Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don't have any silver eagles to trade to you?

That's not a problem. Each coin has a cash price, and I still accept money orders for payment, though I prefer trading. Go to the contact page for email instructions. I appologize for the inconvenient manner in which my email address is displayed, but the spammers can easily snag an email address from any page published on the web, and I've had my fill of dealing with mountains of offers for anything and everything that I neither need nor want.


How do you determine the value of a silver eagle for trade?

Silver eagles are bullion coins, and are based on the value of silver, plus a modest premium for being a coin. To calculate the value of the eagles you are trading, I add 2 dollars to the spot price of silver for each silver eagle. Today's (2-4-2007) trade value of a silver eagle is 14.85 and can be used as that cash amount against any coin or set that I have in stock. Postage is your responsibility on cash sales.....but on trades, the shipping of your items received in trade is not charged. I pay that since you are paying to send your trade stock.

Who in their right mind would trade their old coins for new ones?

I assure you that I am completely sane. As we get older, we need to look ahead and have a plan. My plan is simple. I have a knowledge of, and an enthusiasm for numismatics that my wife does not share. In the unlikely, but possible event that I were to meet an untimely demise, I want her to be able to liquidate the collection as easily as possible. There's no way, in a time of grieving, that a person can quickly gain the knowledge of numismatics that I have acquired over nearly 4 decades of involvement with the hobby. I have worked in the live auction trade, and it was a very enlightning experience. I know enough about that trade, that I would never consider, not for one second, having her sell my coin collection that way in the event of my death. Selling Bullion is another matter altogether. It's pretty cut and dried.

How do I know I can trust you?

This is the part where I'd like to (and eventually will be able to) tell you that I am bonded, but for the time being, as this thing is just getting off the ground, I am not. I do much of my buying on eBay, and have a sterling reputation there as a buyer. I no longer sell there because they just want too much access to my banking. I no longer feel confident, nor comfortable in selling through that venue. I have worked in the banjo trade since 1992 and am a pretty well known commodity in that community, having built and shipped banjo necks to customers on 5 continents, and having sold instruments to many professional, and well known musicians during that time. I can supply all of the character references that you would like. As my eyes grow older, the banjo work becomes more difficult, and this really represents a career shift for me. I am absolutely not willing to compromise my integrity in this endeavor, because I've been in business long enough to know that repeat customers are to be valued. If you're not happy, I'm not happy.

What if I'm not happy with the coins?

Be certain that you want the merchandise before ordering. I have been taken advantage of in the past and will not accept returns of coins since it's very easy for the dishonest to switch out coins of higher grade for coins of lower grade and then "return" them for refund, so all sales are final. That is how I protect myself. Then how, you might ask, do I protect myself? The best protection I can offer you is to allow you to know, and to see, exactly what you are buying. I try to provide clear images of the better selections, and common dates are just that, they are commons, and priced about 10 percent over their silver content. I remove any badly damaged coins from stock and sell them to a refinery for scrap silver prices. I will not sell culls to my customers, unless they wish to buy a specifically advertised "lot" of culls. In that case, they will be well represented, and weighed and photographed.

 Why does the 12 ozs of silver I bought from you weigh more than 12 ounces?

Precious metals are bought and sold in Troy weight. It is not the same as "avoir du pois", which is the normal system of weight that we use every day, and which has 16 ounces to the pound. To calculate troy weight is very simple. You weigh the silver on a digital postal scale, and get a figure that's represented in ounces, and tenths of an ounce. For our example, we'll use 10.3 ounces. Get your calculator, and multiply 10.3 times 9.1 to convert "avoir du pois" to "troy" ounces.  Our example of 10.3 ounces, converts to 9.373 troy ounces. In the case of US coins, the silver used to mint them is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. We must now take the troy weight of 9.373 ounces troy, and multiply that times .90 to find the pure silver content. Our 9.373 troy ounces of US silver coins contains 8.437 troy ounces of pure silver. Additionally, there are not 16 troy ounces to the troy pound. There are 12 troy ounces to the troy pound. I see sellers on eBay claiming....you get more silver because we use "real" ounces instead of troy measurement...and the fact is, that they are ripping you off if they are selling you silver or gold by the ounce. In the example case cited, if the seller charges you "spot" price for silver, and does not express the content in troy weight, he is overcharging you by nearly 20 percent.