Is Littleton Coin Company a Scam?

Should you buy from Littleton Coin Company?

If you have looked into buying coins online, then you have seen ads for Littleton Coin Company. They boast great deals on rare coins, but can this site be trusted?

Littleton coin company has been around since 1945. They sell individual coins, sets of coins, coin folders, paper money, ancient coins, world coins, and coin books.

I would not go so far as to call Littleton Coin Company a scam, but I would not recommend buying from them.

Littleton’s Prices

Littleton occasionally has very good deals, but most of the time they have outrageous prices. They advertise good deals on books and folders to draw you in to buy more expensive coins.

The “On Approval” Program

One of the shadiest business practices of Littleton Coin Company is the “on approval” program.

When you buy coins from Littleton, you make be shocked to receive more coins in your package than you bought. These coins are not free.

When you check out at Littleton you are agreeing to join the “on approval” program where they send you coins with the expectation that you will send coins back you don’t want and pay for the coins you keep.

On it’s own, on approval services are a great idea! It gives buyers the chance to sample coins and decide if they are of worthy quality. Littleton does not make it obvious that you are enrolling in their on-approval program when you check out.

My Experiences With Littleton

I purchased the U.S. Presidential Dollar folder from Littleton Coin Company, they had a promotion running where when you purchased the folder, they also sent you 7 uncirculated dollar coins for $7.

I was excited! The coin folder was cheap, and it came with coins to fill it.

I was disappointed when I received the package. The green Presidential Dollar folder was nice, but the coins seemed too dinged up to be uncirculated. No huge flaws, but smudging and small scratches. Oh well, the coins were practically free.

I noticed there was a white envelope in the box, initially I was excited, thinking that Littleton had sent me a free gift with my purchase. Instead, these were the Littleton On-Approval coins.

I was horrified, not realizing what I had signed up for. It felt like they were trying to strong-arm me into buying more coins for them.

The next day, I dropped the coins off in the mail to be sent back to Littleton. If the coins had been lost in the mail, I probably would have been on the hook to pay for them.

Better Places To Buy

Honestly, there are very, very few places more expensive than Littleton Coin Company. Even Amazon often has cheaper coins! Browse through Amazon’s collection here: Amazon Collectible Coins

I would recommend buying from a trusted coin dealer on eBay or even a gold/silver distributor like SD Bullion or Money Metals Exchange. By shopping at either of these sites by clicking a link from American Coin Stash, you also support this site! American Coin Stash is an affiliate advertiser of SD Bullion and Money Metals Exchange because I trust both of these companies.

If you are looking for very specific coins, not in a lot and have a good eye for spotting genuine coins, eBay is a great resource! Just remember to know what you are looking for, it is easy to get addicted to eBay bidding. Plus, eBay is more likely to have fake products or mislabeled items. Sometimes the sellers don’t even know they may be mis-advertising a coin!

Final Thoughts

Calling Littleton Coin Company a scam makes it sound like they are doing something illegal. I have not seen any evidence that this company is doing anything illegal, but I do think the company could be more honest.

If Littleton made the opt-in for the On-Approval program more obvious and lowered some prices, I think it would make a great company. They have lots of inventory and name recognition.

If you are going to make a purchase from Littleton, be aware of what you may be signing up for.