First Coin World arrived

[melmcbee]

I am so happy. My first issue came and I was so proud I have never seen so many coins offered for sale before. Do any of you buy from anyone that advertises in there? Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for all of the support and for leading me down the right path. I have 4 books which is a start on my coin library. I have found that since reading and following the sites that everyone sends me to, that my purchasing has slowed down tremendously. I am now more select in what I buy.

[Hoot]

I am so happy

 

These words are worth a million dollars! You have done well and persisted in your approach to coins. This is telling of your heart and devotion to this hobby.

 

As for buying from the advertisers - give that time and ask specific questions about particular dealers. PM people on these boards if you don't feel comfortable making posts about it and ask your questions. Lots of people here with a lot of past mail order experience.

 

Hoot

[spy88]

I'm sure we're all very happy for you Mel! Leading a new collector down the right paths to minimize buying mistakes is something that makes us feel all fuzzy inside!

 

As for buying out of the Coin World mag---I for one do not and would suggest you think hard before entertaining any thoughts of doing so yourself. One should never buy any coin sight unseen no matter how small the amount unless you have a written guarantee you can return it for any reason after receiving it if unhappy with it.

 

You have already learned a major disipline by stating

...my purchasing has slowed down tremendously.

Patience in collecting is very primary to the hobby and sometimes, a hard lesson to learn!

[reid1836]

Hi Mel,

Glad to see your enthusiasm hasn`t wained. I too am a subscriber to CW. I look forward to each and every issue. It`s a great asset for staying current in the hobby. Plus it has a lot of helpful tips and information. As to the dealers I suppose it`s like everything else, some good some not so good. I would suggest following Hoot`s advice in this area.

May all your collecting experiences be gems !

[rexcat]

Hi Mel,

 

I’ve been a subscriber to CW for nearly ten years, I think you’re going find something to enjoy reading from every issue. Some may say that CW is written for more of a novice collector, this is true to a point, but there are articles that should be enjoyed by all coin collectors, even the most advanced folks. You may even find a guest commentary from one of the people who frequent this forum…Cough, Hoot, cough. (Very good one I may add)

 

My wife and I usually look through it together; we like reading the letters to the editor and comment on the validity of the writers gripe, some readers make real good points about the hobby and others, well…. Let me just say if your not happy with the coins you’re getting from the mint, please go to a coin show or dealer to hand pick your mint sets and quit sending letters to CW about the quality of the coins the mint sent.

 

As far the dealers that run ads in CW, I think it is like any other venue where coins are put up for sale, there are both the good and the bad, it’s a buyer beware world out there.

One dealer that I have done business because of a CW ad is Premier Rare Coin in Colorado. I have made five coin purchases from there and have always been very happy with the coins, each one bought after only hearing a description of the coin over the phone. The coins have all looked just as I was told they would be.

 

When I go to the monthly meetings of my local coin club, I take the old issues along to give away, usually by the start of the meeting they have all been gobbled up from the table at the door where I left them. I have also left issues in waiting rooms when I go to the doctor, I just hate to toss out old issues and feel it’s much better to recycle them one way or another.

[cpm9ball]

Hey, Mel! I assume that your first issue was Feb. 28. I live in south Florida, and I normally receive my issues 8-10 days in advance of the publish date. However, your next issue, Mar. 7, will contain the Coin Values supplement. It always accompanies the first CW of the month. These issues usually take a little longer to get.

 

Hoot and the others have given you good advice. I've had some dealings with CW advertisers with mixed results. Whenever I have any questions, I'll just call them, first. That doesn't mean that you won't get any used-car salesman hype , but it may help you to get a read on their character. If you should decide to purchase sight unseen make sure they have a return policy. Don't accept any garbage about restocking fees, either.

 

Try to keep an open mind. I'll give you an example: I've had a set of Brown Ikes for more than 30 years. Not long ago, I decided that I wanted to build a complete set of dates, mintmarks and types. I knew that it could take considerable time and effort if I wanted a "perfect" set. I had to weigh the costs of searching against the cost of purchasing in one fell swoop. I called one of the CW advertisers who offered them at a competitive price and asked about condition. He was very straightforward and admitted that there were a few problem coins. I bought them because of his candor, and it gave me a considerable jumpstart building the set with more than two dozen quality coins.

 

I was willing to accept the bad with the good, because it would save me the expenses of airfare and hotels going to shows and gas mileage visiting dealers in other cities, locally.

 

You seem to be very hungry for knowledge, and that is a great asset.

 

Let a smile be your umbrella!

 

Chris

[Oldtrader3]

I'm glad that you are happy in receiving your first Coin World. There are interesting articles in there from time to time (some written by our own Hoot). Several people have given you good advice about the dealers in CW. You just need to pick your way through them carefully until you have found the good ones, that have what you want.

 

There are many other threads on this site about CW dealers (the good, the bad and the ugly). You can read these posts and treat them accordingly. It does not hurt to establish a relationship with a couple reputable dealers who stock coins in areas of your collecting interests. You may even want to set up an account and bid in some auctions. Auctions have been one major source of coins for my collection for many years. Anyhow, good luck and enjoy!

[James_OldeTowne]

There are many solid, upstanding coin dealers advertising in Coin World, and I think you can do very well buying coins from them. The most important thing is to buy from someone with a well-established return policy. I'd shy away from those that offer policies of very limited time frames, such as "three days", but most dealers are going to give you ten days or so.

 

It's a goal of mine to someday earn enough to afford an ad in CW.

 

James

[EZ_E]

I am so happy. My first issue came and I was so proud I have never seen so many coins offered for sale before. Do any of you buy from anyone that advertises in there? Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for all of the support and for leading me down the right path. I have 4 books which is a start on my coin library. I have found that since reading and following the sites that everyone sends me to, that my purchasing has slowed down tremendously. I am now more select in what I buy.

