Disclaimer: I love what I do and want to keep doing it. To do that, the links below are affiliate links, and will make me money if you buy using them. That said, I only recommend products and services I 100% believe in and use myself. Happy collecting!
Lucky you. When I started out I didn’t have any of these resources. Ah, the internet.
Here are some of the best places to buy and sell coins, precious metals, and supplies. Note that, while I’ve categorized things to make it easier to read, many of these sites serve multiple purposes in your collecting journey.
But first…
Aura is a password manager, VPN, and identity theft protector all in one (and you need all 3).
I know, I know. What does this have to do with collecting?
Well, in short…everything!
All of the sites below require logins, input of credit card info, and other transfers of pretty sensitive information before you can complete a transaction. And while I’m confident that all of these businesses have pretty robust security controls themselves, the fact is that most data breaches happen due to basic human error, often on the part of the consumer.
Identity theft is no joke. People who have lost their life savings at the hands of some opportunistic hacker will tell you all about how they wish their online banking password had been a little more complex than moneymoneymoney123. I’m oversimplifying, but hopefully you get it.
There are some precautions you can take, and I’ve gone into those in detail here.
TL;DR? Get 2 weeks of Aura free with my link.
OK, now for the fun stuff.
Coin & Currency Collecting
There’s not much to say here. When in doubt, look to Apmex.
Seriously, while I recommend you be creative in your search for the best deals, there are few places that can offer the kind of catalogue and legitimacy that Apmex boasts. I’m a proud repeat customer, and I frequently get my precious metals and coins here.
One of my favorite things to do as the Silverpicker is physically take myself to auctions, estate sales, coin shows and get my hands dirty in examining collections before I buy them. But living outside of the US as I do, that’s much easier said than done.
And, while I love the internet (obviously) and all its conveniences when it comes to buying and selling coins, there’s a part of me that always misses the live experience of being there in person.
Whatnot is truly the best of both worlds. In short, it’s a platform for hosting live video auctions online, where buyers can interact with sellers and get the authentic experience that many (like me) long for, while enabling buyers to really see what they’re purchasing.
I personally buy coins and collectibles, and host auctions on Whatnot and can’t recommend it enough.
Friends of the Silverpicker can get $15 of Whatnot credit here.
As you may know if you’ve watched my videos, Ebay is a double-edged sword. Yes, it’s made buying and selling items – including coins, cars, kidneys, birthrights, and more – easier than ever. But it’s also opened the door to fraudsters and charlatans who’ll sell you anything that could pass as valuable.
That said, there’s no denying Ebay’s convenience. And if you know what you’re doing, you can get some pretty sweet deals.
Check out Ebay.
Supplies
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Amazon doesn’t just sell books anymore. Alongside basically everything else under the sun, it’s got a pretty impressive selection of supplies for numismatists and other collectors.
I’ve put together my own Amazon “playlist” here.
Learning
Education’s a lot more fun outside of a stuffy classroom (sorry Mom!).
Whenever I want to learn something new, I turn to Skillshare. There are courses for literally everything, and I can personally vouch for many of them myself. Recently I completed courses on digital video production and editing and am already seeing the results.
You can get a month of Skillshare free here.