I would appreciate advice. I've inherited a large coin and bill collection from my father. I'm not sure how much it is worth, but estimate $25,000? If you were me would you sell the collection now or keep it anticipating it will appreciate in value higher with comparable risk to a balance stock market mutual fund? If I sell it I would take the money and invest in a college 529 plan for my kids. Is it difficult to liquidate these items? Here are some examples...
If you have no interest in collecting, and need to save money for the kids, then I would sell it. An investment in traditional vehicles will virtually always beat coins.
So far the $500 and $1000 bills are the most valuable. They sell for more much than face value. The last image is a gold something. I don't know what it is. The rest of what has been shown have value but not a great deal.
The $25,000 is an estimate from my brother who knows a little more about coins than me. Here are some other items...
I don't see any reason you couldn't do both if desired. You could hold onto a few items and sell a portion to put into a more stable investment. Keep what appeals to you, maybe let your brother take a piece or two, and sell the rest. Collectibles markets are very fickle and subject to unannounced change. Thus, any sort of investment with managed, stable returns will probably be a safer bet in the long run. Coins could be worth ten-fold their current value in the future. They can also return to face value.
Thank you all very much for the valuable replies and advice. After going through the collection I find that I enjoy the history and novelty of some of the coins but not a seriously interested collector by any means. My father did have a couple of burglaries aimed at his collection over the years so I also know that theft is a risk, makes me a little nervous having such a huge collection stored in my home. My wife thinks the boxes of coins take too much room in our home, other than that, no pressure to sell. If I would want to sell some of these items what is the best way to go? Coin show, local dealer, craigslist ad, ebay, local coin club? I don't want to spend a lot of time trying to sell items. Again, I'm not desperate for cash, just thinking of a better way to invest the assets. Here is a picture of this coin in the box...
There isn't anything that will appreciate much other than the gold. The 1954 Mint Set is only a 1/2 of a set (everything came doubled), and the coins aren't original pieces - it is a put together set. If he paid posted prices he paid more than twice too much. If you have no interest, then sell it. I do think $25K is a bit "rainbows and unicorns".
If you list them on Craig's List or anywhere where people will come to your house or you list your address you are asking for trouble - now they'll know where to come and steal it. Selling to a dealer you will lose 50% of the value because they need to make a profit. Use a P.O. Box and eBay to only buyers with good feedback for the highest sales price. If you list it with "No Returns" you will get even lower prices and fewer bidders.
That's a stunningly beautiful coin. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep this one piece as a memory of my father, and sell the rest.
Keep the $500 and $1000 bills plus the gold and sell the rest to a dealer. Keep in mind that you won't get anything close to $25K for the remainder. If you want to sell on eBay (I was a world coin seller there for 10 years, 1998 to 2007) that's fine but you have to do all the work and open a Paypal account with them in order to sell. In Paypal disputes eBay normally rules for the buyer 90% of the time so you are at real risk here. Stay away from Craigslist! Keep the best and sell the rest has always been my motto.
Ebay does take some time, but that's what I'd do. (well, personally I'd hang on to the older stuff, but not strictly as an investment.) You can take decent pics, that will help.
Seriously, this crap, including the absolute "50%" nonsense, needs to stop, particularly when said to someone who doesn't know any better. It's not that the sentiment is insincere, but because it's NOT the blanket fact so often claimed. The fact is that for MANY people, selling to a dealer is both the wise and obvious choice, and for many reasons. This can be anything from convenience, to instant cash, to shouldering no risk, and everything in between. There is also no automatic percentage taken off of retail across the board; each dealer is an individual, and his offers usually come from his individual market. In some cases 50% is perfectly reasonable, but in others it's not at all uncommon for it to be significantly higher. Just to be clear, this is in no way to say that a dealer is always the best route, but it most certainly is one well worth looking into.
No need to get all upset a dealer is not the best option for anyone selling coins, you might as well hand them to him.