Tell me someone in the coin hobby/business that you HATE, but......

ER · August 5, 2003 4:22AM

you want to thank them.
I 'll start with mine. I hate the HSN / SAH guys, but I got to thank them. They are the ones that got me started in coin collecting, with all their hype,

. I bought a lot of their overhyped coins. But once I started learning, I realized that they are a bunch of weasels. I honestly believe that if I hadn't watched their shows, I would never have known that The US made all these beautiful coins. Now, I watch their show for laugh.
Tell me your stories.

cherrypickincoin · August 5, 2003 4:28AM

Littleton Coin Company. I remember being a kid when they were still somewhat new. I bought so many overhyped and overgraded coins, Morgans, Peace Dollars, etc. because I actually believed what was being said in the articles. After all, I never saw a Morgan Dollar before, it MUST have been rare, right? They certainly weren't in circulation! So yes, I'll thank Littleton Coin Company for giving me a good kick in the arse. They were the first catalogs I read where I learned about mintmarks and the different issues of coins until I got some real books! This was many, MANY years ago. It's amazing how some dealers we can't stand the most seem to teach us the best lessons in life. Everything has a reason, that's my philosophy.

meos1 · August 5, 2003 4:31AM

Thanks to ebay scummers...Thanks to countless auctions where "PQ" pieces were sold I have learned.

1. If its too good to be true it is.
2. Don't buy coins from ebay!
3. Stick with people you know.

Dan

Tassa · August 5, 2003 4:35AM

ACG. The first certified coin I ever purchased was in an Accugrade slab. I was surprised that the coin was selling for less than raw coins which were graded lower. I typed ACG into a search engine and found out why. While searching, I also stumbled across these message boards.

nwcs · August 5, 2003 4:35AM

All the dealers who ripped me off when I was 14. And the few who didn't.

MadMarty · August 5, 2003 4:35AM

Russ, because he has the Accent Hair Kennedys!!

ER · August 5, 2003 4:38AM

<< <i>Russ, because he has the Accent Hair Kennedys!!

>>

And the reason you want to thank him? Or is there one?

jeffnpcb · August 5, 2003 4:39AM

I'm with you ER, but have more fun going to the web site for the Coin Vault to really bust a gut!!!!

And cherrypickincoin with Littleton, as that if you follow up on them they have more fingers out there under different names or divisions! Telemarketing calls made me aware of this!

But the biggest thing is over-hyped coins that are out of reach and over publisized!! The '04 dollar and mystery '13 nickle just has thrown me over the side! Kind of like the Kobe Bryant story, it gets to the point of who really gives a rats ass!!
{quit watching pro baseball and basketball after the last strikes}

cherrypickincoin · August 5, 2003 4:43AM

jeff,

You got that right. It used to be that we would only hear the news when we went to see movies and they would have a small segment on the news before the show started. Either that or we had to hear through the radio, t.v. or newspaper. However, with the addition of cable television and of course, mass marketing, we now have 24 hour news which can really be compacted into 15 minutes! Instead, now our news isn't even news but rather more like a talk show. This analyst gets together with that analyst and tells what they think the court will do with Kobe, blah blah yadda yadda. With coins it's similar, get to the point and leave out the rhetoric and excess verbiage!

Russ · August 5, 2003 4:43AM

<< <i>ACG. The first certified coin I ever purchased was in an Accugrade slab. I was surprised that the coin was selling for less than raw coins which were graded lower. I typed ACG into a search engine and found out why. While searching, I also stumbled across these message boards. >>

That is exactly how I found this forum! I did a search, found K6AZ's site about accucrap and he had a link to PCGS.

Russ, NCNE

Tassa · August 5, 2003 4:47AM

<< <i>That is exactly how I found this forum! I did a search, found K6AZ's site about accucrap and he had a link to PCGS. >>

I found K6AZ's website first, too.

MadMarty · August 5, 2003 4:57AM

Really I'm just pulling Russ's chain, I have learned more about Kennedy halves from Russ (and Don H.) then I could ever find in a book!

Topdollarpaid · August 5, 2003 4:58AM

In referance to cherrypickincoin

First let me say that I have two full time coin shops and I buy my share of littleton coins over the counter,
they come in little envolopes and plastic sealed holders.

Please let me say this about littleton Coin Company

Littleton Coin Company, Charges what they want for coins. They DO NOT OVER GRADE there coins. They are very fair on there grading.

