Buyer Beware: Deceptive Coin Advertising You Should Watch Out For
If you read any magazines, newspapers, or online publications, then you have probably come across at least one or two advertisements for coins.
Beware! It is not uncommon to find a few misrepresentations in coin advertisements.
Now, to be clear, I am not referring to advertisements placed by reputable coin dealers. I’m talking about the glossy, half-page and full-page color advertisements seen in newspapers, circulars, general readership magazines, and the like.
The types of ads I am referring to are the kinds which may remind you of "shop at home," "As Seen on TV" type advertisements. Often, the prices are set at $XX.95. And in some cases, a certain number of "easy" payments are permitted.
Deceptive Coin Ads
Why am I telling you to be careful? Because some (not all) of these advertisements can be misleading. These coin ads typically catch the eye of non-collectors (or new collectors) who do not really know much about the nature of coin pricing, coin buying, or the coin market in general.
A new coin collector may see an advertisement for a pretty, supposedly rare coin and not even think twice about the coin’s true value. When, in reality, the coin could be worth far less than the ad wants you to believe.
The fact of the matter is, some coin ads attempt to lure unsuspecting buyers into purchasing coins which are quite common.
I feel pretty impassioned about this, because I have seen way too many of these types of offers which snag the newbie collector and other innocent people into buying overpriced and misrepresented coins.
Here are some examples of misleading coin ads to watch for…
