Low grade versions of 1. Any half cent 2. Twenty Cent 3. Trade Dollar 4. Capped Quarter 5. Seated Half
The Red Book will help with the prices. You are better off getting one coin in F to XF than 5 coins in AG - G condition. Just my opinion.
So i'm a little confused or the books. Am I right with this? Blue Book=what the dealers will pay you Red Book=what you will pay the dealers
I am not sure about blue book, but the red book prices have never lined up with coins I was looking at. Probably the Gray Sheet is more in tuned to dealers bid and ask prices. The problems with throwing out prices for the coins you mention - will vary greatly with the condition of the coin. I know you said low grade - but how low? Problem free - minor problems like an old cleaning? Those things make a difference.
Ignore the blue book. The red book isn't so great on prices either. Numismedia gives what they see as typical retail prices. The PCGS guide gives high retail prices. http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/fmv.shtml http://www.pcgs.com/prices/ Auction prices realized are often the best indication (Heritage, Teletrade, Ebay). For low grade early type, I suggest going to a local coin show if possible. If not, get some dealer references to shop online. I would not buy raw online from unknown sellers on Ebay unless I had a good grasp of grading and at least the basics of counterfeit detection. Price and quality are variables. Sometimes a low price is not a bargain, sometimes it is, depends on the coin. Some dealers charge a high price for the grade and deliver quality for the grade. Some don't. Full page magazine ads offering low prices, often deliver low quality or sometimes even problem coins.
CHeck the dealer buy prices in the classified section of Coin World, If you can buy close to those prices, you are buying "right".
Half Cent....I think around $50 is average, give or take $10 for more common types/dates Twenty Cent, around $100 Trade Dollar....a low grade slabbed one, maybe $150 Capped Quarters are expensive in large size, so maybe $120 for large size, $70 for small size Seated Half..$23-28
You're going to get in trouble if you are too general in your questions about prices and rely on the answers. Ditto for relying too heavily on price guides. Sometimes a small difference in grade/quality can make a big difference in price. And the date can make a difference, too. Additionally, there is more than one type of Half Cent, Capped Quarter and Seated Half. Please don't spend any money on coins until you study up and know what you're doing.
$30-$125**no drapery *other seated G-XF $25-$90.00 *W/arrows & rays in XF 200.00+ *arrows 1873-74 in XF 200.00 + Hope that helps some.
Good - VG Good- Fine Good-VF 1. Any half cent $50-$70.00 2. Twenty Cent $80-$130 3. Trade Dollar $60-$130.00 4. Capped Quarter $60-$130 5. Seated Half[/QUOTE] $30-$125**no drapery *other seated G-XF $25-$90.00 *W/arrows & rays in XF 200.00+
The only no drapery seated half is 1839, right? In that case, I've actually seen prices upwards of 60 for messed up G-4/G-6 coins, and well into the hundreds or even 1000+ for mid grade circulated coins.
I think you may want to specialize a little to get your feet wet. I have seen trade dollars go for $20 -- oops Chinese counterfeits!! Ya gotta be careful - a good deal may be DANGER DANGER. Knowledge is your best defense here. Go to local library - get some books out and see if you can specialize a little. Then branch out as you make connections to dealers you like and trust. You can always post pictures and ask questions here. There are many of us who are more than willing to give an opinion. Good luck and post those pictures of your latest finds
since that attempt of mine at the post , is not understandable. here goes again. Half cent in Good-VG anywhere from $50-70.00 1849-57 XF-AU 70-100+ Twenty Cent: Good -Fine $80-130.00 Quarter: good-Fine 60-130.00 Trade : Good-VF 60.00-130.00 Yeah be very careful buying those trade dollars, ask for opinions here before buying.
Thanks everyone for you posts. I understand prices depend on a lot of things but the ideas you gave me will help me understand more. Appreciate the help. I think i'm going to go to a coin show in September and check out everything there and get some estimates.
Agreeing with what many have also said in this thread, I agree that some of Redbook's prices being off. :desk:
A person can learn a little from reading books, and looking at website photos. Most will learn much more hands on, with real coins that he/she bought. I am from the school of: start slow, buy small, but go ahead and buy, and start enjoying the hobby. If a person wanted to study, they could do 100 other more financially or socially rewarding things instead of spending time studying for what is supposed to be a fun hobby. How I phrase it is: "don't buy expensive coins, until you learn the basics of grading and pricing." It is an exceptional person that learns these things without buying any coins, maybe like 1%. Expensive is going to have a different definition for each person. So buy small, start slow, don't jump into the deep end without knowing the basics, understand that learning is a process, expedited by doing.