Now I have never had any dealings with littleton but I will be sending them some coins cuz the pay 1.50 for circ indian cents. Thats top dollar.

ScarsdaleCoin · August 5, 2003 6:03AM

$1.50 paying for circ Indians....dream on....I had a couple of thousand...offered them and they turned me down....I also know several examples where dealers sent them coins....they cherry picked em and send all the rest back at the dealers expense.....

Topdollarpaid · August 5, 2003 7:12AM

I agree that Littleton coin co. is picky and they don't want the low end coins. If I paid 1.50 for circ indian cents I would be picky also. Matter of fact I would want them to have full Liberty...

hjohn74 · August 5, 2003 7:16AM

ACG. My first two ebay coins and I've learned my lesson. Since then, nothing but NGC/PCGS.

09sVDB · August 5, 2003 7:42AM

Littlton as well. I was "hit" by them back in the silver boom of 79/80 when I was in H.S.

bearcave · August 5, 2003 8:41AM

Littleton, I would have to agree. Bought several from them over 20 years ago but soon learned my lesson when I done some looking around on price. Will have to give them credit for teaching me a thing or two about coins tho. Talking about Littleton grading, has anyone ever sent any to be graded by PCGS or ANACS? Just wondering, I still have several in their wrapper with their grade on it.

my3cents · August 5, 2003 8:47AM

originally - this forum

But then I was a newbie...as I really still am.

Now I have actually had a chance to get to know a lot of the people here and have come to enjoy it as a pleasant diversion as well as a wealth of knowledge and information...

and a few questionable personalities

FatMan · August 5, 2003 8:49AM

<< <i>and a few questionable personalities

>>

Only a Few?

ohbaby · August 5, 2003 9:22AM

Franklin Mint!! [surprised no one mentioned them thus far]

Danbury Mint
Millers Mint
Both of the above for scamming collectors with their hype and limited edition crap.

Littleton CC! They "trapped" me with a Boy's Life ad many moons ago and I bought lots of overgraded coins [all my allowance and errand money] which I still own as a reminder.

Barry Stuppler. He was "too busy to talk" to me one day so I met with a competitor of his and found out how overpriced Barry's coins were.

Gosh, I just realized there have been many who have "helped" me. I actually LIKE a list of about a dozen who have truly helped in a positive way.

Skipper53 · August 5, 2003 10:28AM

Coast To Coast was my initiation into coins. After spending several thousand on some
very pretty raw coins, got some graded and discovered the Gem BUs were actually AUs !
Now I buy only graded coins !

cladking · August 6, 2003 8:52AM

As a boy I bought buffalo nickels from several dealers. They were nearly all
grossly overgraded, but I didn't know until I went to sell when I was 16. For-
tunately the F 13-S was actually undergraded and the increase in it allowed
me to break even on the set.

When I got back into collecting a few years later, I always made sure to sell
something once in a while just so I knew where I really stood.

ursabear · August 6, 2003 8:57AM

Littleton...

They brought me back into coin collecting from a long haitus several years ago. I still have a few of them (just a few silver Roosies and Washingtons). They got me interested again.

All the coins I bought were sealed, and graded MS60 if they were mint state. Indeed, they are all MS63 or better.

barberlover · August 6, 2003 11:38AM

I hate Heritage for there inconsistent coin pics, but I love them for my favorite coin and one great deal I got from them in a bullet sale because of a terrible picture they took of an 1861 seated quarter in pcgs 65 that made the reverse look terrible so I got it at a great price in a bullet sale for 2300 total and as I suspected the coin was much better then the picture.

Les

ARCO · August 6, 2003 11:52AM

I loathe NGC and their pathetic grading. Because of it I have learned to my great gain that buying NGC coins sight seen or unseen is mostly to be left to someone else. As I contemplate my sixth burn by NGC on eight coins my middle finger is fully extended and I give a ceremonious F.U to that excuse of a grading service.

Tyler

tjkillian · August 6, 2003 12:23PM

Arco, not that I'm a big fan of NGC, but why the extreme loathing?

Tom

pierre · August 6, 2003 1:28PM

ACG NTC TRUGRADE

ohbaby · August 6, 2003 1:32PM

ARCO, how do you really feel?

Tell me someone in the coin hobby/business that you HATE, but......

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