Question guys, where or who ( you know someone who is good and affordable? ) should I go to, to have a few coins value estimated and quality? rating? This is a first for me so not sure how to approach this.....I thank you all ahead of time.
It wouldn't hurt to post them here first and get some opinions on whether it's worth your time/money to go further.
Perhaps, but it must be remembered that "dealer" is in no way synonymous with "expert", especially when it comes to more niche of esoteric material. The point is that much can depend on the type of coins he's asking about
I went to my local antique/coin dealer and he helped me : 1. Weigh each coin - which helped us discuss what a specific coin "should weigh", the percentages of error for each coin's weight, and how much circulation matters to the weight of each coin, etc . . . 2. Put it on two machines (I don't know the names of the machines) which indicated the exact metal content of each coin 3. Tell me if my coins were real or counterfeit (to the best of his eyes) 4. Help me sort through which coins he thought I should send in for grading, and which ones I should think about selling (so that I could replace them for graded ones.) 4. Point out scratches, cleaning, previously jewelry coins, etc. Of 23 of my ungraded pre-1933 gold coins, only 5 were suggested to be sent in for grading. The shop said I could allow THEM to send the coins to PCGS/NGC/etc. for grading in order to speed up the time it would take to return the coin grading evaluation and save on expense. . . or, I could do it myself. The good part is that I found a dealer who is honest with me. The bad part is that he will only give me slightly above melt-down value for each of my non-graded coins. He suggests I sell my ungraded coins within my local coin clubs, on-line auctions, or through social media. (???) He also has my phone # on file and calls when someone is interested in one of my coins. I suggest you find a local coin dealer you can begin a relationship with. My dealer is such a great guy! The very first thing he does when I walk in is ask if I would like a bottle of water, coffee, or soda. Ha. His staff is also very interested in assisting me with meeting my ultimate goal of replacing ungraded coins with graded only coins. Additionally, for a very small hourly fee, he will go with me to the bank and help sort through 3 safety deposit boxes I have of coins and advise me which ones to keep, have graded, or sell. FIND A DEALER YOU TRUST and who has a good reputation. Your local coin club can help you locate an honest dealer.
Very good idea, I will post them here....( why didn't I think of that?...Duhhh) Let me go find them....
Ummm....Well, I thought I had 3 of them ( I KNOW I HAVE THREE 1939!!!) I'll have to look around and find it...
You can also learn to do a ballpark yourself, this is HIGHLY recommended. /1/ Use a RedBook or online resource like Numista to determine the correct diameter and weight. - if the weight is drastically off, or the diameter is wrong, it's a fake. (a scale reading to +/- 0.01 or +/- 0.02 g is best as the tolerances are small, e.g. 0.13g for a cent) /2/ Go to PCGS Online Photograde to review hires photos of the coin in the various grades (https://www.pcgs.com/photograde/) /3/ Use the various price guides (PCGS has one as does NGC for their plastic, CoinPrices.com has a consumer [retail] guide. Also eBay SOLD (not just completed) prices and auctions - what you are looking for is whether it's worth certifying & grading. Is the price raw + the cost >= certified prices. - Note that for gold, with the high number of counterfeits is almost critical - The machine the coin dealer has that @Jebocement was referring to are likely an XRF (X-ray) which checks the composition at the surface and a few atoms deep) and a Sigma Metalytics (which uses induction to measure the resistance - http://www.sigmametalytics.com/).
wow, i never seen a doubled die 1939 monticello. Nice! as for the 1940 and other 1939 nickels, i dont see anything. They arent worth much as far as i know, so no need to weigh them or do detective work. Just get a red book and get familiar with it. The ana photo grade book is great as well.
Thanks joecoincollect, I appreciate your advice...On the 1940 nickel, That is actually the reverse of the 1939 and what I ment was the " S " has the shape of the "S" on the 1940 nickel...From what I have been told. Guessing that would / should increase the coin's value, no?
hmm, i would assume so. I'm not familiar with that variety. Might be worh grading if it retails high. Cool find
