Hi everyone. I gave a free appraisal yesterday. It took 2.5 hours, and when I was done the lady said she had called a coin shop - about a two hour drive one way for her - and was told that at that shop the appraisal was only free if you sell him the coins. If you did not sell him the coins, he charges $30/ half hour. That shop is on the CoinTalk directory as well.... The lady said she had already sold her old gold ($2.5 Indians) to a man who was after the rest (now in front of me) and she felt like she was losing on the deal. After setting up the meeting she told that man that she was having an appraisal done. She told me he paused awhile, then told her he would pay whatever it was appraised for. :/ Hm. Anyway, after all was said and done, in appreciation for the expense I saved her and potential loss I may have saved her she gave me a gift of these two Mercury dimes. The first one is nice and I just want to show it off as the very nice gift it is. The second one is the purpose of this thread. It is a worn 1936 dime that on its face seems uninteresting. Flip it over and there is this raised area on the reverse. To top it off, the thing weighs under, at 2.35g as opposed to 2.5. I would have expected it to be overweight... and the raised area appears to be as well worn as the rest of the coin. Note there is no corresponding dent in the obverse. What is this?
A couple more shots of the area of the obv. that should have a corresponding ding but clearly does not...
That's not at all an unreasonable fee, and is especially true if done by someone who either stands behind their appraisal and/or has their name attached to it (reputation). Beyond this, there can (at least potentially) be great value in having a paid appraisal done by a truly qualified and capable individual, and if you've ever seen one done by one of the schmuck "redbook/bluebook experts" out there offering their, ahem, "services", the reasons why would be clear. There are many people out there willing to do "appraisals", and more often than not, you get what you pay for. While not directed towards you (none of this is) but to use your example: that $150 "saved" easily could be paid for (in some instances) by a single overlooked variety or improperly graded/evaluated coin. My only point is that all "appraisals" are not created equal, so the fee a certain someone charges should be much less of a concern than the person doing the job.
Agreed. I told her that he can do that, being an established shop owner, and that really until I build myself a reputation I'm just some guy. I believe in the power of word-of-mouth, and this is a baby step in the right direction. I guess I was just surprised at the fee. I had assumed most shops do free appraisals. Most shops I've gone into, if I had a piece or two with me I would work it in in conversation and fees have never been mentioned. I also didn't realize how long it would take for that kind of volume, and see why fees are appropriate. For another lengthy appraisal I would probably want a fee next time... I just don't know at what point it would be appropriate to start charging a fee.
As a 90% silver coin, it cannot be the result of intense heat separation of clad layers like we see on todays coins with a bubbled appearance that retain the design...
