Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I buy from Austin Rare Coins & Bullion?
It’s easy to buy from us. You can order online or call us at 1-800-928-6468 to speak with one of our knowledgeable account specialists. We are a full-service precious metals firm– we buy, sell, and trade gold, silver, platinum, palladium bullion, U.S. rare coins, world and ancient coins daily. Our offices are located in Austin, Texas and we see clients by appointment only for security purposes.
2. Is anyone allowed to buy from ARCI?
We are happy to offer our services to clients of all kinds– coin collectors, investors, dealers, and brokers who will have their items shipped within the United States. Our online websites make it easy to order online with a credit card. For first-time orders under $5,500, you can use a credit card to place your online order, as long as the billing and shipping address match exactly. If you are placing a larger trade, you should use a personal check or send a bank wire. This will speed up the turn-around process considerably and allow you to save up to 3.75% from the posted credit card price. We offer cash and quantity discounts--just call us at 1-800-928-6468. Be sure to call for our wiring information.
3. Is there a minimum order amount?
When you order online, there is no minimum order amount. If you are a local Austin client, we're glad to see you, by appointment, for orders that are $5,000 or more.
4. Do I have to open an account with Austin Rare Coins & Bullion to purchase?
We do not require you to register an account at Austin Rare Coins & Bullion to make a purchase. You will never be asked to sign an application to buy precious metals or give us your Social Security number before you buy. We recommend that you do not give up your privacy to purchase precious metals--there is no law that requires you to do so.
5. Can I cancel my order after it’s placed?
As soon as your order is placed with good funding, the prices are locked in. It is our goal to assist you in every possible way when you purchase precious metals. We rarely see cancellations on orders because we do our best to help you find exactly what you need. We realize that under rare circumstances some orders may need to be canceled. All large bullion orders are binding. In some circumstances, they can be unwound, for a fee, depending upon market price movements since the time you placed the trade originally. All collectibles and rare coin orders have a 14-day return period.
6. After my order is placed, can I change it?
We prefer to honor orders in the exact terms under which they are placed. If you would like to add additional items to your order, it would be best to either place a second order online or call one of our Austin Advisors at 1-800-928-6468.
7. Can you store my precious metals purchases for me?
Sorry, no. We do not store any products for our clients, nor do we advise you to let other companies store your precious metals. We are happy to deliver precious metals to you in a timely fashion and offer suggestions of safe places for storage.
8. Do you report my transactions to the IRS?
We do not report any buying transactions to any government agency. We will never ask for your Social Security number. In rare cases, however, you are responsible for filling out a 1099 B to report capital gain/loss at the time you sell. Our staff will alert you when you are crossing the line between a private and reportable sale.
Selling to Us
9. How do I find out how much my coins are worth?
Most people ask this question because they have a few old coins around and are curious of their value. It's impossible for us to respond to thousands of requests for coin prices without being able to see the coin's condition. However, we recommend you look at the Redbook. If your collection consists of ordinary silver coins, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, we recommend that you perform a Google search for “coin dealers” or "coin shop" and your city name to find someone in your area who can evaluate the coins in person. If you have a large collection of bullion coins and bars, or certified US, world or ancient coins, we can certainly help you with liquidation. If you're only wanting an evaluation, we do sometimes offer appraisals fora reasonable fee. Please call us at 1-800-928-6468 for details.
10. Do you buy coins?
Austin Rare Coins & Bullion is interested in purchasing rare gold & silver coins and the most popular bullion items. We are happy to buy back coins that our clients have purchased and ask to be the first place you call when you are ready to sell. If you are not yet our client and wish to sell coins that you have, we are only interested in collections valued in excess of $5,000. Our inventory levels fluctuate constantly and there may be times when we are unable to acquire a collection in its entirety. However, we often can help you sell the items through our consignment services. Just give us a call for details.
There are times when we have been inundated with customer buybacks. Typically, we will write you a company check on the spot for $10,000, and within the next 10-14 days (or less) we will send you a check or wire for the remaining balance. However, volatile market conditions can create longer delays at times. Prices will be locked in and honored on the day of the sale.
Again, WE DO NOT HANDLE PENNIES AND NICKELS. WE DO NOT HANDLE DIMES, QUARTERS, HALF-DOLLARS OR DOLLARS DATED AFTER 1965. WE ONLY HANDLE PRE-1965 SILVER COINS IN BULK. Please do not contact us for information on such coins. We only deal in gold, silver, platinum, palladium bullion coins and bars as well as truly old and rare gold and silver coins (usually certified though not always).
Please e-mail us with the details of your collection if it meets the above qualifiers.
