Putting a Value on My Collection

I know recent auction results would be the most accurate prices but I won't be able to find all of my coins that way, particularly in my grades.
So I would like suggestions for one pricing source.
Yes, I know they will be retail prices but by sticking to one source at least they will be uniform.

My one resource on hand is the PCGS Rare Coin Market Report.

Oh, and Coin World Coin Values but they tend to have grading gaps so I have to do lots of interpolation.

 

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Are your coins encapsualted?
Would they sell en masse, or over time?
What is the valuation's purpose? Insurance?
Will somebody who cares sell them, or rely on others?

The answers to these questions SO GREATLY affect the answers that you can barely believe it. For non-encapsulated coins, start with Numismatic News' Coin Market and mark that down to a more reasonable reduction. Maybe 10% for tough material and about 40% for common material.

 

~95% of my coins are slabbed so grading is not an issue, i.e., I'm going with the opinions of PCGS and NGC.
Depending on what the bottom line is will determine what they get insured for (duh!) which I have through Hugh Wood.
I'm closing in on the termination of my existence and have decided I will continue collecting until then.
I have to make it reasonably easy for my wife to liquidate the collection should she want to (which I assume she will since she doesn't collect).
She knows who to contact to handle converting the collection into cash.

What I think I'll do is price them from some retail source (what source is my basic question).
Then the ones I can find an accurate auction price for I'll compare to the retail price and use the calculated % difference as a guide for the other coins.
And yes, the % will vary depending on the time period of issue.

 

In my will I also state that the state of the economy may have little or severe impact on the valuation of my slabbed coins to any book.

I track my total acquisition price of each coin, as future valuation may be up or down all dependent upon the economy and the general state of coin collecting.

 

Since most are slabbed, it’s hard to go wrong with Numismedia’s FMV listings for retail.

 

Kanga? you've been around these parts as long as I've been here, and I hate to even think about your ultimate demise, but you are wise in what you are doing........

 

I know about Numismedia.
Just checking if there are other sites/publications that are as good or better.

 

I'm only 76 BUT I've treated myself badly in the past.
Worst was 30+ years of smoking.
But it's been almost 25 years since I quit.
I think my worst problem now is lack of a healthy lifestyle.

 

I gave up trying to keep track of current values. It's a never ending project. When the day comes, my son will take over. He understands this crazy hobby really well. Been teaching him for 26 years now.
He knows to research one coin at a time if he or my wife ever need to sell.

With Hugh Wood, I just insure with a reasonable figure that will cover my cost basis. You can get 100K in coverage for about $350 per year.

 

My cost to Hugh Wood is more like $1400/yr.
That will give you an clue to the collection's extent.

I'm looking for a ballpark figure for replacement and insurance purposes.
PCGS Rare Coin Market Report skips many grades.
I can interpolate but ....

 

For harder to find pieces, I would use the Heritage auction archives. There isn't a whole lot that they haven't sold, and that's probably going to be your most accurate source of information.

 

I want something consistent.
My idea is to get the info from one source, probably Numismedia (definitely NOT the Red Book).
I was just wondering if there were other comprehensive sources.

Once I got that info THEN I would go to places like Heritage and do a comparison.
Such as -- Heritage shows an average of X% below Numismedia so I will reduce all Numismedia values by that amount and feel that I'm closer to a real value.

 

Thanks.
I'll hold onto this post 'til I get my ducks in order.

At the moment I'm working my way through Numismedia.
I've done my ½¢, 1¢, 2¢, 3¢ Ag and 3¢ Ni holdings.
I'm happy to see that 90+% of my coins catalog more than I paid for them.
So retail vs. retail is improving.
I know when I get into my retail vs. auction (Heritage) I'll drop.
Part of this whole exercise is to get a feeling for that amount.

I can't enter my findings into my database because my computer is a boat anchor at the moment (I'm on my wife's computer).
A new flat screen should arrive tomorrow FREE (under warranty).

 

I'm 81 and I have the same concerns about the future and for the disposition of my Paper Money collections. Like the others have said, my family and wife have no interest or knowledge about the collection.
I have finally decided that in order for me to feel that I have gotten the best for my notes is to give them to other collecting partners that I know will care for them and/or to sell them at auction and invest the proceeds into stock funds.
This is my solution for the problem and also paying it forward for the hobby.

 

+1

 

I collect for the fun and enjoyment of it, so when I'm gone, I could care less what happens to my collection. I just enjoy it while I can.

 

To each their own, but I think something @kanga is doing that’s really important is making sure his family knows what to do with the collection when he goes. So many people will rip her off if she doesn’t have the least bit of info. Kanga spent 60 years collecting and I bet a lot of those years were married. His wife is a part of that collection, whether she collects or not, and leaving her a guide is a great way to give her a little something for when he goes. I applaud his efforts but also respect those who do not wish to do so.

 

Take good pictures and put them on ebay. Let the collectors decide the value. Over the years, I have sold many coins this way and I can think of only a few times when I got less than what I was expecting. Auction houses charge too much. Ebay is only 2%.