Steve Estes...anybody buy from him ??

paigowjohnny

Saw his ad in CoinWorld...based out of Portland. Has anybody bought raw from him...any comments.

wingedliberty

He calls himself PN. I think that means professional numismatist in his mind.
I have heard positive things about him, but the prices are too overpriced for me.
You can do alot better on Ebay or at a show in my mind.

Brian.

Gilbert

Not lately, but, I have purchased both raw and slabbed (mostly raw) and out of about 7 - 10 separate transactions, I haven't been disappointed. During the time his pricing was on par with any other decent dealer in the industry. Until something different happens, I wouldn't be skeptical buying raw from him, unless it was a "major" purchase; in that case, it wouldn't matter if it was Steve Estes or my grandfather - I would protect my interests.

quarterjack

Have purchased a few raw pieces from him in the past couple of years, he's dead on on his grading. He's a little pricy, but you get what you pay for and he does have some very eye appealing pieces.
JMHO

Dave

BAJJERFAN

Pricing is defintely on the firm side but the service is great and he does have some nice stuff and pics. Out of 4 or 5 raw Morgans purchased only about half graded as advertised, NONE better and the rest lower; ALL at ANACS.

eagle7

I have purchased a few Morgans and Peace dollars from him starting in the early nineties. Always certified. They were very nice if you bought the high end and paid the extra money. Then about 1998 I got a wild hair and bought a bunch of raw PL's and DMPL's(his grade). Most bodybagged at PCGS and the ones that went into a holder were one to two points lower in grade. Needless to say I learned real quick about how PCGS grades coins and about what is a wiped coin and what is not. None of these coins were whizzed. Just wiped, that was PCGS's explanation when I called them about them. BTW, I think PCGS grades are accurate, I send coins to them all the time and I buy coins in their holders.

dorkkarl

a reliable seller, imo.



<< <i>Out of 4 or 5 raw Morgans purchased only about half graded as advertised, NONE better and the rest lower; ALL at ANACS >>

of course, that doesn't mean anacs is "right", just that their opinion is different. i don't believe estes makes any claims that his uncertified coins would slab at a certain grade.

K S

Nickelchaser

I have been happy with my purchases, out of 20 coins I have only sent back 2.

abuell

I've known Steve for 20 years and he knowledgable, fair, and handles quality coins. I highly recommend him.

billiardmaster

Listen close,,
If you buy from anybody, anybody at all, through the mail is always stupid. If you can't find a coin shop, your in trouble. Tell me what part
of the country you are in and I will try to help. You have to be able to see the seller in person. That is step number one. At any rate, I have
no problem with Steve, but again would only deal in person. You will find any real dealer will have anything worth it slabbed. Always.
Rusty

Fairlaneman

Had my worst buying experience with Steve. Bought a 1916D AU Merc Dime from him in the middle 80's. Sent it to ANACS to get authenticated and it returned as a Fake. That was one Hell of a let down. That was the bad part. The Good part was that Steve Refunded every single cent of the purchase. Always have had respect for him and was let down when his Shop was closed. Have not bought anything from him since returning back to collecting but see no reason why he would change his standards. A Good Dealer IMO.

Ken

BigD5

I've bought a few things. I've bought and returned the two raw offerings, and the rest were slabs. The thing I absolutely hate is when he lists a seemingly decent coin, and notates: Ex NGC, for example. Why in heck is it an "X"? I kind of gave up with paying the premiums for his stuff, that I didn't really consider to be as premium quality as he did. Both my returns were absolutely no problem. If he did have something I really needed, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

mrcommem

I bought quite a few early commemoratives back in 1996 and 1997. Almost all were nice coins, but I only bought certified PCGS and NGC. You get what you pay for.

dorkkarl

<< <i>You will find any real dealer will have anything worth it slabbed. Always. >>

baloney, pure & utter nonsense. i suppose tom reynolds has nothing worth buying?

K S

DennisH

I haven't found a dealer yet who can/will guarantee that his guess at a grade will be the same as a one-time try at ANY of the grading services. The more coins you submit for grading yourself, the more you begin to realize how TOTALLY unpredictable the process is. If I could find one, though, I'm sure I'd start buying raw coins.

But since I decided early on to buy only certified coins, I made it a point to find someone who specialized in PQ coins and had the goods to back up the claim. I found Steve almost eight years ago, and his coins are the backbone of my Morgan Registry set.

Also very early on, I decided that buying cheap coins was NOT the right approach to take. Steve specializes in eye appeal, which he quantifys on a 1-10 scale. Virtually all of his inventory is rated 8-9-10. Like they say in the coin business, pretty ones cost more... and always sell the fastest.

Best money I've ever spent is for his eye appeal 10 coins. Every time I take them out and look, I congratulate myself for having been smart enough to buy such gems. For some strange reason, the price I paid never crosses my mind

Buying his best stuff has paid some dramatic dividends, too -- his coins occasionally upgrade. The best "hit" I'll probably ever make in coins was with one of his: an MS62 1901-P Morgan that I paid "all the money" for, later (but not much) upgraded to MS63. The sale of that coin allowed me to shop for a couple of dates I figured I'd never be able to afford.

Along the way Steve has given me tremendous schooling about coins, coin dealers, grading, the marketplace, and human nature -- always bluntly and without the sugar coating, so as not to mistake his meaning.

My collection wouldn't be where it is without Steve, and I plan to keep buying from him as long as he is in business.