| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1945 |
| Founder(s) | Maynard & Fannie Sundman |
| Headquarters | Littleton, New Hampshire |
| Products | Coins, Paper Money, Coin Supplies |
| Website | www.littletoncoin.com |
Littleton Coin Company is a privately held major American mail order and retail company focused on numismatic collectibles and based in Littleton, New Hampshire. The company focuses largely on U.S. coins and world coins, as well as a variety of paper money and ancient coins. Largely focused on direct mail, Littleton publishes catalogs several times yearly and has a "coins-on-approval" program.
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Littleton Coin Company was started in 1945 by Maynard and Fannie Sundman (originally named Littleton Stamp Company). Prior to establishing the company, Maynard had operated a small stamp business from his home in Bristol, Connecticut in the 1930s. The company experienced steady growth, growing from 4 employees to 40 in 1950. Previously focused on stamps, the numismatic business became significant enough to warrant a name change in 1954 to Littleton Stamp & Coin Company.
In 1974, Sundman purchased Mystic Stamp Company of Camden, New York and put his son, Donald Sundman, in charge of the newly acquired business. Later, in 1985, Maynard passed Littleton Coin Company on to his other son, David Sundman. Today Littleton Coin Company operates out of a 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) building that was built to house the growing business.
On October 31, 2007 Maynard Sundman died at the age of 92.[1] His son David Sundman remained president of the company.
Littleton Coin Company has been transformed from a stamp and coin company to a strictly coin and paper money company. The company carries a number of coin products, including releases from the United States Mint (such as the statehood quarter program). They also have a variety of older products, ranging from ancient coins to silver dollars to pennies.
Most of their coins come packaged in Mylar containers that have the coin's date, type, mint mark, and the item number. The company says that the packing is safe for long term storage.
Littleton Coin Company is widely known for its "Coins on Approval" service. Upon placing answering a reduced-price advertisement with Littleton, customers consent to entry into the "Coins on Approval" service. Regular retail orders are not subject to the approval program. They are then sent coins for review, which they may keep up to 15 days and then either purchase or send back, either in a prepaid envelope or at their own expense, depending upon their "Coins on Approval" involvement. Littleton argues that their prices are often higher than those charged by other outlets available to collectors because of the especially high cost of selling coins on approval.