How to buy coins

eBay is a great place to buy and sell coins of all kinds. Every day, thousands of coins are bought and sold there. Of course, it pays to be careful when buying coins this way. Only deal with sellers who have excellent rating and feedback history. Read our buying tips.

There are a number of other sources to buy your coins:

Coin shops - Coin dealers with their own stores can be good sources of both information and coins, although you're unlikely to find a bargain.

Coin shows - Here you can shop from several coin dealers at once. The selection will obviously be better than at most coin shops, and you just may be able to get better prices because of the presence of competition from other coin dealers.

Mail Order - Coins can be purchased from many dealers through the mail. Check any of the relevant coin collecting periodicals for advertisements for coins. Unfortunately, it is all too common to receive over-graded and/or problem coins from some mail order sources. Make sure the coin dealer source has a reasonable return policy before ordering, examine the coins carefully on receipt to ensure they're satisfactory (get an opinion from a more experienced coin collector/dealer if you are unsure), and return the coins if they are not to your satisfaction.

Coin Auctions - The rarest and most expensive coins are often available only at auctions promoted by major specialty coin auction firms.

Other coin collectors - It's not always easy to locate other collectors selling what you want, but when you do, you may get a better price. Attend some local coin club meetings.