A-Z 10Ps
With the release of the 2019 mintage figures the secondary market for purchasing coins has seen a massive increase in the cost of 2019 A-Z coins.
Prior to the mintage figures being released it was possible to find these coins with the exception of one or two for as little as £1-£2.
Now checking Ebay recently sold listings coins are changing hands for between £4 and £8 and full sets are going for £120-£150.
The only real surprise with these prices is it has taken this long for them to reach this price, over a year ago it was announced that the mintage for 2019 A-Z coins was 2.1million total.
This meant roughly 80,000 of each coin, obviously we did not expect WYZ (63,000) R (64,000) Q (83,000)
What does this mean going forward? Well with the 2009 Kew Garden 50p still holding firmly at around £170 the prices of the A-Z could well keep rising.
Buying from Ebay V Facebook
Ebay v Facebook
When it comes to buying coins from the second hand market where is the best place for you to be picking up the best deals? Ebay or Facebook?
We will have a look at the plus and minuses for both sites in a bit of detail. And hopefully aid people into getting some great deals.
Ebay many would think offers you the best deals as you are protected by the Ebay buyer protection. But there are many things to be aware of when looking for coins on Ebay.
Firstly look below at the issue with the change checker cards and circulated coins being sold in change checker cards. Of course you can always return the coin, sighting item not as described for your coin. But many people decide this is to much hassle and just keep it.
Also what can become a hassle with Ebay is getting caught up in a bidding war and paying more than you intended to pay.
Always check the sold listings first and decide on a price you consider to be fair, factor in the postage on the item and be careful not to get caught up.
Also, more so with £2 coins and higher valued coins there are a lot of fakes, of course this can be said about any site you are buying from but Ebay seems to be swamped with fake coins. If you are unsure always ask for more pictures, do not be afraid to ask friends opinions on the coin. At the end of the day it is worth doing your homework especially if it is a coin of value.
Facebook.
Facebook seems to have exploded lately with coins groups popping up everywhere. From swap groups to auction and raffle pages there are so many to decide from.
For me personally i steer clear of any of the raffle pages. Generally these are pages whereby say a Kew 2009 is offered with the Lotteries bonus ball used as the way to pick a winner. Tickets range from £3-£5 and have 59 numbers. This means the seller is getting as much as £300 for the coin. Way above market value. Whilst you may win the coin for £3 the reality is you will not. It is as good as throwing £3 down the drain.
Next up we have the swap/selling sites. There are so many of these that it can become very confusing. I would suggest sticking to ones that are well known. The Change Checker swap group is a great example of how a site should be run. The admins only allow UK coins, the seller accepts all responsibilty meaning should the coin not arrive they hae to either refund or replace the missing items. It is run very well, as well as very educational. Ask any question regarding UK coinage and someone there would know the answer.
Lastly auction pages on Facebook. Again a lot of these have popped up recently. If you are going to use these i suggest joining the biggest ones, do not jump straight in. Watch the site for a few weeks, check to see if people are posting they have received there coins. Wait to see if there is any problems with deliveries. Again it is all about doing your homework.
Check the going rate using Ebays sold listing and do not get suckered into paying extra.
A lot of the facebook pages ask for bank transfers or paypal friends and family, but do not be afraid to use the paypal G&S as this also offers you protection. But again make sure to factor this into your final cost. No point in saving £5 on a coin if postage and fees comes to £7.
In summary, there are some great deals to be had on both sites, but be careful. There are many scam artists out there just dying to get there hands on your money.
Do you homework, do not get caught up in bidding wars. Never be afraid to ask the seller questions or for more pictures.
Be careful, and when you grab them special bargains you have been waiting for, remember to send them into TCC showcase for the chance to win a monthly prize.
Beware of Facebook scams
Facebook can be a very good and popular place with many pages and groups dedicated to the buying and selling of coins as well as swapping.
This has proved to be extremely popular with collectors as most groups are run by some very good admin who not only vet people joining but who also carry out some very good checks on people.
Most of the groups, or certainly the groups that I have used in the past, the seller or swapper accepts liability should the coin not arrive or not be as described.
One scam that appears to be doing the rounds at present is one involving Change Checker brilliant uncirculated coins.
As you can see on the image to the left, there is a hologram that features on all BUNC coins brought from Change Checker.
However it is also possible to buy the packaging without the hologram and add your own coin.
This is what is happening on Facebook groups, the coin is then being advertised as brilliant uncirculated, and it is not until the buyer/swapper gets the parcel that they discover all it is is a circulated coin placed into a blue folder from Change Checker.
If you take the puddleduck 50p, just so happens to be the coin that I was shown.
A circulated one sold on Ebay today for £8.50 with postage, whereas the last 2 BUNC change checker versions sold for £18 and £15 so pretty much double the value.
The lesson to be learnt here is if you can not see the hologram in the pictures is ask the seller/swapper for more pictures, if they are unable to supply them simpy do not buy/swap the coin.
