Buying bulk world coins

Hi,

US collector here looking to just have some fun and explore some foreign coins.

What is the cheapest route for bulk foreign coins? What is the going rate/lb?

Also open to people reaching out with offers of sale.

Thanks!

 

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I have been wondering this, too, lately. Hopefully somebody can provide an answer.

 

The cheapest I’ve seen them is at a local coin shop $6 a lb. It’s fill a bag, I’ve found some good stuff.

 

I think @TheCitrusGuy may have some input on this question. But I could be wrong.

 

I think I used to be able to get bulk foreign coins for $5-6 a pound, but prices have come up since then. My local coin shop sells for $0.10 per each, though they might have a slight bulk discount. Most of them are too modern for me to have much interest personally. Depending on what interests you and how much is available, it may be simpler to sift through "junk" bins and only pick the ones which actually are worth the space to you.

Once one has a few thousand modern world coins, there are just too many duplicates of the same stuff to be worth getting more at random.

I've had good luck at coin shows picking through their loose bins (typically $0.10 to $1.00 per each) to round out my collection of "junk" 1800s coins. I like things which are worn but have enough text to be possible to ID.

 

If you are trying to buy cheaply then go ahead. This is not a good way to find very good quality coins. You will end up with tons of very common coins.

 

I appreciate the advice. I do not have a specific collecting goal in mind right now. Just looking to have some fun exploring what the world offers.

I realize bulk will most likely end with many duplicates, but for a start I think will be fun and inexpensive. Barging bin divi g is another good idea, so thank you!

 

I realize from a collection goal its nit ideal, but I do not have any particular goal in mind. Just looking to have a bit of fun exploring what I can find and maybe something will strike a spark.

 

That's how I got started collecting world coins. I will pay up to $10/lb and still do occasionally. It's fun and relaxing (for me) to sort them. Most of mine were off of eBay. I would use a seller for a small purchase to see what the mix was like. If it didn't suit me, move on to a different seller.

 

Awesome, old coppers are fascinating and you got them for the right price. I think I see a UK King George III on top! (American Revolution)

 

I've bought a couple kilos in the last few years at $17 per kilo. Just something to do during the winter months. If memory serves, that was about 8 cents per coin.

 

Sadly I think your answer is a trip abroad! Here in the UK I sell bulk foreign (mostly modern) at £5 per Kg - just over $3 per lb.
Coins in the US always seem extremely expensive to the rest of the world. I know of one operation that is buying bulk foreign coinage across Europe, shipping in containers to the US and selling off through coin shops.
Unfortunately postage is now so costly it is hardly worth the effort for small quantities.

 

Hi Mr Chlor***ed,
I recommend you purchase an older Krause-Mishler World Coin catalogue & have fun going through the pages looking up your coins, their mintages & approx. values...
Found this on the 'bay just now:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/203270994940?hash=item2f53e53bfc:g:NRgAAOSw-0FgHwmH
Enjoy,
J.T.

 

I wish I could find that price here! Best I've found is $10/lb. As you say, I imagine shipping being an issue buying abroad.

 

I appreciate the reco!

 

I recommend you buy some Krause World Coin Catalogs. I have them going back to 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th century's. I consider them my coin bibles. The information on coins is good for metal, mintage, sometimes the values are way off from real market values on some coins.




I have been collecting world coins for 23 years now. Yes I have gone page to page seeing what peeks my interests in world coins. You can buy these used on Ebay if you do not want to pay full price. Full price $50-80

 

I'm just now finish up 10 pounds of world coins I purchased from Common Wealth Currency for the same reason as you. They seemed to be the best price in my research for bulk world coins. The coins were mostly current issue from all over the world, with the oldest coin being from the 50s, but most 90s and 2000 coins. Not a single Canadian coin and only a few Mexican coins.
Like you, I just wanted something fun to do in my spare time. I've learned a lot about mints and metals used, and enjoyed new works of art from our familiar U.S. coins.
My advice is to wash all of the coins in a mild dish soap, rinse several times and pat dry with a towel before trying to sort them. They are super dirty.
I use en.numista.com to look up just about every coin. You can filter what you are looking for to narrow down the number of coins they show you, which can be a time saver.
They currently have 10 pounds for $95 with free shipping, which is nice. https://www.ebay.com/itm/221853582796?hash=item33a78105cc:g:G~0AAOSwCmZZUovZ
Good luck.

 

I found a gold/silver dealer with a bulk foreign coin bin. Sorted through and paid about $5/lb
He said stop back next week I’ve got more in storage, the remains of a couple LCS that were closed and bought
Ended up buying a huge hoard, paid about $200
The smallest one, other than the Widow’s Mite, was a token that went for $368 less fees on the bay
Sold about $1000 so far. Expect total to be near 5K

 

The NGC website has a great foreign coin price guide and resource information

 

Yes, I do Thank You, @DEA
I bought 300 Foreign Coins on eBay for $40. He had a buy 2, get one free deal with free shipping. So, $0.13 apiece.

I have found, just in the first 25% of the first bag, in at the very least VG:
1999 Vatican City 200 Lire coin-Mintage 311,000
1984 Vatican City 100 Lire coin-Mintage 400,000
1981 Vatican City 100 Lire coin-Mintage 550,000
The BEST find so far?
1928 France 10 Centimes-Mintage 6,966,552 The lowest in the series and considered a Key Date.

I DO NOT collect coins just for investment, I am a TRUE collector of what I think is cool, fun, or interesting. Yes, I do have a little silver, some small crazy collections, like my 1966 birth year set from around the world, (Currently at 258 coins) and a complete "W" quarters set. I am keeping these four above if nothing else because they are cool, in nice shape, and have low mintages.

Collecting should be what you like, NOT just for an investment! Just because a coin is not seen as "huge money" to you, it might be worth a small fortune to somebody. One last thing, no matter what, where, or when it was minted, it is/or was STILL currency or in layman's term......MONEY.