About Us / How To Order
Rich Uhrich, President.
(Note: Last name is pronounced "your - rick")
I started collecting coins at the age of 4 and have been collecting ever since. I have been selling and trading coins on a part-time basis since 1985. In January 2006, I retired from my position as Manager, Financial Planning and Budgeting with a Fortune 500 company, to become a full-time coin dealer. During my 40+ years in coins, I have bought and sold many coins, including several rare coins with very few known. My personal collection from half cents through silver dollars was complete except for approximately ten coins. The vast majority of my collection was auctioned by Stack's in February 2008. I attend many national and large regional coin shows and conventions, and maintain relationships with specialized dealers and buyers, as well as major numismatic auction houses. I do not have a coin shop, so as to eliminate a lot of overhead expenses (that YOU won't have to pay for).
I deal in rare U.S. coins from 1792 to date, especially silver, nickel and copper coins, as well as varieties. My areas of focus are Bust and Seated half dimes, Bust and Seated dimes, Bust and Seated quarters, Seated halves, and Seated dollars. I enthusiastically buy scarce and rare dates in my areas of focus.
In 2014, I was named Dealer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists (PAN). The award states "For outstanding commitment and unselfish participation that has helped define the image and culture of the PAN Association."
I am a member of several numismatic organizations, including:
- American Numismatic Association (ANA)
The ANA is the national association for numismatists and is well worth joining. You can check out the benefits of joining ANA, and get an application at www.money.org. - Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) - - I am an authorized dealer
- Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) - - I am an authorized dealer
- Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC)
- Early American Coppers (EAC)
- John Reich Collectors Society (JRCS)
- Bust Quarters Collectors Society (BQCS)
I have contributed to the books A Guide Book of United States Coins (the "Redbook"), A Guide Book of United States Coins Deluxe Edition ("Mega Red"), A Registry of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties, Volume III, New Orleans Branch Mint, 1840-O thru 1853-O No Arrows, Grading Coins by Photographs and Buffalo Nickels - The Abraded Die Varieties. I developed pricing information on Bust Quarters for the Coin Dealer Newsletter ("Greysheet"). I have written articles and delivered speeches on counterfeit coins in counterfeit PCGS slabs. In 2011, I won the Wagner Award as the outstanding numismatist in Central Pennsylvania. I also issue an e-mail newsletter that provides information on numismatic topics and also lists new purchases. You can find my newsletters by clicking on the "Newsletter" tab above.
Bill Bugert, Numismatist. Bill serves the business as Table Assistant, consultant on Seated Halves, and photographer/photography consultant. He is a recognized authority on Liberty Seated half dollars and a lifelong collector who has collected and researched Seated Halves since the mid-1970s. He and Randy Wiley authored The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars, and he is writing a six-volume set A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties, the first three of which have been published (Volume I, San Francisco Mint, Volume II, Carson City Mint, and Volume III, New Orleans Mint - 1840 thru 1853-O No Arrows). He has authored numerous numismatic research articles and served as a speaker at many local and national coin club events. He won the Liberty Seated Collectors Club's James B. Pryor Numismatic Research Award for the best research article to appear in the first 50 issues of the Gobrecht Journal, won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Extraordinary Merit (for his Carson City Mint book), won the LSCC's 2008 Kamal M. Ahwash Award for the best article to appear in the Gobrecht Journal, won the John Reich Collectors Society's 2008 award for the best article to appear in the John Reich Journal, and won the Numismatic Bibliomania Society's 2008 award for the best article by a new author in The Asylum. He is Vice President of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, edits and publishes the LSCC's monthly electronic newsletter (The E-Gobrecht), and moderates the Seated Half Dollar question and answer section on the LSCC's message board. He is a life member of ANA and a member of LSCC, JRCS, EAC, C4OA, NBS, and was recently elected into the Rittenhouse Society.
Len Augsburger, Numismatist. Len serves the business as Table Assistant, and consultant on Seated Quarters. He assembled the Chicago Collection, the highest ranking PCGS registry set of seated quarters. He is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club. He recently was co-author (along with Joel Orosz and Roger W. Burdette) of Truth Seeker: The Life of Eric P. Newman. He was co-author (along with Joel Orosz) of The Secret History of the First U. S. Mint, which in 2011 won the Numismatic Literary Guild's Book of the Year. His book on the Baltimore gold hoard, Treasure in the Cellar, was published by the Maryland Historical Society in 2008. He has also authored numerous articles for the Gobrecht Journal, the Asylum, the Medal Collector's Advisory, and the Numismatist. Len has won author's awards from the MCA and NLG. He is a frequent speaker at hobby events and presented the Groves Forum at the American Numismatic Society in 2008. Len is a member of the ANA, ANS, LSCC, EAC, NBS, MCA, C4, C40A, NLG, Chicago Coin Club, and the Rittenhouse Society.
