Hi guys, My grandfather was a coin collector. He passed away before I was born. My grandmother left me a bunch of coins when she passed away several years ago. I've recently gotten a hold of them from the safety deposit box....they do not have sentimental value to me, and I'd like to sell them. Tomorrow I am planning on visiting a coin dealer in the area and getting some input on what's valuable and what's not. I was thinking about submitting the really valuable stuff to PCGS or NGC to get graded and then sell on ebay....I figure I'll get more this way than by selling wholesale to the dealer. The less valuable stuff I'd be OK selling wholesale. Here are the coins that I think may be the most valuable that I'd be interested in this forums' feedback on. I have unfortunately NOT figured out how to take good coin pictures--most of the coins have much better detail than shown here. I have 4 Saint Gauden $20 coins, a 1908, a 1923, and two 1924s. I'm showing the 1908 and one of the 1924s here....the others appear to be similar quality to me. I've got an 1820 quarter that somebody (my grandfather?) has noted as XF which I assume means Extra Fine. I think this is quite valuable. I've got a few Morgan dollars (including one as representative) and some other coins that appear valuable as well based on research I've done. There's also what appears to me to be a misstruck penny....I have no idea if that has value or not.
The 1908 St Gaudens is actually a little special because it has "No Motto" worth around $1900 depending on the exact condition 1923 is worth about $1650 1924's are worth about $1700 1820 Quarter right around $200-$250 1878 CC Morgan- $200-$225 1934 Peace dollar- $300ish....again depends on photo 1927 Looks AU to me $70 last coin I have no clue
Those gold coins are quite simply amazing, I only wish I had the money to own those. Welcome to CT btw (even if it's just temporary) You should stick around see if at all there is anything that interests you
Do you NEED the cash? I think I would hold on to the 28 and 08 gold. Of course if you need the cash go for it, but if there is any chance you may become a collector in the future you might kick yourself for letting them go.
Thanks for the responses, guys. I don't have any interest in becoming a collector--it's just not for me. Vroomer, the Morgans are in GSA holders. Does this make them more valuable?
It stands for Extremely Fine but many (most?) people say Extra Fine. That is a nice quarter. And the '78-CC Morgan looks like a very nice coin. Those might be worth submitting to NGC or PCGS. As has already been suggested - DO NOT CLEAN YOUR COINS!
The gold double eagles are fantastic. Gold can be a good hedge against inflation and an investment in its own right. You may want to think about holding one or more of them as an investment. I don't believe the cent is worth more than 5 to 10 bucks. It is a nice coin, but the premium is not that high for those. Unless, of course, someone wants to correct me.
I would consider slabbing the 1820 quarter, St. Gaudens or other gold (if you have any more), and the 1878 CC Morgan. If the 1934 Peace Dollar is in relatively good condition (the grade is difficult to ascertain from the photograph), I may consider slabbing that as well. P.S. You get a 10% discount by submitting your coins to NGC through eBay - this also obviates the need to pay a dealer extra money to have a coin certified or to join a "collector's club".
Thanks for all the advice, guys. I went to the coin dealer and was disappointed with both the offer and the process. I know the guy has to make a profit, but he didn't talk to me at all about what grade he thought the coins were, how much each one was worth, etc, and I got the distinct impression that he was really lowballing me because of my lack of knowledge. He just wrote down a bunch of #s and made me an offer. Then said I couldn't keep the paper where he had valued each coin because then it would become an official appraisal and they'd have to charge me a $150 appraisal fee for it. Maybe that's how it is at all coin shops...oh well, live and learn. I did learn some valuable things though. There was a lot of change that was either rolled or just loose...I had no idea that it had any value but turns out it's older coinage (like 1959 quarters) that has silver in it. I also learned some other coins that I had no idea had any value contain gold. If a coin has silver or gold in it but no value beyond that, where's the best place to take it for maximum value? There must be somebody willing to pay darn near market price for the silver/gold content, no? I've also decided to take better pics of the coins I've got....so without further ado here's a more comprehensive look at the coins I've got. I'd really like advice on what I should get slabbed. I'm not posting the Saint-Gaudens or GSA Morgan Dollars because I'm definitely getting those slabbed.