Need help guidance in liquidating collection/accumulation

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by EGS, Nov 30, 2022.

  1. EGS

    EGS Junior Member

    Hello everyone,

    It has been a loonnng time since I’ve posted.

    The kids do not want anything to do with what I have.

    What do I have you ask?

    Well first some background. Started “collecting” like a lot of us back in the late 50’s. Blue Whitman folders. So, it was/is in the beginning all what could be found in change. I was lucky. I had a paper route that presented a lot of coins to look through and get into the folders.

    Went to my first coin show in Boston in 1960 and bought my first proof set, a 1960 set.

    For a while I bought proof sets and mint sets and other stuff from the mint, but with three kids that ended sometime in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s.

    What was a “collection” I would now call an accumulation.

    So, my most pressing question is, how do I relieve myself and my family of the accumulation?

    I am going to purchase a coin microscope to be able to “see” if I have anything really worth $$.

    So, all you knowledgeable people, lay it on me.

    Thanks, Hawkeye
     
    GoldFinger1969 and Inspector43 like this.
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  3. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

    I might consult a trusted coin shop to evaluate and maybe offer you a price for the collection. If you run across anything special, sell it here on CT, or eBay.
    Another thought is that maybe you could donate it to a club or organization that could use the money they get towards their charity. Just a thought.
     
    GoldFinger1969 and Inspector43 like this.
  4. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    One of the coin shops near me will do two kind of valuations.

    The 1st kind: he charges an hourly fee to give you an estimate of the value of a collection FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. He gives you an estimate ahead of time of how many hours it will take him.

    The 2nd kind: he does for free. For free, he'll make you an offer to buy your collection.

    Go to him for the 1st kind, and go to at least one other dealer for the 2nd kind.

    Then just give the damn things to your ingrate children and call it their inheritance. ;)
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2022
  5. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    They've no clue........they think they do, but they don't. And I ain't tellin'....... devil.gif
     
  6. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    Your story sounds a lot like mine. I started at age 5 in 1948. I worked hard to get almost a complete set of circulation coins from late 1800 to date. I have nurtured some of my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, over the years, to be interested. The grandchildren I started from the day they were born. The difficult task I have is getting some equality in the distribution.

    I hope you come up with a good plan.
     
    GoldFinger1969 likes this.
  7. GoldFinger1969

    GoldFinger1969 Well-Known Member

    The first thing I would ask is if you SPENT any serious $$$ on coins, and if you bought any high-value, gold, or silver coins.

    That's where the $$$ will be and identified quickly -- not looking under a microscope.

    For most of us, 80-90% of our coin collection value is in 20% of the coins, sometimes 10%. You might have a more "evenly-spread" collection.

    Good Luck !
     
    AdamL and Inspector43 like this.
  8. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

  9. Oldhoopster

    Oldhoopster Member of the ANA since 1982

    You don't need a coin microscope unless you enjoy looking for minor errors and doubled dies. Nothing wrong with doing it, just understand that finding something worth even a couple bucks is rare. IMO, all you need is A decent 5x handheld loupe. If you really want to stretch, a nice hastings triplet is great (I have 3 of them laying around), but its not really needed for what you want to do.

    Assuming you dont mind putting in the time, get a Redbook and start sorting the better pieces from the common stuff. You can always post questions about the better stuff if needed. Remember, the absolute prices in the Redbook aren't entirely accurate, but for accumulations, you should have no problem sorting your coins

    You have hobby experience, so you might want to use some of the grading sites like

    https://www.pcgs.com/photograde

    Grading circulAted coins isn't too hard IMO, but if you get into MS coins, members here can help

    Hope this helps. Best of luck
     
    Randy Abercrombie likes this.
  10. GoldFinger1969

    GoldFinger1969 Well-Known Member

    If all you have are Whitman books and Proof?mint sets, it's probably the case that the bulk of your stuff is worth only face value of the coins....or a slight premium for proofs.

    Check the Red Book for values, but I don't think anything in that description is likely to have gone up a ton, like say Morgan Silver Dollars or any kind of gold coins (the obvious).

    But you may have bought a rare Proof or Mint set so definitely go over it.

    Report back...shouldn't take you more than a few hours to tabulate it.
     
  11. Clawcoins

    Clawcoins Damaging Coins Daily

    I think it depends how much time you have or want to put into liquidating your collection. My kids don't seem interested in my stuff either so I've been thinking of what to do as time goes on.

    If you want the most from your collection with moderate effort:
    - Maybe sell various sets in "batches" on eBay or other auction sites. Such as three or five 3 cent nickels, three or five silver nickels, batches of other various coins of the same type.

    - For higher valued coins maybe places like HA.com heritage auctions or even eBay again.

    Or
    the coin shop for all
    or ebay for all.

    or sell it to a Dealer on CT, or sell them on CT for sale section.

    For my collection I would not sell them individually. That is just too much of an effort .. it's all in batches except for any specific Silver coins (except ASEs) or Gold coins. The current premium for bullion coins is too much just to give away.
     
    Randy Abercrombie likes this.
  12. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank

  13. KBBPLL

    KBBPLL Well-Known Member

    I agree. Almost anything with extra value is listed in a guidebook and visible with a 5x or at most 10x loupe. If you can only see it with a scope, it's time consuming, almost nobody is interested in it, and you risk mistaking machine doubling, or true doubling that is found on a master die or hub and thus found on many coins.

    I don't have good advice but it seems like taking them to more than one dealer and getting your best price is the easiest option. Anything super valuable you might want Heritage or Great Collections etc, but you'd need to get them slabbed. A list of what you have would help.
     
  14. Heavymetal

    Heavymetal Well-Known Member

  15. EGS

    EGS Junior Member

    Yup,

    That was me. I had it slabbed and still have it.

    My accumulations is really all over the place.

    I'll take some pics and post to give everyone a taste.
     
    Pickin and Grinin and Heavymetal like this.
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