Hi there! I have an offer from a buyer, & I'm trying to see if it's fair. What are your thoughts and opinions please! I took the best pics that I could, but I do think it looks better in person. Taking good pics of coins is so hard! The color never seems exactly right to me, & I it's so hard to get them in focus. Anyway, I'm attaching the pics & appreciate any input! (PS I know for a fact it's real, I've taken it to 2 dealers for confirmation & the S is in the correct spot). It's actually a dealer that I may be selling it to, but not sure if I am getting a fair deal or not, so opinions are very much appreciated! Thanks again : )
VF details ,as a result of a harsh cleaning and what looks like their was at one point corrosion on the obverse in the right field by Lincoln's head.
So very fine is $800 and XF is $1025 I know there’s some damage, but it’s still a rare coin even though some people try to say there’s a ton of them out there (there’s a ton of fake ones…). What’s the amount I should sell for do you think? Or the minimum I should take? Like a lot of America, I’m having financial issues or I wouldn’t be selling any of my coins. Anyway, I don’t want to get screwed over, but I also don’t want to undervalue it either, because if I could get another hundred (or several lol) than what they are giving me, I don’t want to short change myself as every little bit helps while I’m not working & drowning in medical bills… Selling coins is hard. Right now I’m putting together a bunch of coins for a guy, who seems great, & I want to be fair to both of us, but grading is so subjective, & I want to be as fair as possible for everyone involved whenever I do any kind of transaction in life.
Two things you must understand: 1. The coin is not likely to grade cleanly and this will have an effect on value. 2. If selling to a dealer, how can you (or so it seems) expect him to pay near or over full no-problem retail for a raw damaged specimen? I do not know of this dealer or his plans for the coin, but can say that if offered to me in that range, no deal would be made. The point is that, problem or not, if you want retail money, you're probably going to have to try to sell it yourself. "People" do not just "say" they're common; it is because they, while rare compared to most other Lincolns, in fact are relatively common. Just as you said, there is a ton of counterfeits out there too, and this makes for a good example of how certification, even if a problem coin, can offer additional value. This is basically the same thing, but just as you do not want to undervalue, overvaluing can be just as harmful, especially to someone that needs the money. Again, if selling to a dealer you must understand that he has no reason to buy unless he can sell it to someone else for more than he pays you, so while I assume his offer is likely less than you're hoping for, this does not automatically mean he is trying to screw you over or pull a fast one. If you want a direct answer, there is no harm posting his offer.
To BooksB4Coins - I guess because you don't know me or haven't read anything else I have posted, so you don't know what I have gone through that maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm a little offended by your response. I'm not stupid; Of course I don't expect a dealer to pay near or over full value. They have to turn a profit, they have overhead, etc. That being said, there is a difference between a dealer buying a coin for 3/4 of 1/2 of it's value, or a dealer paying someone 10% of a coin's worth, whether it has problems or not. I've had some very bad experiences with people, (both dealers & collectors), trying to basically screw me out of my coins, so I'm finding this whole process extremely frustrating, as I was really enjoying my collection & it is so heartbreaking to have to sell what I have already sold, & what I am going to sell, but I am very fortunate to have it to help me now. That being said, since you don't know me, & I probably should have been a civil right attorney or something, because the main thing I want out of a coin sale, is fairness to both myself & the other party; it's what I want when it comes to anything in life for myself and for others. I have no desire to overvalue & try to get more $ than a coin is worth from people, but that being said, it is also business & not personal, & I want to make sure that I do get close to what they are worth if I sell them to an individual, & a fair sale if I deal with a coin shop. The first coin dealer that I ever met with wanted to buy my whole entire collection of coins & currency for $3,000. (This was also when silver was around $37/oz, & my melt value of the silver coinage I had was more than $10,000 at the time, besides the rare dates and all of my small coinage & bank notes & stuff). He was supposed to be one of the "top guys" in Chicago, & he told me that any coloring on a coin made it worthless, (meaning beautiful toning), that all currency & foreign coins were basically worthless, but he'd "buy them anyway as to keep everything together & give me a higher price", (I have old obsolete notes, confederate money, fractionals, silver certificates, etc., & some fairly valuable very old foreign coins & currency as well) & when I asked him where I could find out more about coins & currency, like what books to read, or what websites to check out, he flat out ignored me & wouldn't answer the question when I asked again. I'm so happy that I met him at the bank where I had my safety deposit box at, & my mother, who was a cop, was with me. He even tried to block our view & get us to walk away when he was looking at the coins. This was a few years ago, when I first got the coins & didn't know what I know now. I've done my research, & feel fairly confident in my grading knowledge & whatnot, & what people answered is exactly the answer I was expecting. Sadly, I've had several other bad instances like the one above as well, but the guy at the the coin shop I have been going to seems to really be looking out for me. I've pretty much only dealt with older men, wherever I go, as that seems to be who works in a lot of these places & the collectors I've met with in person. Some are great, like the guys in the one coin shop I have been dealing with in LA, & I also finally found a place I really like in the suburbs of Chicago. Some of the men think it's awesome that a young woman is as into this as I am, & they try to help me learn as much as they can, & some see me coming & think I have sucker written on my forehead, & try to swindle my coins out of me. It is what it is, but it's made me leery, & I would hope you would understand that. The dealer that I mostly do trust, he tells me what a coin is worth, what he can buy it for, & what he will sell it for (he is not the owner of the shop, & he is doing his best to tell me what he thinks I should do, as he knows of my health issues & why I'm selling the coins). So, I was just asking what people thought because I wanted to see if it was