It can be a tough decision to make when you're forced to live on a fixed income. You can no longer afford to add to those work-in-progress sets, upgrades for the completed sets and sometimes you have to take a pass on new acquisitions for the sets you treasure the most. How do you decide what to unload, what to scrap, what to table for another day and what to keep? I'm not going to bore you with a list of my "menagerie", but if you were faced with these prospects, I'd certainly be interested in knowing how you might approach this? Chris
I hear ya Chris... I'm "semi" retired, collecting that S.S. I paid into since 1960. Not touching the 401K yet, collecting unemployment and doing a little AutoCad work at home. Don't have the $ to add much to the collection, but haven't reached the point of selling yet (except for the Ikes I sell at the flea market, two for three bucks). When the UC runs out, I might have to start selling off the silver, starting with the junk. Gonna try to keep the hi-grade Walkers and Franklins, since they're my favorites.
If I was unloading anything right now, it would be any common gold or silver coins that I didn't need to fill in holes.
I agree with Peter. With the spread now being so small for common gold collector coins vs. spot, they would be the first to go.
I am already facing the same issue. I am selling duplicates and lesser grade commons that I can part with.
I have been doing that for awhile also. Found it easiest to get rid of the common mint sets and proof sets can find them in any shop you walk into. Then I got rid of a lot of my more modern coins as before they are easy to find and they went pretty well on eBay. Trying to focus on my core set of the half dollars and selling the others has made it possible make some nice additions and a lot of nice upgrades. I think the most important thing is to set your focus on what you like the most. Keep and work with it only, and let the others go to other pastures.
If I were hard up for cash, the first think I would sell would be my bad shape "junk silver" half dollars and dimes. But I'd keep everything else unless I really really needed the money. I mean, the thing about life is that everything changes. You may be hard up for money right now, but you never know what might happen in a couple of years. You may be able to pick back up on those sets. And if not, hey, it'd be a nice collection seed for whoever you might want to leave it to.
For myself, I'm letting go of dups & uglies of pre~64 silver as the market rattles around. It makes me feel like that was why I set them aside back then when they were "just change."
I think if I had to I would start with "junk" coins that have accumulated. Then I would move onto segments of my coins. I think I would probably sell my books last. Even without the coins, the books give me the opportunity to continue learning. Chris
As stated, get rid of the bulk stuff that so many of us collectors manage to fill bags and boxes up with,,, if you been collecting for some time you'll likely find single coins in those bags and boxes that will fetch a few dollars by themselves. Keep you key dates and keep your certified stuff if possible. If you do have to start selling the muscle and bone then start with your raw stuff and look to sell raw and add certified. Your certified coins will sell the stongest and offer the most reliable source of "x" dollars per coin in good times or bad.
I solved much the same dilemma by starting a Type Set with the best of everything I had, and then dumping most of what was left over. Oh, and I put a lot of the profit into gold bullion, which given the past five years action turned out to be a good decision.