Dick Graham, Numismatist. Dick is a Table Assistant and consultant on Bust and Reeded Edge Half Dollars. Dick has been collecting coins for over 20 years with a special interest in the Bust and Reeded Edge Half dollar series. He is a long time member of the BUST HALF NUT Club and John Reich Collector Society. He recently authored and published The Registry of Die Varieties of Reeded Edge Half Dollars 1836-1839 and is particularly knowledgeable in this series. Dick has an interest in all coins series of the 19th century and is expanding his personal collection to include many of these exciting coins. He is a member of ANA, BHNC, JRCS, FUN, and PCGS Collector Society.
Scott Lingo, Numismatist. Scott is a Table Assistant and serious student of Liberty Seated Half Dollars. He works with us after 37 years of active duty and support to the United States Navy. Scott has collected coins since childhood but has spent the last eight years actively working with his wife Susan to complete a set of Liberty Seated Half Dollars. He enjoys meeting and interacting with customers and learning about other coin series. Scott and Susan wrote the guest column “Coin Dealer Etiquette - - Collector’s Perspective†in our September 2013 newsletter and Scott wrote an article for the 100th edition of the E-Gobrecht entitled “New 1875-S Half Dollar Die Marriage.†Scott is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC).
Karen Uhrich, Office Manager. Rich's wife Karen does most of the accounting for the business. She also enjoys handling phone calls, making travel arrangements, and helping to run the business.
HOW TO ORDER
Ordering from us is simple. Browse our inventory and when you find the coin(s) that you want, click the "ORDER" button, or contact us via e-mail or phone to verify availability. For customers we know, we will ship you your coin(s) after we receive your check. For customers unknown to us, we will ship after your check clears our bank, which is normally five days. We charge shipping of $10 on all orders. We ship the same day or the next business day, unless we are at a show. We offer a 10 day return privilege for any reason, with a 100% refund of your purchase price, but not including postage. We have no restocking fees. We want you to be happy with your purchase. Our contact information and payment options are listed below:
Payment Options: Check or Money Order ONLY. We don't want to have to raise our prices to cover credit card fees.
To Order:
E-mail us: richuhrichcoins [at] comcast.net
or call 863-314-6872 or 717-579-8238 (cell)
SHIPPING
We ship registered mail or insured mail depending on value. If you need your coin(s) shipped more quickly, we can do so, at an additional cost to you. The words "coins" or "numismatics" will not appear on your package. To help preserve the environment, we often reuse the cardboard safety mailers used to protect your coins in shipment.
TERMS OF SALE
RICH UHRICH RARE U. S. COINS INC. guarantees that the coins listed on our website are GENUINE, unless so noted. No other express or implied representation, warranty, or guarantee regarding the coins is given, including investment performance. Accepted grading standards, services, and terminology can change over time. Therefore, RICH UHRICH RARE U. S. COINS INC. does not guarantee that the coins above will regrade the same at a different grading service or that the coins will grade the same at the same service that originally graded them. All PRICES are subject to change. However, when you place an order, the current listed prices will apply to your order, except that we will not be responsible for typographical errors.
The RETURN PRIVILEGE is 10 days after you receive your coin(s), however, for coins sold at coin shows and/or previously inspected by the buyer, or as specifically noted in the coin's description, all sales are final. For coins that are returned, we will refund 100% of your purchase price, excluding postage. We have NO RESTOCKING FEES. All items listed remain the property of RICH UHRICH RARE U. S. COINS INC. until paid in full with good funds.
The purchaser/consignor agrees to arbitrate or mediate any disputes in the State of Florida according to ANA (American Numismatic Association) rules.
Signing the invoice or accepting the merchandise described above constitutes acceptance of the above terms and conditions of sale.
All claims and returned coins MUST be accompanied by your invoice.
