Hello, I am going through the coin collection which was left to me and there are a lot of duplicates. I put all of them on edited, so I have database which is now almost complete. The first though was to use them for swapping, in order to get the coins I need. There is an option to swap coins by mail. Are there some tips on coin swapping? Would it be wise to try to swap only coins which have higher value and just buy the coins of lower value? editing was done so as to make your post Forum Rules compliant.
It depends, but it might be best to sell duplicates and buy the coins you don't have. If you swap, you might swap for a coin of slightly lower value.
The main problem is that there will be a large number of coins to be possible swapped (probably 500-700 coins) so I guess selling them on Ebay or similar site would be hard and long process.
I agree with Logoman that selling the dups for cash and then buying the coins you want is the best way to go. Whether swapping or selling the dups it'll be a very long process to move 500 to 700 coins. If the dups are low grade silver or gold coins it might be easier to sell them for the precious metal content. There are a lot of collectors on this forum who buy low value coins for their melt value. Either way you'll need a pay pal account, if you don't already have one, to transfer any monies from the transactions. You could visit a local coin shop in your area, if one exists, to see if they would buy some of the dups as a group. You'll have to establish a base value of those coins before taking them to a store to make sure you get a fair deal. Are there any coin clubs in your area? Coin clubs are a great source of information and guidance as the members are usually old timers who have been collecting for decades. Members also buy coins at the meetings. Just remember it's not a race but a long journey to reach the goal. Good luck and keep us posted with your progress. Joe
Though I’ve never swapped on edited, I have swapped a lot by mail (and can introduce you to people who swap by mail if you would like, most are not on this forum). It’s important you grade accurately what you are mailing. You don’t want people to be mad for a lower grade of something. Have a want list and ask or a want list. Then you can just send each other a list of the coins you want. Make sure the person on numista is highly recommended, or make sure you feel comfortable with them before swapping. Never send something you are not willing to lose. Swapping an die mailing are always risks. Set up a WTT (want to trade) listing here. Put your have list and see who needs it.
Postage costs will make this difficult, especially if they're low-value ($5 and under) coins. If you can make $20 lots and sell them as such, that might be better. Less shipping, you make stuff go away faster.
Good idea, messydesk, selling the coins as a lot would minimize the effort of individually swapping them.
I just checked, there are about 10-40 coins I would like to get rid of per county (around 20 countries). Should I group them and sell them by country, leaving some more valuable coins in the lot or sell them separately (low value coins only and then silver ones)? Also, is it better to write down specifically mint years or sell them live cents (all together, without information) except first and last mint year? Thanks.
I believe a "goal" in life should be to find enjoyment amongst the chaous. That goal may never be totally achieved, but just a relative effort. If you make the best of every day, the journey can be a daily goal of positive fulfillment relative to other experiences. I've collected for almost 70 years, and my daily experiences have been rewarding. Based on recent advice received here, last night I acquired a AU58 1906 CAC Double Eagle for my "collection". Every day counts as a step towards a "touch-down" JMHO
How big you want the groups depends on the value you want per group, and how valuable the base metal coins really are. Base metal foreign stuff often sells by the pound, rather than by the piece, and you often see 4 for a dollar buckets of these at shows. I'd be inclined to make a couple groups with 1 per country and see if you can move those. Depending on how high value the silver lots are, I'd put those in the groups just to get the value up and increase your chances for a sale. Finally, it's best to have pictures and descriptions of each lot you sell.
