Littleton Ad - A Collectors Classics

It doesn't sound bad to me. (I wouldn't expect MS coins though...)

with littleton just remember you will be getting a coin each month that you will have to ship back if you do not wish to purchase it at an inflated price, its not worth the hassle to me. I would just purchase the coins if I wanted them because its going to cost you more than these things are worth being on their "list" to where they send you coins on approval. They have these types of things all the time to they and get new customers to buy their other coins that are overpriced

not to support them or anything but they do need to up their prices because of the overhead. How many other coin companies can say they employ over 350 employees in which they also offer insurance, retirement, etc. They also shred all paper for privacy concerns (how many shops do that?). Also do many things for the community and have a scholarship.

Don't get me wrong, they are way overpriced and don't offer anything when you sell to them. I would not buy from them, but that is me.

You could likely obtain these coins from a local shop, at an area coin club or definitely at a show for around $3. You'd then have the added benefit of picking the dates and condition you want. I humbly suggest that you look for "full rim" and problem-free coins wherein the peripheral wording or design is intact and not partially obliterated by circulation wear or damage.

Like it or not, Littleton's grabbag approach to coin collecting has been a boon to the hobby at large. As a kid, I recall the excitement of receiving their stamps and coins in the mail. For the novice, this is a fun and carefree means of accumulating coins. Yet, this practice doesn't do much to help a budding collector learn to discriminately build a meaningful collection. Real learning and appreciation of coins comes from books and the interaction with others at coin clubs and shows.

I used their approval service when I was a kid (early 1980's; they had no idea how old I was). It was the most convenient option for where I lived at the time. A lot of my common date Lincoln Wheat Cents and Buffalo nickels came from them. They were a little pricey, but I paid for the convenience of having coins sent to me (versus mailing or calling in an order, or having to convince someone to take me to the nearest coin shop). Also, the price of their approvals were a lot better than ordering from their catalog.

That being said, getting them to stop sending coins is almost impossible. It eventually ended when we moved to another state. Did I enjoy my time with them? Sure. Would I do it again? Probably not.

Actually, here's another idea - yes, get them! $5, I mean, come on! And then you can learn about them in a Red Book. And then you can take those with you to a local show and buy three or four more for $5 and the learning experience will be invaluable. For $10! That's a great deal, and a great way to get started.

Another good way to spend $5 is on one of those silly "shotgun" "unsearched" (hee hee hee) wheat rolls on ebay. You buy one and all of the sudden you have 50 well-known coins to practice grading and valuating. Just don't get one of the $100 ones. Find one for $5 (it can be done). GREAT learning experience! Not a lot of valuable coins, but then you can give dupes to you kids and grandkids (however many years that is away) and they'll revel at having something nearly or over 100 years old. =)