I don't think you are required to return. I have heard merchandise, (not my legal advice) that you did not order that comes in the mail is yours to do what you want with it.
They don't have an account to charge on file. Mailings might stop.

I would bet that the mailings will continue, even if you cancelled. They are persistent, it is how they operate.

It wouldn't surprise me though if Littleton started sending less friendly and more threatening collection agency letters instead of coins.
Your credit rating could be at risk too.

This is one kind of shark tank I don't swim in.
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Sap's Avatar
Australia
16808 Posts
 Posted 08/22/2021  8:49 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The business model of companies like this relies on getting you on their mailing list, and keeping you there. Their "perfect customer" is someone who doesn't read the fine print on their "special introductory offer" advertisements and is then too timid, too stubborn or too ignorant to try to get off their mailing list again. Obfuscation around the exact process of getting yourself cancelled helps too.

I'm always surprised that this business model is still legal.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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2869 Posts
 Posted 08/22/2021  10:53 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Oldfordman to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:

I would bet that the mailings will continue, even if you cancelled. They are persistent, it is how they operate.

One of the guys I buy coins from ordered a common date wheat holefiller. Whenever he tried to call and mentioned canceling the mailings they would hang up on him.
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Princetane's Avatar
4628 Posts
 Posted 08/23/2021  12:27 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Princetane to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Sound horrible and classic "Granny bait" type advertiser.

We have one here called Bradford Exchange and I am sure they are multinational based in America, they sell all sorts of overpriced chintzy junk like plates with cats on them, Thomas Kinkaid monstrosities and some really awful coins.

They offer sentimental pap like a clock that salutes the brave airmen of the RAF or something, that is tacky and made in China.

The worst are their coins which are those cheap gilt covered cupro nickel crowns from Tristan Da Cunha worth a few pence at most. They play up the gold appearance and cover (Which is minimal) and the designs. They invite you to buy them at $39 each and then a regular price of $89 each. Also you pay a $10 Postage and Handling fee per coin!! (It would cost $4 normally). The coins are BASE METAL crap with a value of 25pence (49 cents) and about 20 cents worth of metal in them.

Absolute daylight robbery.

These companies exist for stupid people who like bright shiny things and are too lazy to realise you can buy the same stuff from a legitimate coin dealer at a much lower price.
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