Since there has been much discussion about eBay, I thought of something. Could it be possible that you can get a better idea of what a coin trends for from eBay rather than a price guide or grey sheet? When you think about it, how often do you see a coin sell on eBay for what the price guide or greysheet says? David
As the world's largest open market for coins, whether we like it or not, eBay is most certainly a valuable and accurate price guide. But, you have to be careful when using it in this capacity and take into account factors such as seller feedback, raw versus slabbed coins, accuracy of grading, quality of photograph, etc. In other words, VERY valuable price trend information can be gleaned from eBay by a knowledgeable collector or dealer, but you need to be careful.
The more sales of a particular coin you can find on EBay, the more likely it is that the average hammer+S/H is a reliable price. Since "value" is defined in economics as the price a willing buyer would pay a willing seller with both sides having all relevant facts, the significant amount of phoney-baloney hype, and the sometimes ridiculous range of S/H, can severely affect the validity of any single EBay transaction.
