Rare Coin Dealers in Vancouver WA

When looking for reputable rare coin dealers in Vancouver -- or anywhere else -- it's important to take the time to research individual dealer and discover whether their numismatic reputations are as "good as gold," so to speak.

Check to see if the dealer you're considering is a member of the appropriate professional organizations that focus on numismetology. One of the most important for rare coin dealers is the American Numismatic Association, but there are several others that are equally reputable.

Perhaps the most critical for rare coin collectors is knowing, accurately and reliably, the condition of the coins being bought and sold -- in the industry, this is known as the coin's "grade." A third-party grading service is the safest and most reliable way to know a particular coin is being graded appropriately by a dealer; in this country, one of the most popular is the Professional Coin Grading Service, or PCGS. PCGS independently backs up its grading among coin collectors by guaranteeing the accuracy and authenticity of every PCGS grade with its own cash-back policy. Knowing a rare coin dealer uses PCGS grading for its coins goes a long way toward providing peace of mind to coin collectors.

Another widely-used grading service is that offered by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, or NGC. The NGC grading service encapsulates coins securely using inert plastics protected by security holograms and coin identification numbers -- notably identical to the ones currently used by the Smithsonian Museum for its most valuable and historic coins. The NGC is also the American Numismatic Association's official grading service.

Finally, make sure whatever rare coin dealer you're looking at in Vancouver is fully accredited with the local Better Business Bureau; the BBB scales businesses from A+ to F, and offers an online lookup system at www.bbb.org