on par with what he said, because grading is so subjective, & the one thing he has done, that I just don't know if he forgets what he said, or if he sees something in better lighting, or why he does it, but he has given me diff grades on coins when I bring them back to him again, so that's why I wanted to double check that he was right on with what he said. He told me if I wanted to sell it on Ebay, to try to get between $700-900 for it, and that's around what they would sell it for, but that he can only pay $400 for it, & I respect him & his honesty. I have sold other coins to him, & every time I think of selling the 1909s vdb, I can't go through with it, & he let me know that he'd give me $400 whenever I decide to sell it. He also told me though that cause his shop is bigger, that they have a lot of them, but if I found a place that doesn't have many in stock, they may pay more. I don't have much experience with a Ebay, so going that route makes me a little nervous. So, I may try & sell it on here, & I wanted to see what people thought, because again, I want to make sure I'm being fair to the seller, but also get what I can for it, because honestly, I would love to have the $ to keep it, or even just give it to someone, but I have medical bills practically bankrupting me. It's part of why I'm in trouble now. I was overly generous when I was working a lot & making great money, thinking that would last, & sadly life threw a bunch of curveballs at me that were so out of my control that I couldn't avoid them & got hit by every single one. So, now I have to part with it & I don't want to just give it away. So, if I can sell it on here for $750 to someone that really wants one, and I can pay 2 bills instead of one, rather than sell it to a shop that's going to turn around & make a $500 profit & sell it to someone for $900, I'd love to do that. About your grading comment, that's another thing that I keep hearing different things on, & that's why this is so frustrating. Some people say to grade anything worth a certain amount to prove it's real & get the certification, & others say to never waste time getting a coin with any problems graded, so I never know what to do when it comes to a coin like this. I also didn't originally post his offer because I feel like when some people get a number in their head from hearing it, it changes their mind as to what they would have said otherwise. I met with a guy that called himself a "collector" & he wants to buy some of my half dollars (I have 1807-1853, with the exception of 1815, & then I have sporadic years after 1853). Anyway, my bust haves have great detail, & some are perfect, but a few have been lightly cleaned years ago. My liberty seated all seem to be in high AU, some maybe even BU, & I thought this may be the case, but my coin shop guy got excited when he saw them & told me that as well, & even offered to mail them in to get graded for me, free of charge, & I can just pay him by selling some or all to him when they come back (he'll just deduct the grading fee from my sale), or I can pay him & take all my coins home then. It is a super nice offer, but the supposed collector I just recently met with, that claimed he wanted to buy coins that weren't graded yet & he "paid their true worth unlike all coin shops", offered me $40 for coins that will be worth a few hundred each once graded. He then had a temper tantrum when I wouldn't sell them to him, & it was pathetic. He also wanted to give me $100 for the Penny. So, I would hope you can understand my level of distrust when it comes to this stuff. My Nana left me them to use at my discretion, but she also wanted me to have them incase something happened, as I have a history of back surgeries & numerous other health problems from my back, & she would be heartbroken if I didn't get what I should have for them. So, I apologize for this being long, but I'm still learning, & trying to learn why & how certain things are the way they are, & I thought this group was supposed to be supportive, as everyone else was, & I really appreciate everyone that took the time to help me out. I'm by no means expecting more for anything, but I also want to get their true value when I can. I'm possibly going to list it on here now for $750 if people think that is fair. Thank you.
I think around $600-$800 is fair, here is a recent sold on ebay to compare: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-S-VDB-Lincoln-Cent-THIS-PIECE-HAS-WONDERFUL-APPEAL-/271427469853?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item3f3256821d&nma=true&si=0ouBXn2zLG8e%2Fl%2F5dctcjZd8Teo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 One quick points, not meant to be rude. The 1909 S-VDB is not rare, rarity is based on the absolute number of coins known, with rare generally accepted as meaning 31-75 known coins. The 1909 s-vdb is a common coin, but the price remains high due to the extreme level of demand. There is an ebay page showing the scale used most often: http://www.ebay.com/gds/The-RARITY-SCALE-Defined-/10000000001508416/g.html
Dealers do not care about your story or your need for a certain amount of money. Your coin has a realistic wholesale value and a realistic retail value. A dealer has overhead, he'll only pay you its realistic wholesale value. If you want top dollar, put it on eBay.
His ebay advice was quite reasonable. However, it should not be that difficult for you to achieve a price higher than $400 by simply shopping it around. This is not to say that he's being unfair with you as I do not know him or his business, but just that finding someone willing to pay more should be a reasonably easy task. As for others lowballing you, including the "collector", this is not uncommon. There are all sorts of people out there who think coins and easy road to riches and would be willing to take the last dime of a starving child if doing so would be profitable. I understand that it is tough to deal with such people, but since you know what they're up to, at least you can avoid their games. All depends on the coin,IR. An S VDB is one of those that, even if a problem example, certification can greatly add to the coin's liquidity, which basically means that it's an easier sell, and because of the added confidence offered by the slab, it is also possible to achieve a higher price. You're more than welcome to be offended, but when someone is throwing out high retail prices while asking for a fair to-dealer wholesale value, what are we supposed to think? Good luck and I truly wish you the best in your quest to sell.
Another possible venue to sell at would be to find a local coin show, and to rent a table and sell there, the advantage would be you could set a price you think is fair and would be able to have a large group of collectors to sell to. Sorry to hear of you having to sell your collection to fund medical bills, but being transparent like you are sometimes will send up a signal to the sharks that you are desperate and will take low ball offers.
