How much are these coins worth currently? http://www.coinfacts.com/gold_dollars/1851_gold_dollar.htm http://www.coinfacts.com/quarter_eagles/liberty_head_quarter_eagles/1850o_quarter_eagle.htm I've checked the mintmarks and dates and both are these exact coins. They seem in reasonable condition but I'm a novice and I don't know how to exactly grade them - how do I do this?
Well without the grade of the actual coin it is very hard to put a good value on it. So lets say they are in a decent very good grade. The values would be around $100 for the dollar gold, and $160 for the two and a half dollar gold. Now this value could go either way. So many factors are involved in grading. There really isn't a way to learn without many hours and viewing many coins. If you can post a pic of the actual coin, someone here will be able to help narrow the numbers down for you.
I can only offer you a broad estimate of value. The $1 coin could be in the $100-$300 range. The Quarter Eagle, in the $150-$5000 range. As far as how do you learn to grade coins, well, it ain't easy. I always recommend that everyone get a copy of "Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins". It's a great place to start. I've been working on my grading skills for about 40 years, and I've gotten pretty decent at grading a few series. Still got a lot to learn, though.