A word about CLEANING: Many, many 18th and 19th century coins have been cleaned at some time in their history. Surprised? Consider the many Mint State white silver coins 150 to 210 years old often seen in the big-time auctions. Exactly what storage method was used to keep that 1795 half dollar white for 210 years? There weren't slabs back then, or flips, or 2x2's, or plastic, or any of the storage methods currently used. The inescapable conclusion is that most of the "blast white" silver coins that are 200 or so years old have probably been dipped! Therefore, on this site, I have not described coins as "having an old, light cleaning" unless the cleaning has caused an unnatural look to the coin. I do back up all of the coins I sell with the return privilege described above.
We try our best to provide PICTURES of all coins priced over $100, and also those coins where a picture is necessary because of some unusual attribute of the coin.
WHAT SEPARATES US FROM THE CROWD?
WE DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH YOU!
Some other sellers seem to be more interested in playing games with customers, than anything else. For example, a seller agrees to a deal, then backing out of it after he/she gets a better offer. Or a price is agreed upon, then the seller decides that amount is not enough and wants to renegotiate the price. Or, a seller sells a nice coin and sends a different, inferior coin. Or a seller has a return policy but doesn't honor it. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., WE DON'T PLAY THESE GAMES! Once we have agreed with you on a price for a coin, we go through with the deal upon receiving your payment. If you don't like the coin, we offer and abide by a full ten day return privilege for any reason, for a full refund except for your return postage. All we ask on a return is that you let us know the coin is being returned, so we know to watch for its delivery.
WE GUARANTEE ALL OF OUR ATTRIBUTIONS!
An 1805 Small 5 half cent, an 1888/7 Indian cent, an 1864 Small Motto 2c piece, an 1873/2 Shield nickel, several 1883/2 Shield nickels, a 1936-D 3 1/2 leg nickel, an 1839-O rev. of 38-O half dime, an 1848 Large Date half dime, an 1820 STATESOFAMERICA dime, an 1839-O rev. of 38-O dime, several 1866 Philadelphia Mint dimes, an 1825/2 quarter, an 1828 25/50 quarter, an 1842-O Small Date quarter, an 1866 business strike quarter, an 1888 business strike quarter, an 1807 Small Stars half, an 1812/1 Large 8 half, an 1830 Large Letters half, an 1836 O-121 half, an 1842 Small Date half, and a 1964 Accented Hair half. Could this be someone's want list, or Rich's shopping list for his next show? No. This is a partial list of coins that I have seen misattributed at some time during the last few years. That is, all of these coins were advertised as something they weren't, and if you had bought them based on that representation, you lost money. For example, if you purchased the 1830 Large Letters half in Fine for over $2,000, but then found out it was not an 1830 Large Letters but a common variety 1830 half worth $60, you would have been out over $1,900!So, how do you prevent this kind of loss? You either have to know your attributions, or deal with someone who knows their attributions. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we guarantee that all of our attributions are correct! If you buy an 1830 Large Letters half from us, it will be an 1830 Large Letters half and will match the diagnostics in Overton's Early Half Dollar Varieties book. Are attributions important? "Yes!"
WE GUARANTEE ALL OF OUR COINS AND SLABS ARE GENUINE!
The December 1, 2008 issue of Coin World has a cover page story on a Chinese coin counterfeiter who manufactures and sells counterfeit U. S. coins. These counterfeit coins can be found on certain online auction "venues", and include fake Seated Quarters of 1870-CC thru 1873-CC, fake Seated Dollars of 1851, 1852, 1858, 1871-CC and 1873-CC, and many, many other fakes. I was sent some of these counterfeit slabs, and I reported them to PCGS as well as several publications. As a result, the person attempting to sell these counterfeit coins in counterfeit slabs is now banned from advertising in these publications, and my information helped PCGS obtain a judgment against him. You won't have to worry about getting counterfeit coins in counterfeit slabs from Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., because we guarantee that all of our coins are genuine unless so stated.
One of the latest scams to hit the market, specifically online auction sites, is counterfeit PCGS, NGC, and ANACS slabs, mostly produced in Asia. The coins contained in the slabs could be counterfeit, or genuine coins that have been vastly overgraded. You need to be very careful buying in online auctions, especially from sellers in areas outside the U. S., where obtaining a refund might be difficult or impossible. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we guarantee that all of our coins in slabs are in genuine slabs.
WE ELIMINATE THE PROBLEMS OF BUYING COINS ON CERTAIN ONLINE AUCTION SITES!
