How to sell mid grade double eagles?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by mopydick, Jun 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM.

  1. mopydick

    mopydick New Member

    It's time for me to sell a couple double eagles which is turning into a quandary.

    The coins are upper AU's and low MS's and graded/slabbed by NGC.

    Local coin/gold dealers treat them like bullion offer 5% below spot. And they'll just melt them like any other scrap gold. I hate the thought of this.

    Selling them to a 'coin' person is problematic, too. The grades make them less desirable, and with the price of gold being so high, transactions over the internet are getting dicey.

    Any thoughts or suggestions?

    Thanks,

    Mopy
     
    GoldFinger1969 likes this.
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  3. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    Last time I sold some gold it was at a coin show not long ago. No muss, no fuss.
     
    Dima likes this.
  4. jb10000lakes

    jb10000lakes Well-Known Member

    Use an auction house. They make their money on the premiums. People can be "crazy" with their willingness to bid, so getting them out online where you can possibly have thousands of bidder's eyes on them maximizes your odds of getting a good price for them. I'm on K-Bid and Hibid all the time and rarely if ever, see gold going for spot, and a lot of times going for "what are they thinking?" kind of money. Might be worth a try.
     
    Spark1951 likes this.
  5. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    The trouble is the auction takes a cut of the gross selling price which leave you worse off, even with a higher price. I’d try my luck at a coin show. The certification has to be worth a premium, but not much of one. Dealer does have to make something, and will be taking a risk that gold could fall. Last I looked it was $3,434 which surprised me. It’s back up.m
     
  6. jb10000lakes

    jb10000lakes Well-Known Member

    No, the auction house makes their money off the premium they charge, which is noted up front, typically anywhere from 10-20% and that is applied to the winning bid price. Now yes, you could argue that some people would bid low taking into account the premium that gets added (that's how I do all my accumulating, bidding so the total cost (item, premium, tax, shipping) comes in under spot.) However, I make thousands of bids and actually win very few due to my methodology, so the vast majority of items go for more than 'spot'. And not to argue semantics, but if I go and bid $10 on a 90% franklin and win, I pay the $10 +"x"% premium +the taxes (if any), and the shipping (if any). None of that $10 goes anywhere but to the seller.
     
  7. KBBPLL

    KBBPLL Well-Known Member

    I've never sold anything but this is not always true. GC charges a 5% seller fee or 0% if it's over $1000. Heritage I can't find anything definitive on their website but forum posts indicate that it all depends on the collection. You might pay them a fee, or they might pay you over 100% of the hammer (i.e. give you a cut of their buyer's fee). The latter came from a post where the collection was $200k and they paid the seller 105%. With Stack's the "commission rate" also depends on the value and size of the collection.
     
  8. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    Every auction house has different terms. It's best to study those terms and pick the service that is best for you.
     
    johnmilton and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  9. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Nobody is gonna melt them when they're in NGC slabs, more money would be made while they're slabbed especially by NGC! thumbsup.gif good luck! :)
     
    KBBPLL, lordmarcovan and imrich like this.
  10. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    True. I wouldn't worry about them going to the smelter.

    They shouldn't be too hard to sell, I reckon. Nice dilemma to find yourself in.
     
    fretboard and KBBPLL like this.
  11. GoldFinger1969

    GoldFinger1969 Well-Known Member

    What years and specific grades are we talking about (though for many Saints or Liberty's, a particular year will be essentially worth bullion unless it has condition rarity) ?

    Have you contacted your local coin shop ? What about a coin show ?
     
  12. KBBPLL

    KBBPLL Well-Known Member

    I have a hard time believing anybody actually melts these. It's already a known weight and purity in an easily transacted unit. Jewelry I can understand.
     
  13. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    If you list them here on the "For Sale" section at a reasonable price, you'll probably get offers. Cut out the middle man and sell them directly to the coin folks.

    Otherwise, as GoldFinger suggested, a local coin shop might be a good option.
     
    Randy Abercrombie likes this.
  14. Burton Strauss III

    Burton Strauss III Brother can you spare a trime? Supporter

    Unfortunately, the minimal numismatic premium on common-date AU/low MS $20s is gone.

    APMEX is selling random year MS61 NGC coins for $3,466.04. 1 oz Random year Maples are $3,508.09 (on sale). 0.9675 vs 1.0 troy oz...
     
  15. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    The big positive for your coins is that they are certified and therefore genuine. That is important to a collector. The negative is that there are dealers who might be selling raw ones for under melt. There is just no much room over melt left in these pieces.
     
  16. Burton Strauss III

    Burton Strauss III Brother can you spare a trime? Supporter

    Depends on how long they sit. Line of credit loans were running 7-8% last month. Turn it over or melt it.
     
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