Selling a coin collection

Get a Red Book and at least take a quick look at what the key coins in these sets are. Withhold these and sell the rest. Any keys, sell individually.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Every way possible. Including tubes, bags, boxes etc

 

Good luck...... I felt the same way when my mother in law passed and I was clueless with her house full of antique furniture. Sounds like you do have a daunting task..... All here is sound advice. You may possibly have a collection with some genuine inherent value. Many quality dealers will inventory a collection for a fee. You can tell them you need a value for your insurance carrier. That would at least give you a figure to work with. I do know two very honorable dealers one state above you. If you feel like a couple hours of travel, send me a PM.

 

A suggestion and I mean this: make the time. If you don’t, you likely will cost yourself money. An independent appraisal is an excellent idea.

 

I appreciate all the info and ideas. Its much more complicated to get rid of a collection for a decent price than I imagined. I'm a procrastinator so I'll probably let them age some more in the safe.

 

If you’ve ever thought you need a quiet hobby, coin collecting can be a way to go. Sounds like you have a potentially excellent start.

Just a thought. Good luck!

 

take your time. learn some more about it so you don't get ripped off.
many of those coins you mentioned are made of silver. So you have silver content, PLUS a value that may be way above face value. It all can vary on a variety of detail quality (wear or no wear), and particular years and where they were made.

 

That's the plan. I'll get reenergized and do some learning!

 

Good luck to you! I hope that if you sell, you find someone that treats you fairly. With a little bit of time and wanting to learn the hobby, you might find yourself wanting to start a collection yourself. You could remove all the key dates, and sell them in smaller lots, to supply you with the money to buy coins that fit what you would like to collect, or buy coins that would be easier to liquidate if needed.
Hope you stick around awhile and get better acquainted with numismatics

 

I agree with the advise above. Have the coins appraised!!! And be sure to buy the Red Coin Book. You can probably buy one online for $10 and free shipping. Finding a "trusted buyer" who will give you a fair price is worth you going to Vegas and taking out odds and betting on the chances of locating such an individual. Ha. Collecting coins is a lot of fun, and you are in an envious situation. Don't give away the farm!

 

Word of warning, an insurance appraisal will usually be high. Insurance appraisals are usually for replacement value and are often padded so in case something happens you get a settlement for the full retail or more.

 

If you're a CT member, you may consider making a post in the "For Sale" section so CT members/dealers can discuss with you in more detail.

 

Just curious if these are all circulated coins?
Could you put a picture up of a couple coin groups?
We All like pictures.
Indian Head cents, barber dimes, standing liberty quarters, Franklin half dollars, walking liberty half dollars, peace dollars, American eagle dollars, Morgan dollars.

 

Take no less than 12×face value for silver coins. If you dont have the time to go through looking for key dates then that will be the dealers pay off.
Dimes
1916 D
1921 P
1921 D
Quarters
1932 D
1932 S
Good luck!!!

 

I would agree with previous sentiments, get a copy of the Red Book and learn what you have before you get rid of it. Heck, I would also suggest you get a copy of Photograde. I know learning about grading and certain varieties, etc can be overwhelming but having that extra bit of knowledge could prevent you from getting less than what you deserve. Since it is an inherited collection, unless you have a desire to take on the hobby (which it sounds like you don't) I would think whomever passed it down would want you to get a fair deal.

I live in Atlanta and every first full Sunday of the month the Greater Atlanta Coin Show takes place just north in Marietta at the Hilton. There is always a good turnout with numerous dealers who buy and sell. Larry Jackson Rare Coins has a good reputation, they deal with some general coins but also higher end stuff. Unless you have some rare varieties or mint errors I would think your more regular date/type stuff could be sold to any dealer. But as they say, knowledge is power - and knowing more than the person you buy a coin from is even better. Good luck!

 

You might like to posts pics here on CT and list them in the for sale forum. Get the Yeoman's red book. It's worth the price.

 

This is the most concerning statement present. If nothing else the silver coins are worth more than face value.

If all you want are a few bucks and some closure, then go to the coin show or a dealer, listen to their offer and negotiate a bit. Take the money and run, knowing full well you have left money on the table. Decide if it's worth it for the decluttering, peace of mind getting the chore over with, and having a few bucks. Hopefully you are getting some PMs so you do get a reputable name so at least you have a shot at a decent payoff.

FACE VALUE IS IN NO WAY EVEN REMOTELY ACCEPTABLE (well, unless you are talking modern pocket change).

If you have ANY inclination to put more into it, now or later, go ahead and put them in the safe and let them age a bit more. Add some dessicant though . Then start slow and and work your way through a little here, a little there.

That said, what kind of non-US material is there? I love that stuff!

 

Agreed if you expect less than face value. You would be better off spending it. Don't do that. Dont dont, just sayin you coul be sitting on a fortune. If you in any way need money.
Do some research. Get a red book. Post here.
You could have single coins worth hundreds even thousands!!! Please do some research.
Are they all just loose coins? Are there singles in in containers by them selves?
Do any of them have prices listed on them.
The suspense is killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Whether it's coins, antiques, cigarette cards, or cars, you either do it yourself, and hope for honesty, or get an agent (IMHO). There are ebay 'partners' out there who'll do their best for you, for a commission. And it's out in the open, you can watch, dip in and out, and wait for a steady income. The inventory preparation for insurance purposes, though costly, is likely to be a good investment as at least you have a guideline, be it inflated, or not. Check a random half dozen valuations with these guys here to assess if too high or too low. Then set say between 40 and 60% of assessed value as a starting price on eBay, or another auction site.

Take them to a really good auctioneer, say Christies or Sotherbys, to sell for you - they want them to sell at the highest price as they get more commission. But if the collection is a little run-of-the-mill, and you need to use a less prestigous auctioneer, there a small risk that you could pick a crooked auctioneer, who knows a crooked buyer, and they could collude, but you have the valuation assessed by the good people on here, to judge whether things look pukka. Give them a few nice looking examples to look at, then go from there.

These guys are the cheapest experts you'll get to give you an honest answer.

Best wishes to you, Gill & Alan

 

12x face value is melt value. You stand very little chance of finding a dealer who'll offer that much. If one does, it's likely a sign that he sees some really good stuff in your lot.

I assumed that the "less than face value" comment actually meant "less than melt value", because a bank will always give you face value.

Has anybody mentioned that we'd really really love to see some photos?