Best way to retrieve a large collection from across the country?
Azurescens
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Someone across the country passed away and there is a large collection that now belongs to me.
I don't know the specifics yet but I'm figuring it is very big off what I know of this person. It is likely a mix of a lot of cheap crap but I know for sure there are gems.
I know gold and stuff needs to be sent registered. But what do you do in a situation where it is multiple heavy boxes of stuff?
I've worked in package handling and logistics so unfortunately I know how the sausage is made, as it were. Which leads me to think I should just get plane tickets and get it in person and do all this myself. But then entrusting it to cargo handlers I think is even worse.
Any help or insight please?
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I think you're on the right wavelength. The trip would be something memorable.
Fly out, enjoy a nice trip, get the good stuff and sell the bullion/scraps at a local store. Why a lot of aggravation for scrap coins? Have fun!
Regrettably, this situation is complicated (though I'm guessing this sort of thing always is) and the chance of there being positive experiences is very low. I wish I could say being there in person is something I desire.
I've considered maybe hooking up with a local dealer and helping boost their business while they help make my life easier. Reducing the amount I have to ship while minimizing losses is paramount. A small loss off retail price is better than a total loss via the USPS.
I'm pretty sure some forum regulars are in Florida, now that I think about it.
Thank you for the perspective/advice.
Via airplane would be my choice. Train would be next depending on how long it takes.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
US Dimes: 1793-1916
If the value is there, I would drive. The collection stays in your sight at all times.
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Can you share with us the general location of this "hoard."
@PeakRarities is in Florida and a dealer if you need someone.
Collector of Capped Bust Halves, SLQ's, Commems, and random cool stuff! @davidv_numismatics on Instagram
Go get it!
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if it is heavy and in numerous boxes, going to get it may not be the best way
usps steals stuff but so do bag handlers
keeping bullion on you subjects you to having it stolen at the x-ray. ask the coin show dealers how to get collections through security. i believe you can request a hand search in a separate room
i like the idea of going to get it and quietly selling it out there
but how many here have actually faced this situation and done it? not me
My grandmother pieced out the smaller stuff from my grandpa over a number of years scattered across multiple boxes so the risk of a total loss was non existent. When she passed I picked up the rest and did the airport thing but that was 10 years ago.
They did have a number of questions I assume related to drugs or property theft but I bored them to death by nerding out about Lincoln cent errors. I remember TSA almost being upset when they realized I was just a young guy who had a death in the family and not some cartel member.
Hooking up with a dealer locally is sounding really good right about now. Driving 3200 miles is something I would have done 20 years ago but now driving to Florida I may as well just be driving to the moon. At that point, the airline ticket and hotel would be cheaper than the fuel and oil changes.
Inbetween Tampa and Orlando if you have any suggestions.
I would drive.
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What about a delivery service? Most are bonded. We have several delivery services here of which we utilized heavily 20 years ago. Good luck.
Jim
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If the value is potentially there, and you can do the logistics (health, time, etc), I would fly, rent a car, and drive back. Hopefully with someone you can trust with you. Driving alone, for long periods, sucks, and you don't want to leave stuff in a vehicle overnight when you stop for a hotel rest.
When my mom wanted to send just a few boxes of cheaper stuff, she did USPS flat rate. It worked but I wouldn't recommend that for valuable stuff. Hers was just SAEs and smaller collectibles. If it were anything worth more than a few hundred dollars (at that time), I would have flown and driven it back up.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Load your gun,,,,, gas up the car and hit the road.
I agree if you are risking the drive best to be protected (and ready to use if need be). With a plane or train no such worries.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
US Dimes: 1793-1916
can you wait until july 10?
http://www.funtopics.com/summer-fun.html
If you decide to fly both ways, after you decide what you want to carry on the plane back with you you will most likely get tagged for secondary screening (this happened to me two months ago when my mom passed away so I went through what you are dealing with now)….and all you have to do is ask for a private screening so only the TSA screener will see your bag’s contents.) For a 3200 mile trip you have to take into consideration the wear and tear on your car…$400+ in gas alone, hotel rooms for approximately 6 nights depending on how long you can go each day, meals, breaks, and YOUR time…..etc. For the $1,000 or so it would cost to drive I’d enjoy sitting in the back of a plane and leave the driving to the guys up front. You can fly into Orlando or Tampa and find some fairly cheap rental cars as long as you are returning them back to where you picked it up….I rented one for the big coin show in Tampa last year at it was only $20 for the day! Pretty sure there are a few dealers and buyers in the Tampa/Orlando area that you could sell the bulk of coins to. Best of luck to you!
Can someone local work with a dealer? Sarasota Rare Coins Gallery is a major dealer in the area.
just in case, do they take in entire collections even if they have low priced widgets?
Couple years ago, had a guy have his aunt send a Morgan Set to me, I told them to send it registered mail, well they just sent it in a large priority box. When I got it, all the coins were there, but the coins for the most part were spectacular, probably 75k+ easily. I wouldnt dare try that today. I would make arrangements to go out and get em as others stated.
You have no idea of approximate value, volume, or weight? How safe is it where it is at now and how long can it safely remain there? Can anyone send you some pictures so you have a better idea of what you are dealing with?
If you do decide to fly, I would think the ultra-valuable stuff could probably be put in a brief case and carried on.