A lot of people buy or attempt to buy coins via online auction sites. When you deal with Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., you avoid problem areas involved with online auction sites, some of which are listed below.
Counterfeits: Some online auction sites are inundated with counterfeit coins, especially Seated and Trade dollars, mostly made in China. Some of these fakes are reasonably decent in quality and look authentic to some collectors. If you are not certain the Seated or Trade dollar is genuine, it might be wise to pass on the coin. Believe me, any reputable dealer will pay way more than $200 for a genuine EF 1878-CC Trade dollar, so why would you be able to buy one in an online auction for that price? There are also a lot of counterfeit gold coins out there, some of which look genuine. In February 2008, I sold an 1853-O No Arrows half dime for $750. A few weeks before, one in the same grade sold in an online auction for $565. A super buy by an astute collector? No. The coin sold in the online auction did not match the diagnostics of the only die pair known to strike 1853-O No Arrows half dimes. Therefore, it was either a previously-undiscovered die pair, a struck counterfeit, or an altered coin. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we know the diagnostics of genuine coins, so we can avoid buying counterfeits, and we guarantee that all coins we sell are genuine.
Third-world slabs: At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we will not sell coins slabbed by anyone other than PCGS, NGC, ANACS, ICG, NCS, SEGS, and occasionally PCI. These companies are the most reputable coin certification companies. There are many, many other companies who slab coins who do not have experts to verify authenticity, nor do their grading standards approach those of the best companies. Some people might believe that one company's MS-65 coin is equal in quality to another company's. They often are not, and the market value can vary widely. How widely? A coin in a third world slabs might be worth only 1% to 5%, or even less, of what the same grade PCGS slabbed coin would bring in the marketplace. Coin dealers throughout the country report people asking them to pay $160,000 for their 1886-O Morgan dollar in a "third-world" slab marked as MS-65, but if the coin is a cleaned AU (which it often is) it is worth only $50.
Cleaned and repaired coins: There are reputable coin sellers online, but there are also sellers who will not disclose that a coin has been cleaned and/or repaired, or even holed and plugged. These coins are worth much less than catalogue values. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we accurately describe all coins we sell, including any problems any coin may have.
Mystery lots: Some online sellers appear to have a great deal, they have put a whole bunch of great coins together in a huge bin, haven't searched them and they sell them by the weight or scoop. They have seemingly credible reports of customers finding 1909-SVDB cents in their so-called "mystery lots" or "unsearched lots". To us, it is a mystery why anyone thinks that any coins have not been searched for 1909-SVDB cents, which have been famous and high valued since their issuance in 1909. Also, some people think a pound of coins contains a lot more coins than it really does. A pound of circulated wheat cents has about 153 coins, at current market value, it's worth $3 to $6. Don't pay more! At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we do not sell "mystery lots". To us, the only mystery about "mystery lots" is why someone would buy one.
Bogus auctions: There are many coin photos all over the internet. What's to prevent someone from stealing a photo, and then pretending to auction that coin, to make off with the high bidder's money? Well, this does happen. Be careful, know your seller, and if you don't know your seller, check out your seller. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we don't steal anyone else's pictures!
Proof sets in sealed envelopes: From 1955 (some sets) through 1964, proof sets were sold in manila envelopes. Occasionally, some seller wants a premium price for proof sets in sealed envelopes. What's wrong with that? There could be some rare cameo proof coins in there or maybe some varieties. The problem is that replica envelopes are available online for less than $1 each. Most proof sets in "sealed envelopes" have been opened, inspected, and resealed. During the 1970's and 1980's, I was buying proof sets from the 1955 - 1964 era, and I never saw a proof set in a sealed envelope. Now they're all over the place. My recommendation is that you believe it is mint-sealed ONLY if you really trust the seller and/or know the history of the proof set from the day it left the mint over 40 years ago. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we don't represent any proof sets as being in sealed envelopes unless we are sure they have been sealed since they left the Mint.
Shill bidding: Some disreputable sellers engage in an illegal practice called shill bidding, which means that using another ID, they bid up the price of their items to raise the price to the winning bidder. One large online auction venue has recently hidden bidder's ID's which therefore has made shill bidding easier to do and harder to catch. There are a variety of ways to check for this practice which I will not disclose here, but if you suspect that someone is using shill bidding, contact the online auction venue. Beware especially "private auctions", many are legitimate, but some are perfect for hiding shill bidding. At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we don't engage in such shenanigans.