 

Mel, I doubt that even the most seasoned numismatist has your enthusiasm for the hobby! You are awesome!!

 

I also love my numismatic subscriptions. This is how one keeps updated with current events in coin collecting. And this is where I first heard about the Lewis and Clark Coin and Medal sets. I bought ten sets from the Mint and turned around and made $300 on e-bay. Hence, Coin World has paid for itself many times over.

 

Unfortunately, since I live in the middle of Nevada, my issues always get to me late so any good coins being advertised are already sold.

 

I have made both good and bad purchases from their advertisements. Generally, though, any raw coin from most all of the large, major advertisers will be cleaned, hairlined, overgraded or has some other type of problems. Be very, very careful with these dealers.

 

One of the very first things that I learned when I first started visiting the NGC boards in 2002 was the following:

 

If the coin does not appeal to you within the first ten seconds of viewing it then chances are it is not the coin for you!

 

Never, ever hesitate to send a coin back!!! I wish that I would have followed my advice more often when I first started because there are lots and lots of problem coins being offered out there. I lost quite a few hundred of dollars from buying from many of these advertisers. But, as a result, I mixed this experience along with my numismatic education and am now a more knowledgeable buyer.

 

I am confident buying modern commemoratives from Coast to Coast Coins but am very leary about buying any classic issues from them since they sell sliders for choice BU coins. And, 90% of their customers just eat 'em up and love 'em. This is because the are cleaned up nice and purdy like, which appeals to the novice collector.

 

I bought a complete set of uncirculated Franklins (ms 63 or better) a couple of years ago from John Paul Sarosi and these were accurately graded! However, I bought some raw Mercury dimes from them which were one or two points over graded, which I promptly sent back.

 

I also bought some grossly overgraded Mercury dimes from Joel Retew . I refuse to do business with him.

 

Some of the ugliest and most harshly cleaned coins came from EZ Coins . These type coins were overgraded and very harshly cleaned. They went back, too.

 

Although now out of business, I was burned with many problem coins from Sunshine Rarities .

 

As I mentioned to you in my PM, Pinnacle Rarities usually have very PQ coins offered for sell. I have received some very sweet coins from them. However, I was offered an 1853 Seated Liberty half dollar graded AU 55 by NGC that had cleaning compound gunked up around the devices and lettering. This is where the ten second rule applies.

 

My general advice to you, buy only slabbed coins from these advertisers and never be afraid to send back problem stuff. And, take the Coin Grading Seminar offered by the ANA at the first opportunity available!

 

Thanks for your openness and for your contributions to this forum, Mel!

 

You are great!!

[michael]

the best rag on coins and a weekly newspaper to boot with muchm information great articles and also lots of coin prices

 

usually in the late 1700's paper newspaper notes was made out of old rags linens and this gave the paper substance and strength but now it is too expensive to make newspapers out of rag linen cotton fibre so it is just wood pulp and sulfer that is why the newspapers break down and turn yellow fast and this term rag was not used to me bad or poor but just a term a slang term to describe a newspaper

 

for example this rag (newspaper) is the best in the area

[Merc]

How much does Coin World cost per year? I used to get it when it was $28, but then the price when up and so did the number of ads so I quit getting it.

[cpm9ball]

How much does Coin World cost per year? I used to get it when it was $28, but then the price when up and so did the number of ads so I quit getting it.

 

1 year - $47.95

 

3 years - $127.95

 

Chris

[Ed Daggett]

I picked up a copy at the FUN show and decided to subscribe. The card attached gave one year for about $29.95. I went to the web site to speed up the process and found no way to avoid the higher price, so I sent in the card.

 

They received it and offered me two years at that rate, so I grabbed it. All is well that end's well, right? However, I still have not received my first issue! It has been 6 weeks since I subscribed, 4 weeks since I doubled up, but still no magazine.

 

Maybe if I had paid full price, I would received it by now!

 

Oh, well, it will go longer on the other end.

 

Ed

[cpm9ball]

I picked up a copy at the FUN show and decided to subscribe. The card attached gave one year for about $29.95. I went to the web site to speed up the process and found no way to avoid the higher price, so I sent in the card.

 

They received it and offered me two years at that rate, so I grabbed it. All is well that end's well, right? However, I still have not received my first issue! It has been 6 weeks since I subscribed, 4 weeks since I doubled up, but still no magazine.

 

Maybe if I had paid full price, I would received it by now!

 

Oh, well, it will go longer on the other end.

 

Ed

 

Ed, did the $29.95 include the Coin Values monthly magazine?

 

Chris

[melmcbee]

Don't sweat it. I just received my first copy and it took 6 weeks. I ordered it online.

[Ed Daggett]

Chris, it appeared to be a full featured subscription. Simply discounted on the card. It was frustrating not to find the rate on-line for new subscriptions.

 

I just saw the charge hit my creditcard, so action is coming.

[cpm9ball]

Chris, it appeared to be a full featured subscription. Simply discounted on the card. It was frustrating not to find the rate on-line for new subscriptions.

 

I just saw the charge hit my creditcard, so action is coming.

 

Ed, the rates are posted online. That's where I got the new rates for one of my previoius posts. I had to look it up because my current 3-year subscription is an old rate.

 

Chris

[DWLange]

Coin World is also available online at the same price as a hardcopy subscription. It is available as soon as the new issue is published, while the hardcopies typically don't arrive for another 5-10 days, depending on one's local post office.

 

While I miss flipping through the pages, I find that it's very beneficial to have the information the same day it's posted.