I also like the idea of summer or next winter FUN show, if you can wait that long and take a week off from what you do.
Just go man…
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
I’d fly there, drive a rental car home.
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
U-Haul. I was military and had to haul my books, valuable collections, and guns myself. Movers did the furniture.
Just need to check the gun laws in the states he will be driving through. Having an LTC issued in your home state doesn’t necessarily give you carte blanche to carry it anywhere you go in the country.
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Agreed
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
US Dimes: 1793-1916
I get protecting oneself, but if one is going to pick up an inheritance, and then take it straight home, states away, I sincerely doubt anyone will be hunting them down on the way home.
Just need to be non-descript, use suitcases, and take everything into the "nice" hotels when you pull in at night and leave nothing visible in the car (ie...use the trunk for stuff when driving).
Odds of anything happening are super low, imo
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Sounds like the way to go. There's no reason to bring something home if you don't plan to keep it. Just have reasonable expectations. The local dealer will likely sell most of the material wholesale, so expect to net a bit less than wholesale levels.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
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I had a similar situation to yours and what I did was fly down, secured a solid rental car, loaded it up, and had my son join me for the long drive back. This was several years ago by the way.
It was a pretty significant hoard and so heavy that the back end of the car was visibly sagging!
I had the trunk loaded up and stuff stacked on the floor of the back seats and then covered in ratty blankets.
The first night, we ended up going over a pass in some pretty heavy snow and I pulled into a hotel for the night as it was getting too icy and it wasn’t a great car for snow. We pulled into a large deserted parking lot in the middle of the night and some guy appeared out of nowhere and flagged me to stop. I thought he was in trouble and rolled my window down part way to figure out what was going on and he asked me… “do you have any spare change?” Now, I had and entire care full of “spare change”- literally! But, I didn’t offer any to this poor guy and just said that I was sorry but no.
It was one of the weirdest things that’s ever happened in this crazy life, but just as quickly as this guy appeared, he VANISHED! No sign of him! This was in the middle of a pretty large, empty, fairly well lit parking lot in a snowstorm! Zippo, he was gone! Nowhere to go, but he just disappeared.
I’m not a believer in ghosts, but this was the closest experience I ever have had to something paranormal ever happen in my entire life.
The hotel was nearly empty and we got a ground level room where I could park the car right outside our window with the thought of hopefully hearing any attempt to break into the car. It wasn’t a fancy car as I didn’t want it to look like a target.
That hoard, by the way, was an inheritance and was the beginning of my journey into coin collecting again after losing interest as a young teen.
Good luck with your journey!
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
Call Orlando coin exchange to try and arrange a meeting where Jason can appraise and purchase the entire collection.
https://www.orlandocoinexchange.com
Just fly to Orlando, grab a rental car pick up the stuff and drive over to his shop. The guys there are honest and won’t screw you. I’ve done business with him for years.
It shouldn't be an issue. Jeff Garrett is a partner in this business.
I would go in person with a companion, sort and dump the normal stuff locally, back pack up the rest and fly home, i once moved 100k worth of coins in a large pack pack and flew commercial for someone , no issues, went thru the scanner with no issues
Good luck with whatever method you use.
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Just get ot there just for the memories and maybe a huge score (👍), ya never know
I'd put 'em in the back seat of my '57 Chevy.
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Share a pic if you have one.
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I would definitely fly there, and fly back with whatever you want to keep or consider keeping - a briefcase load maximum.
As @safari_dude said, the TSA procedure is no problem. If they want to see inside your briefcase, you go with an agent for a private screening.
You -could- do the driving adventure, but going it alone would be time-consuming, expensive, and a nervewracking experience.
30+ years coin shop experience (ret.) Coins, bullion, currency, scrap & interesting folks. Loved every minute!
Beautiful car; but would you drive it across country?
Thank you, no I would definitely take one of the trucks.
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Fly in, rent a car, decide if you want to keep some of the items, take the rest to two of the dealers recommended in this thread, sell to the highest bidder, and fly home with the rest.
I recently flew with some coins my Dad gave me in a briefcase and got pulled aside to inspect “what appears to be poker chips” in my briefcase. No sweat- eezy peezy. The nice young lady opened the double row box of Morgans, looked at a few and closed it back up.
Hopefully these weren't part of your deep end of the pool collection
Haha- just regulars
I would drive to get it and bring it back. Once got it would not let it out of sight until back (bank box or safe,etc). If had to dine along way would use drive thru, eat in car.
For me once got back it would be inventoried (evaluated) , recorded in inventory, priced, etc. - and become part of retail inventory - (absorbed into the business, input into inventory spreadsheet / Items needing TPG grading would be sent to our hosts).
Trebuchet
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If flying is too expensive relative to the likely value of the gems,
ideally it would be great to find a trustworthy local partner to look through it and filter out the good stuff for you.
The trick would be finding such a person.
Maybe it would be a surviving relative with free time and could be done via a Zoom video call with you?
Then after selling the cheap / bullion value stuff, there is still the question of how to ship the good stuff to you
in a way that you feel is secure enough.
Gerry Fortin lives in Venice, south of Orlando in the winter time.
He might know somebody local who would be appropriate.
He also knows how to ship high value coins and has shipping insurance.
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