"Estate sales": If a seller wants to encourage bidding, often he/she calls their sale an "estate sale". This apparently leads bidders to believe they are bidding on Howard Hughes' or a similar billionaire's holdings. But estate sales often contain bulk coins of no special significance. There is one online seller of coins for which every coin he attempts to sell is "from an estate". I sell coins too, and I buy them from a lot of places, including but not just estates. Does it really matter where the coin comes from? Beware: the term "estate sale" often means "seller's junk he couldn't get rid of anywhere else". At Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., we don't describe coins as being from "estate sales".
"Grandfather's coins": If a seller wants to convey the impression that coins being sold are "fresh" and special coins, the line "these coins were in my grandfather's collection" is used. When that phrase is accompanied with the phrase "I know nothing about coins", often there is something wrong with the auction. Many times these auctions have proven to include coins bought at major public auctions within the past few months in "Genuine" holders, the coin was then removed from the Genuine holder and is now being sold as part of "grandfather's collection". And sometimes the coins being sold have proven to be counterfeits.
WE KNOW VARIETIES AND ERRORS!
VARIETY - A variation in the die(s) which will cause all coins struck by that die pair to appear different than the normal coinage. Often called a die variety.
ERROR - A variation in the planchet and/or striking that causes a non-repeatable error. Examples: clipped planchet, off-center, broadstrike, brockage, wrong planchet, multiple strike.
VALUE - The value of a coin can be significantly different depending on the variety. An ordinary 1888 Indian cent is valued at $1 in Good, while an 1888/7 S-2 variety is valued at $100 and an 1888/7 S-1 variety is valued at around $2,000.
VARIETIES include:
- small dates and large dates - example: 1960 small date and large date cents
- doubled die obverse (DDO) - example: 1955 doubled die cent
- doubled die reverse (DDR) - example: 1983 doubled die reverse cent
- misplaced date (MPD) - example: 1870 cent, 0 in denticles
- missing mintmark - example: 1922 No D cent
- over-mintmark (OMM) - example: 1938-D/S Buffalo nickel
- overdate (OVD) - example: 1942/41 dimes
- repunched date (RPD) - example: 1844-O doubled date half dollar
- repunched mintmark (RPM) - example: 1942-D/horizontal D nickel
- various mintmark sizes - example: 1905-O and micro o dimes
- missing leaf (Shield 5c) - known for 1866, 1867, 1868, and 1869
- 2 feathers and 2 1/2 feathers (Buffalo 5c) - known for over 30 dates
- 3 leg and 3 1/2 leg (Buffalo 5c) - example: 1937-D 3-leg nickel
- no designer's initials - example: 1982 and 1983 half dollar
RICH UHRICH RARE U. S. COINS INC.
P O BOX 7096
SEBRING, FL 33872
July 28, 2014
To our
friends and customers in the state of Minnesota:
A new law passed by the state of Minnesota, requires coin dealers selling over $5,000 annually in “bullion coins†(defined as any coin containing one percent or more by weight of silver, gold, platinum or other precious metal) to register with the state and comply with the new law, or stop doing business in the state of Minnesota. Since our business is primarily Bust and Seated silver coins, they are defined by the new law as “bullion coins†and therefore we are covered by the law. The law (http://goo.gl/wJrh74) requires coin dealers to register with the state, have each employee screened for the last ten years, provide a surety bond with the state, and other similar requirements.
In my opinion, requiring legitimate, nationally known, Authorized PCGS and NGC coin dealers who have never had a problem with the law nor any unresolved customer complaints, to fulfill these requirements, is punishing the innocent for the actions of the guilty. Furthermore, I believe if coin dealers accept these requirements and comply with the law, other states are likely to follow suit and enact similar laws. We are not a real big company, and if we have to purchase surety bonds for every state, that cost will put us out of business. Therefore, I, Rich Uhrich, as President of Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc., have decided that as a result of this law, our company will stop doing business in the state of Minnesota, effective immediately. We will not be able to sell to customers who live in the state of Minnesota, either through our internet site or at a coin show. I am personally sorry that this decision had to be made, and I and our company will miss our fine customers located in the state of Minnesota. If this situation is upsetting to you, I suggest you contact your state legislator in Minnesota.
Sincerely and best wishes,
Rich Uhrich
President, Rich Uhrich Rare U. S. Coins Inc.