hr1704

After getting brushed off by Heritage, I contacted Great Collections. According to their web site, the first step for new cosigners is to request a quote on my coins. So I did that. It took 5 weeks and a couple of prods but they finally got back to me. They apologized for the delay and gave me a pretty good shot at valuating my coins. I understand that they must be very busy. I think I will go with Great Collections in the future.

@powermad5000 I have sold some non-coins things on ebay but I'm talking 6 or 7 things over 10 years. I probably wouldn't buy a coin either if the seller didn't have a return policy. I'm just hesitant of scams there because I've read about so many and everything I've read stated that ebay almost-always favors the buyer in a dispute. I tried sending a message to Heritage with pictures of my slabbed coins and a list of about 40 other coins I have. The response took about a week and was something short like: "We charge 15% seller fee which might be negotiable if they are high-value coins. Send the coins to us and we will let you know their value". I responded with some more questions like "can I send pictures instead?", "are there fees associated with the valuation?", "what if the seller fee is not acceptable, are there more fees to send them back?" That was 6 weeks ago, I haven't heard back yet. That tells me a lot about dealing with Heritage.

Thanks @cobymordet. I'm surprised you even got this response. It doesn't seem totally hopeless to me. It sounds like they are genuinely interested in getting the information documented and available, it will just take time.

I'm not understanding your passionate opposition to this. Is it because you conserve yourself? I had coins with PVC haze and 1 with copper spots. I don't know for sure if they would have recommended conservation for just haze. They look much better now and I can't imagine anyone would prefer the haze.

Thanks @powermad5000! You not only take the time to write out thorough responses, you also "read between the lines" to understand was was really being asked. This is what I was really asking. I'm sure this will be useful to others in the future. Same goes for MOST of the other seasoned veterans who responded.

I had 2 proofs and 1 not. The not-proof definitely had haze but it wasn't as visible. I have more now with haze and copper spots. The one "melter" I have is a proof coin and I used ammonia instead of acetone. It had the most haze and now it's mirror-like in the fields. I was amazed how much it changed. It's one of these: https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/france-10-francs-km-p459-1972-cuid-1129159-duid-1266746 I don't think it's a melter anymore.

Yep, copper spots are gone now. It looks like YOU learned something from ME today. You're welcome!

Well it's ALL elective. Conservation is elective, grading is elective, coin collection is elective. I think it's our duty as consumers of this service to call them out when something stinks. 4% FMV stinks. And if I feel it stinks, it makes me want to game their system. That's were I went in this discussion.

I noticed some coins were hazy and had orange spots on them. I then read about PVC residue and copper spots and conservation. That's it.

What? Why?

hmmm... I don't know about that. I've discovered that if I walk in and show them my slabbed PR64 5 sovereign coin FIRST, I'll get a entirely different response on the rest of my unslabbed coins.

OK, here is my official review for NGC conservation: You did a good job, but something seriously stinks about this 4% FMV charge.

You're right. I'm just a beginner and I've already been pushed into the dark side. I blame NGC... and all the dealers who were quick to tell me all my coins were junk and only worth melt value.

NGC is practically incentivizing us to do it. I'm guessing most already do. It seems like you're a sucker if you don't. I say go ahead and do it guilt-free.

C'mon, no capital letters or exclamation points? Are you sure you're a seasoned veteran? I'll bet you only have 30 years of experience - max.