11. Can I trade the coins I already have for different coins?
We are happy to help our clients trade coins they have purchased from us (or in the past from other dealers) for different coins. Please call to speak with an Austin Advisor at 1-800-928-6468 for advice. Our Advisors are available from Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm.
Payment Options
12. What kinds of payment do you accept?
We accept PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express for first-time orders up to $5,500. We require a personal check or bank wire for orders over $5,500. There are circumstances where existing customers can use a credit card to fund orders over $5,500, once they've established themselves by using a check or wire for payment on a prior order. Orders placed with PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express will pay the credit card online price at checkout. Orders paid for with a personal check or bank wire will receive a 3% discount off the online price at checkout. Please call 1-800-928-6468 for larger quantity discounts.
| Order Amount | Preferred Payment Types |
| $0 to $1,500 (USD) | Credit Card, Check, or PayPal |
| $1,501 to $5,000 (USD) | Credit Card, PayPal, Bank Wire, or Check |
| $5,001 to $25,000 (USD) | Bank Wire or Personal Check |
| $25,001 (USD) + | Bank Wire or Personal Check |
13. Is there a holding period for order paid for with personal checks?
Yes. On recommendation from our bankers, we hold orders paid for with a personal check for ten days after that check is deposited. While you will see the check “clear your account” in the normal one to two days, banks actually continue with a longer period of check verification and we have seen checks that appear cleared to the client ultimately get rejected for insufficient funds or fraudulent behavior on day eight or nine after deposit. Thus the ten day time period.
ORDERS PAID VIA CASHIERS CHECK AND MONEY ORDERS ARE HELD FOR 21 DAYS. Again, this is on recommendation from our bankers due to the higher incidence of fraud and counterfeit in this forms of payment. We always prefer to do business using personal checks or bank wire transfers. Bank wires speed up the shipping process considerably!
14. Where and how do I send a bank wire?
Once your order is placed online we will contact you either the same day or the next business day to confirm your order and provide you with our bank wiring instructions verbally. Or feel free to call us for this information. With your financial security in mind, we strongly recommend that you either visit your bank in person or call and talk to a banker in order to make sure you follow the correct bank wire process once you have the instructions from us. The process can vary a little from bank to bank. Furthermore, online banking portals can vary in complexity sometimes causing issues. Obviously, you want be 100% sure that you’re initiating the correct type of money transfer (a bank wire and not ACH transfer) and sending your funds to us accurately.
15. How quickly will you need my payment?
We recommend mailing your payment within 24 hours of when the order is placed. We advise utilizing express/priority US mail, FedEx, or UPS for speed and safety.
16. What happens if I do not send a check or bank wire for my order after it has been confirmed?
We will contact you to check the status of your payment five business days after your order has been placed. If we receive no response your order will be canceled and you will be responsible for any market losses and/or unwinding fees incurred by Austin Rare Coins & Bullion on an unfunded trade.
Shipping
17. How much is shipping?
Austin Rare Coins & Bullion uses Federal Express with a signature required for all shipments valued over $200. We don't want your valuable package to be left unattended on the doorstep. USPS may be utilized for packages of lower value.
As of January 30th, 2025, our Shipping Charges are as follows:
Please check out this page.
18. Do you ship outside of the United States?
No, we currently only ship packages within the 50 United States.
19. How is the shipment wrapped?
All shipments are sent in blind packaging with our company's initials, "ARCI", and our return address showing. There is no mention of gold or coins on the outside to ensure your safety & confidentiality. Packages over $500 will come in FedEx boxes or packaging.
20. How long does it take for the shipment to arrive?
Most of our insured FedEx shipments arrive within one to three business days. Tracking information will be provided at your request by calling 1-800-928-6468. Some heavier packages may take a day or two longer due to their weight. US Postal Service shipments generally arrive in five to seven business days.
Miscellaneous
21. What is the return policy?
All rare coins and ancient coins sold on the internet are backed by a 14-Day Money-back Guarantee. If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied, you may return your order within 14 days of receipt for a full refund including shipping charges both ways. Due to the extremely volatile nature of the bullion market, all gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion purchases are final once accepted by the company and you are committed to funding the order in full. See #6 above for more information on this topic, especially in a situation of non-payment. Furthermore, bullion orders cannot be returned.
22. Am I taking a risk when I order precious metals?
When you make any investment, there are risks involved, and the same is true for precious metals. The values of rare coins, ancient coins, gold, silver, platinum, and palladium depend on many market and economic factors. Coins may go down as well as up in value, and as a result, investing in precious metals may not be for everyone.
23. What's the price of gold today?
We currently have graphs and historical data on gold, silver, palladium, and platinum prices.
Updated January 21, 2026