I'm playing with the idea to start selling a few coins. As the title says, what should my BIN be for each of these four nickels ? Note the 1871 has some minor scratches, and may have been litely cleaned. Thanks!
The 1868 looks nice. There might some surface issues around the 5 cents. There seems to be a lot of junk on ebay, and not a lot of nice ones. Recent comparables have sold in the $75-$80 range over the last couple months. The 1871 is tough because it is a key date. The cleaning and scratches are going to hurt it, but it is still an expensive coin. This one might be easier to sell if you submit it to a TPG to at least get a details grade. I'd say it is EF Details. Hard finding a good comp on ebay. Maybe $250? The 1886 is another tough date. Comparing it to sold examples on Heritage, I'd put it around F-12. This is another one I'd consider submitting to a TPG. I'm a little concerned about a couple of the gouges, but if this lands in a problem free F-12, I'd put it at $350. For the 1894, I'd call that EF-40. A PCGS EF-40 sold on ebay recently for $257. Again, you'll have a tough time getting that raw, but that's your target range.
Than you very much @physics-fan3.14 ! for your very detailed and interesting answer. I really appreciate it, it gives me a lot to go by.
1868 if it is AU $125 (EF $90) 1871 is a rare date in VF $350 1886 very desirable date in F/VF $500-$600 1894 may be cleaned, uncleaned in VF $200 cleaned, half that.