I am interested in hearing other collectors' opinions on whether it's worth buying coin rolls from someone other than the organisations who originally rolled them.
Once the roll has been sold by the original roller, there is no real guarantee that it has not been emptied and repacked with worthless coins by the next owner. The so-called anti-tamper sticker only proves that the wrapper has not been undone; the end of the roll can still be undone, coins removed, roll repacked with worthless coins and end tucked in again. Roll appears as though it is still intact. I know, found out the hard way buying one on
ebay (got a refund thankfully).
After that fright, I tried undoing a security roll from the bank, repacking it and then resealing it and I found out it's not hard to do. With a bit of practice, a determined scammer could make a repacked roll look untouched.
I can understand the desire to have a collection of rolls of coins in uncirculated condition The boxed sets from RAM look great. If someone took a set and undid the ends of the rolls, emptied the coins and repacked with junk coins, would the set look any different? Anyone who buys a second hand set would have no idea if the coins in the rolls are genuine uncirculated or just junk coins. Unless they open the roll...
I buy rolls at auctions with the intention of opening them to make sets or trade the coins. So far, no dramas with RAM rolls, only the one scare with a C+C roll on
ebay, and mixed results with security rolls from banks (of course not expecting uncirculated coins there). I'm happy to take the risk with those rolls. So far, so good.
A recent ad on the net has made me wonder about the real value of rolls. I'm a bit of a sceptic since being stooged by the
ebay scare. I like to watch auctions to get an idea of the value of my collection. I also watch to see if there is a good value opportunity to fill any gaps too. A recent listing offered several rolls of coins for over $50K. Nice coins and I'm sure many of us would love to add them to our collections. I certainly would. Not wanting to put a damper on that seller but just wondering in general if anyone thinks second hand rolls are worth the risk? Especially $50K in one lot? I'm not even sure the website is genuine let alone the ad (but that's a reflection on me more than anything). I'm just curious about other people's view on second hand rolls. The coins that I keep go into 2x2 or capsules, rolls are only temporary until I have time to open them. The rest go back to the bank or trade.
I wonder if anyone who has been collecting coins or rolls already would consider spending $50K on a collection of second hand rolls? Personally, I might take a risk on a roll but with the intent to open it on receiving it. If you like collecting rolls, I expect you would buy them from the original roller and would keep them. Otherwise, you could simply buy a roll, undo the end, remove the valuable coins, replace them with junk, reseal the end and then you have a perfectly good-looking roll with shiny coins at each end. No different in appearance to an original roll.
As far as collecting them for an investment to sell later on, how would you guarantee them to the potential buyer?
Are second hand rolls a good opportunity for investment or are they a better opportunity for scammers? If you would buy a second hand roll, who would you buy it from and what guarantee would you accept? How could anyone guarantee the roll is still genuine when it is second hand?
Posted Today 2H 20M ago
