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Any suggestions on how to get gold coins down to CR? We certainly can’t take them on the airplane as the metal detectors would go off and I don’t think it would be safe to ship them. Insuring them for a large amount would raise a red flag. So, what’s a collector to do? Thanks for your input.
Why not take them on the plane? They’re not a prohibited item…put them in your carry on. As far as the TSA screeners are concerned… a bag of half dollars or gold eagles look the same on the screen. I’ve carried all sorts of things through screening. If your concern is that they’ll set off a problem at SJO… use the bathroom in the luggage area and put them in your pocket before they x-ray your bags. As a collection I don’t think they’d give you a problem, however, because of the value they might hit you for a customs fee. Better NOT to have them know since carrying such a sum would no doubt make you a target outside the doors at the airport! I wouldn’t even think of shipping them!
It is A LOT of coins. They wouldn’t fit in my pocket. Perhaps we will just have to pack them in our container when we ship our household goods. Any comments on the security of the large port containers?
Two issues… if you’re leaving the US you’ll have to declare the coins if they meet the reporting requirements… as for putting them in a shipping container… you’d be best off just throwing them into the ocean… I would NOT advise placing anything of such value and portability in a shipping container.
Not to be rude, but you do not seem to be on the right track when it comes to security.
Advertising that you want to bring Lots of gold coins, too many to fit into my pocket, might put them into a shipping container.
I think that I would retire that user name and sign up again, and think about being a little more stealthy next go around.
I mean if word got out,somehow, about someone bringing Gold coins, lots of Gold coins, it might make for a interesting visit.
On another subject entirely, visit Darwinawards.com for interesting readingAnything you pack in your container is subject to Customs inspection and once a package is opened who knows what might happen. Too, your container will be unloaded in its port of entry and reloaded onto a truck for direct delivery to you or for delivery to a storage facility. Any number of hands will be placed on every package, crate and box.
I wonder if any of the commercial freight forwarders offer truly secure shipping? Of course you’d have to declare the contents and their value, but that’s just playing by the rules anyway.
I sure wouldn’t ship gold coins by any means! What’s that saying — a fool and his money are soon parted? Take them with you on the plane. Even if they weighed 20 pounds, so what? It’s their monetary value you will have to worry about when you sign that customs form which asks if you are bringing in $10 grand or more. Put them in a locked carry-on and if TSA wants you to open the bag, you will be able to see everything they do. Whatever you do, do not put them in your shipping container. Many people get all of their belongings; others have things missing that were of value.
Gold coins/ bullion are not illegal to bring to a country. Gold is legal currency. You MUST however declare it as such on your customs form. “Are you carrying more than $10,000 ?” I brought bullion down and after declaration I was taken to a room to show it to the officers. No problem! DO NOT try to conceal it like the poor immigrant Mexican worker who brought back $52,000 after years of hard work and saving to his family only to have it confiscated by the customs officers at the airport. He never got it back!
Metal detectors on airports don’t detect gold. Gold in a container will disappear, don’t put gold in a container. Take gold with a value of $ 9,950 on a trip…..
put your gold in a hometown USA bank safety deposit box and never ever take it to CR.
In CR keep a trusty Visa check card for ATM access of dollars or colones.
….being an ex-patriot doesn’t mean dumping the security you need.Depending on the value, I’d take a private jet, you can flatly arrange them(if sealed) in a carry-on. I have already given this some thought, you can check some of the services like jetflex or put the word out at the jetports that you’d help pay to catch a lift to SJ or Liberia anytime if your schedual is flexible. Put an ad in the paper, jet travel can be pricey even for rich folk, so picking up a few extra bucks for gas is a good thing.
My ex took the jet down, he had to stop in Cancun, but said they didnt do any kind of big search.
My only other thought is even if all currencies collapse, I dont think Costa Ricans care too much about gold as a trading tool, like it might be used here and getting gold back out of the country could be even more difficultQuestion, please . . .
Do these coins have numismatic (collectability) value, or do you hold them as a financial investment? If the latter, then aren’t there depositories in the U.S. where they could be held safely and where they would be more negotiable than here in Costa Rica? As collectibles, too, it seems like they would be more redeemable in the U.S. where there are bound to be more collectors.
I too have heard that Costa Ricans probably won’t want to trade in gold… you might want to make sure you will be able to sell them at some point in the future, unless they are really purely collectibles.
And hearing about all the home break ins, I have a hard time enough trying to figure out how to protect my laptop against theft down there, not for the value of the thing, but for the files on it. How long do you think you will be able to hold on to the gold coins? Where will you hide them once you are down there? This doesn’t sound well thought through…
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