Littleton Coin is one of the BEST coin dealers for our hobby!
topstuf
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I was going to post as a reply in the other largely negative Littleton thread, but I want to educate the forum on what Littleton actually does that HELPS the hobby.
THEY ADVERTISE !!! 
Their ads all call attention to COINS! Buying and selling COINS!
Every waiting room in the country is stacked with pulp magazines with a big ad for COINS !
Big NEWSPAPERS are full of ...COIN ADVERTISING !!!
These ads aren't directed at us, the serious to semi serious collectors.
They're directed at the thousands of people far removed from local shops who send in coins or ask for approvals.
I have no stats, but I would suspect that for the many thousands of people who actually send their coins to Littleton, there are legions of people who read those ads and begin to think of ..."checking out their old coins."
And then tote them in to the thousands of small shops across the country. 
Which is GOOD for all of US.
They provide an "end user" for the REAL dreck that hits every counter in every local coin shop in every city in the country.
There are dealers who travel around the country ...SEEKING... the culls and crap that they in turn sell to Littleton (and some other mass marketers) There was a guy who I sold almost ALL my ....junk... to. He stopped by about every couple months. He was a teletype dealer and I shudder to think what his "inventory" must have looked like.
(I envision paint buckets full of .....well, stuff.) 
What this meant to me running a shop is that I didn't have to roll my eyes and send people home who didn't show up with the coins that ...I... dealt in. I could BUY EVERYTHING
Littleton keeps attention on buying and selling...COINS !!!
Their markups pay for that advertising and it's advertising that conventional coin dealers don't have to pay for.
I always LIKED Littleton. Maybe not when I had to go through a "collection" that someone brought in in a detergent box, 
but generally otherwise, they perform a service and a big one at that.
So... there ya go.
Comments
They have strong bids too, if your material meets their standards.
They're directed at the thousands of people far removed from local shops who send in coins or ask for approvals.
Agree. Littleton brings in new collectors and companies like that are needed to grow the number of collectors.
Littleton reaches many folks on the hobby fringes who have the potential to develop into serious coin collectors.
David S. Is one heck of a nice guy too.
I understand the Littleton is very picky; they don't buy any dreck. As for their pricing, you are paying for the coin plus all their service, advertising, etc.
Given the prices they charge, I can’t agree with this statement. One way to kill a fledgling collector’s interest is have them find out that they have paid way more than the coins they have are worth.
My Mom purchased a coin from Littleton for me once....and then they started sending her coins for 'evaluation'...and tons of mail. I finally had to call them directly to get it stopped. Cheers, RickO
Littleton claims this 1830 CBH is XF?
https://www.littletoncoin.com/shop/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&productId=30752&catalogId=29555&categoryId=10061&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-1&langId=-1&top_category=10058&parent_category_rn=10058&storeId=10001
Okay, I give up.
Let's hope all public exposure to coins is through high end dealer websites.
Preferably dealers who specialize in esoteric die varieties.
While we are at it, where is the thread about how great the cable TV coin dealers are?
(And to support their own inflated prices they often wave around a Littleton catalog for comparison).
I am not saying Littleton is evil, and there are certainly a few nice things that can be said about them, but the love fest that started this thread might be slightly over the top
(and they most certainly don't buy "dreck" if that is defined as culls and problem coins).
I will admit that it is a big turnoff for me to see them charging inflated prices for current year Mint offerings that are still available at issue price from the Mint.
But, they sell what they sell, and what they sell is as described. I suppose the beginning collector who does not have a local coin shop could do a lot worse on eBay.
I wholeheartedly disagree.
Don't you think that's a stock image?
How about this 'VG' Capped Bust half? Do you honestly believe Littleton thinks this is a VG coin?
https://littletoncoin.com/shop/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&productId=30811&catalogId=29555&categoryId=10061&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-1&langId=-1&top_category=10058&parent_category_rn=10058&storeId=10001
While they should include the actual coin or readily disclose it's a stock image, they are not the only major dealer to use stock images to sell generic coins.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I didn't know anything about coins when I walked into my local coin shop a couple years ago. After telling him I was interested but I didn't know what I was interested in, he pulled out a Littleton Type Set 7070 clone that was brand new and traded in by someone. I had no idea such a thing existed and feel in love with collecting coins the moment I put my first lincoln in the proper slot.
Collector of randomness. Photographer at PCGS. Lover of Harry Potter.
In case anyone missed it...
I GAVE UP! DISREGARD THREAD! NO WAIT... MISINTERPRET IT! THAT'S THE TICKET!
Littleton is TERRIBLE. They CHARGE TOO MUCH! OW OW OW.
They just mislead people who browse magazines and stuff and they can spend their money on throw pillows!
Erase OP from memory.
Littleton is BAD!!! Bad bad bad.
What is the difference between > @BillJones said:
I have been collecting 20 years and everytime I take my coins to Ebay or Heritage I discover the same thing.
This seems to happen with a lot of B&Ms too. One collector mentioned something like 10 of 11 of his local B&Ms would overcharge collectors.
Mass Marketing products appeals to impulse buyers. The prices reflect the marketing / business costs needed to maintain a larger business infrastructure and are very high relative to an individual selling coins or a small corner shop coin store.
