Hi, I recently recently got a roll of halves that was completely silver save a single 71-P. 17 of the coins were of the 40% variety, and the last 2 were walking libertys. I asked the *Only* local coin dealer what they were paying for these just yesterday and was told that they had no numismatic value at all right now since the price of silver is so high and quoted me $2.25 ea. on the 40% coins and $8 and change for the walking libs. I realize that a coin dealer is not the most profitable way to sell silver as they need to make a profit on the turn-around, but I wanted to know if there is an industry standard % on what to expect from a reputable dealer, or is there really no rule of thumb here? According to coinflation.com at the time of the offer, the 40s were at $4.2031, and the libs at $10.2793. I found no guides on how to rate the Kennedys, so I'm guessing that unless there is an error, they are all worth the same price in circulated condition. (Some had the beginnings of some nice pinkish toning, none of them were in banged up or very worn condition though a few have some darkened spots.) For reference, here's the list: 2 - 1969-D 3 - 1968-D 9 - 1967-P 2 - 1966-P 1 - 1965-P 1 - 1943-S (VG-8) 1 - 1941-S (F-12) So is the coin dealer being straight with me, and do those prices sound fair for a new customer without a repoire? I also had a couple questions concerning Ike dollars. I have a 76 coin that has a really nice blue tone to it, mostly encircling the central devices on both sides of the coin while looking at an angle with the naked eye. Under magnification, it's hard to see at all but you can now see what appears to be a pinkish hue that is not really visible otherwise. Would this blue tone be considered haze, and where can I investigate this further? Lastly, I also have a 77 Ike that has what appears to look like a fang in the eye socket because of the way it was struck. I have seen this effect on a few Ikes to a minor degree, but not as pronounced as this particular coin. It's not an error, and I haven't found anything that indicates it's a variety, but being new to all this, would this be something a normal collector put aside or try to sell as unique, or just pass since it is not listed anywhere. Sorry if this is a stupid question and I understand that if I find it neat I should keep it, I just wanted to know what most would do. I do have a picture of the fang eye, but the quality is no where near what it looks like in person, so if I can get a better picture I will post it. Sorry for the long winded post. Ako
20% back of bid is not uncommon for dealers to offer on 90% silver, but I think some dealers don't want to fool with the 40% silver because they would have to amass a lot more coins before it becomes worthwhile for them to "cash in" on the melt value. I assume you got them at face value, so you'd be well ahead in the game. I wouldn't nitpick if I were you. Chris
Thanks for the info. I wasn't nitpicking at all, being new to this I am just trying to be informed. Having no other coin dealers remotely near to me doesn't give me anything to compare to. This dealer is neither PNG or ANA associated and didn't want to hear down the road that I was getting lowballed. Your reply puts me at ease which was my goal. I'd be pretty screwed if my only local option was trying to take advantage of someone new. Thanks again, Ako
It is only natural for a dealer to try and make purchases for as little as possible to improve his profit margin, but the only way he will know that a stranger in his shop is a newbie is if he acts like one. LOL! Chris
