Hi, I am Denis. I am the owner of the pawn-shops from Russia, collector of rare things from all over the world. Because of the crisis a lot of people bring tons of different old and rare things to the pawn-shops to improve their economic conditions. Rare coins gold and silver especially from the USA take special place. They are in the category of things that is easy to buy very cheap but too hard to sell because they have not historical and numismatic value here. I sell rare gold and silver coins as pieces of gold or silver, sometimes we even melt them. Dear collectors and numismatists, I would like to hear your opinion, offers and comment. Denis.
It could be a couple things. First, there just might not be any demand for them in Russia. As you said, they have no historical and numismatic significance. Perhaps the collector population of US coins is small and thus you haven't been able to locate the proper market. It is also entirely possible that they are counterfeit. There are many counterfeit operations for rare US coins around the world, most recently extremely high quality examples are coming from China. So, you have to be very careful with rare US coins these days as the counterfeiters have gotten much worse. For this reason, US buyers are very hesitant to purchase coins online from outside the US.
even in other part of the globe. you can easily buy u.s. and foreign silver coins at bullion value. simply no demand and no knowledge about it.
Looks like it's time to list some of your coins on ebay denisselyger. Just add very clear photos and maybe wieghts. Good luck and you could share some photos with us so we could take a look. Welcome to the forum
First, Denis, a hearty WELCOME ! Great to have you. Yes, Camaro is right... it's possible they are counterfeit. Another possibility is that what you're calling "rare" isn't rare at all. It's genuine, but common. Melt value silver. Can you post up some digital pictures ? Do svdanya !
That is very true. The vast majority of US silver and gold coins aren't rare at all and if circulated aren't worth any more than melt value anyway. It all depends on the date and mint mark of the coin as well as the condition (assume they are genuine examples).
Welcome top Coin Talk , could you post some pictures , after 10 posts you can even sell them here in the open section , good luck in whatever you decide . rzage
Another thing to consider is the safety of the exchange process and shipping. Some African and Asian countries seem to pay their postmen by what they can steal in the post office. Even in Singapore, where penalties are severe, if it isn't registered or Fedex , DHL, etc, it is at risk. Jim
It is quite possible they are counterfeit. While China is the top source for counterfeits right now, Russia (or the former USSR) is high up on the list as well for fakes of all kinds.
US coins go for nothing in Russia? Probably for the same reason that Russian coins go for nothin' in the USA....
When you say melt the coins, and by that I mean melt pre-1933 gold, I cringe inside. Other than that, alot of people think that pre-1933 gold is rare, (late 19th century and early 20th) most of it is common or generic gold, with semi key and key dates mixed in. Compared to these, coins don't become rare until pre-1834 gold, and they become more expensive and slightly more scarce (not rare) from 1834-1839 the classic head series.
I noticed that even here in Canada US coins are cheaper because of the lower demand. I've gotten a XF 1909 VDB for $3, G4 1817 large cent for $15, VF 1852 trime for $20, XF-AU 1864 two cent for $15, along with red seal $2 for $3 and franklin halves (no matter what date or condition) for spot. You hav to look a little bit for these deals, but they are really not hard to find.
coinkeeper: Interesting, are those prices paid in US$ or C$? If Canadian $, then you got some real steals. '
Last I knew the Can$ and US$ were pretty close to par. Nothing? You should see what I've been paying for some of the Russian coins for my collection.
