Complaint Review: Littleton Coin Company - Littleton New Hampshire

I have been an off and on customer of Littleton  Coin, and while they have sent coins on approval as well as free gifts, I have returned the approval coins and kept the gifts without any problem or hassles about payment.

My grandmother bought a number of items from Littleton which we found after her death.  Did some research online, found that the prices on the envelops (like $0.45 for a 1941 Jefferson Nickel) were wildly inflated - that particular coin, which was worn to the point that the lettering was beginning to be lost, looked like it just come out of someone's pocket.  Same with all of the coins, like someone looked through their change and then stuck whatever they had into the appropriately labeled envelops.

After a few hours discovering that even uncirculated, mint condition coins wouldn't fetch the prices Littleton had charged my grandmother, went to Littleton's website and priced all the coins.  Their 1941 jefferson nickels are now going for 1.10 to 135.00!  You can get one in very fine condition on Ebay for 35 cents.

Who are these guys?  And why in the world would anyone pay these outrageous prices?

I'm replying to the longish defense of Littleton, not the original complaint.

Littleton is obviously a scam so don't be a sucker.

I have been a collector for near 20 years and know just about everything there is to know about coins, local coin delears, and Littleton Coin Co. The only complaint I can make against them is that they are a bit pricey. Yes, you can probably find similair or exact coins at your local coin dealer and/or on ebay for less money, BUT... The coins I have bought, examined (but not bought), and have owned from Littleton since the late 1980's have been top quality coins. When I mean top quality, I mean that most, if not all of these coins are in the exact condition they are described as. With most coin shops I have visited and compared coins from Littleton side by side to, there is almost no comparison (and this is comment is NOT favoring the coin shops). Littleton's proof coins are near PRESTINE, near Flawless, beautiful to look at. Now, I have examined hundreds, if not thousands, of so-called UNC and even high end proof coins at most (I cann't speak for ALL coin shops) coin shops. The grdaing condition of those coins there was laughable at best. Proofs were scratched, had bag marks, many were tarnished, fogged up, and even had finger prints. if you want to talk pocket change, coins I seen over the years at many coin shops that have been graded at UNC or even slightly higher could honestly pass for pocket change. Granted they were cheaper than Littleton, but you are not getting a high quality coin. I have bought many proofs from Littleton. Granted I paid a bit more for most of them, but the coins quality is simply unmatched. The coins I have are, as I mentioned above, near flawless. Somebody above also mentioned problems with the coins-on-approval service. I can only counter this by saying that person must have just by fluke had an experience with a bad customer service rep. I have used this service, on and off, several times. The service itself is near unbeatable. And yes, there have been many times I have sent ALL the coins back (only costs about a buck and a half, with insurance, to send the coins back) without buying anything, and my service was not cancelled. First off, with this service, there is automatically no shipping/handling charge (as if you were to buy the coins out of the catalogue or online and pay $6). And the coins are NOT marked up to compensate for that. You get to pick and chose the variety of coins you like, and they send you a few of them to look at and examine in your own home. Again, the coins I have seen and subsequently bought have been top quality, near prestine coins. (If one requests a 108 year old Indian Head cent, odds are it isn't going to be in even remotely good condition, UNLESS YOU REQUEST one in a higher grade). You can also cancel at any time, and unlike a company like Columbia House or BMG, they don't send you solicitations or bother you to "come on back." I honestly don't see how anybody could complain about this service. Yes, as mentioned, you have to spend a buck or two to send them back, but that sure beats the gas money you may use to go to a coin shop, or, spending the $6 shipping/handling to purchase coins via the order form or online, right? Littleton is a bit pricey yes, but I would highly recommend. The pros far outweigh the cons on a scale of about 10-1.

I have folks come into my shop with those littleton coins in their cute little wrappers. I give out better coins in change. They seem to service those folks who don't have access to any real coin shops. They've been around for years. Kind of remind me of cub scouts getting their merit badges in coin collecting back in the 60's. Little old men and eight year old kids with their allowance.

I have been dealing with Littleton Coin company for many years and they have provided outstanding service and absolutely great merchandise. I would recommend them to any collector.