I agree with the OP. I still have images in my head of visiting magazine racks in the 1970s as a kid and spending hours looking at coin advertisements and coin lists, dreaming of the coins I could own if I made more than .50 cents a week in allowance.
I will tell you this, there are respectable coin dealers whose business costs are high enough that the coins they sell are ALWAYS 20-50% above what the coin is really worth in an open market auction.
were all entitled to an opinion whether its good or bad. thats the experience you have had with them, best wishes
To add: I rarely (only sometimes) question the price an honest dealer charges (and Littleton is honest).
I assume they charge what they need to based on their expenses and overhead. When Littleton sells me Silver Eagles or state quarters or small dollars at cost, and I return the approvals in the "business reply mail" envelope at their expense (the first return is always on them), that costs them something.
I always see their ads in the color section of the Sunday newspaper. Have never purchased anything from them. No one I know hasn't either. But that is their game plan and they are within their rights to run their operation as they see fit. As with any purchase do your research first.
I bought coins from Littleton as a kid.
I have not bought coins from Littleton as an adult.
They do help get YN's into the hobby.
I might call them tolerable for the hobby, but not "one of the Best" out there. That's my opinion and part of the discussion and that's my impression based on one single purchase my wife made for my birthday years ago. She bought a FE Cent for 70 or 80 dollars and I got a harshly cleaned coin.
For me to hear now that they are picky and accurate with what they advertise, is interesting. Maybe I'll at least look at their ads next time I see one.
The only coin I have ever purchased from Littleton was a 50-D Jefferson nickel before I knew much about anything coin related. Several years later, I did have it graded and it came back 65FS, but I'm sure the amount I paid(+ grading) and what I eventually sold it for still left me in the negative. The coin itself as I remember was pretty nice.
There are degrees of over charging. In another thread, I pointed out their pricing on a 1912-S Nickel in PCGS VG: their price $375, “Coin Facts” price $175, highest recent action results $120.
The use of "Satire" in this day and age is misconstrued very often.
I can understand charging double market rate for an inexpensive item but on a $150-300 item that becomes an issue.
Besides, everyone knows ebay stole the throne as "best coin dealer" back in the 90's anyway
Collector, occasional seller
Or error coins. Those folks are responsible for all the tremendously informative "double die" threads.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
I would certainly suggest they match the photo's with the coin they are selling. AND I don't consider CBH's as common stuff. I think the original point made by the OP is valid, can't agree they are the best....everyone has a right to their opinion however.
Louis Armstrong
Right, there are degrees. What I find perplexing are the collector-dealers / vest pocket dealers that have no physical location and little to no overhead that have huge mark-ups. You see a coin sell at Heritage at X and then 2 weeks later you see it on Ebay for X+ 40%.
I have perused their site many years ago, but to me, all excessive overpricing is all relative. I won't buy from many dealers or waste my time on their sites no matter what they offer because their prices are too high always. Littleton is just one of many...Maybe it is the worst, who knows?
Vest pocket do have overhead. Sometimes you have to travel to locations to find and sell coins. You also to pay for research materials like “The Gray Sheet.” If you take a booth or a table at a show, that’s overhead. You also might have cases and supply costs in addition to safe deposit box rentals.
It’s had to think of a business that goes beyond the casual level that does not have overhead.
"Vest pocket" dealers usually fail (or succeed) by realizing expenses matter.
Right, that is why I said "little" to no overhead. There is some overhead traveling, subscriptions etc, but no rent, salaries, matching taxes, benefits, insurance etc. etc. The "little" was to recognize the expenses they do have.
I sell coins, I have expenses buying and maintaining my coins. I also have a full time business with employees, rent, insurance, benefits etc. The first is a grain of sand and the other the universe the sand exists in.
You may or may not agree with their business model
or style. On the other hand they sponsor a Lecture
Series each year at the ANA show. This is always
educational and fun to attend. Not every company
can live up to everyone's expectations. I am sure
that there are hundreds of dealers, large and small,
who are not perfect either. If you don't like them, don't
deal with them.
I am confused now!
He sucks! No he is good! No he sucks! No he is good! 
"Vest pocket" dealers usually fail (or succeed) by realizing expenses matter. > @Gluggo said:
Almost needs a poll, huh?
I get more auction action with Littleton in the title than I get with PCGS or NGC there (Ebay).
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
I know when I was a kid I used to love getting there there approval coins sent to me (1960s) they sent all kinds of stuff like Hickman air force tokens , Japanese invasion money all priced in a kids price range ! I havent bought anything from them since because I become a adult and found other sources
Littleton looks cool but is misleading with there prices, when I began collecting I stated with Littleton but later learned there prices where even way over retail, I felt vary upset
Excellent point, but to clarify just a bit ... they do not 'sponsor' a lecture series, they endowed a lecture series. There is a meaningful difference in the philanthropic world. A company can 'sponsor' and event one year and then stop 'sponsoring' in the future. David Sundman (Littleton Coin Co.) made a significant donation to the ANA (I am not sure if the ANA or Littleton ever disclosed the amount, so I won't) to provide permanent funding for the Lecture Series. The endowment corpus (principal) remains and the Lecture Series runs off the investment return (unless there is financial mismanagement ... but that's another topic).
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I stand corrected. Thank you.