hi again all i just went to the flea market again and picked up a 1893 columbian expo comemerative half dollar coin in au condition, i paid 12 dollars from the 26 he wanted did i do ok?
This doesnt have anything to do with your coin...But I love to shop in flea markets! I usually only look for coins Sometimes the coins are a bit much, but you can usually chew them down, much like you did. But most of the time the coins are reasonably priced. And its better than Ebay because you can see and hold the coin, and there is no shipping charge!
Sure there's a chance, just as there's a chance that it will go down in value, or that it will hold its present value. Frankly, though, unless there's a major shift in what's "in", I wouldn't expect much of an increase in the forseeable future. Even though I am not licensed to give investment advice, and generally avoid doing so, I'm gonna stick my neck out and predict that you will never be able to sell that coin for enough money to affect your lifestyle. If you like it, and enjoy having it in your collection, keep it. If you were looking for a place to invest your $12 to help out with your retirement, you made a BIG mistake.
The coin might be the right size to plug the hole in the old boat. More seriously, I thought I had a chance to buy a very nice looking columbian last week in an antique shop, but the owner said it wasn't for sale. I think he suspected the condition of the coin warranted a bit more investigation into the value before he put a price tag on it.
well if its worthless like everyone is telling me ,maybe youll go back next week and pick it up for next to nothing ,lol, it really sux that 4 out of 5 coins i purchase thinking i got a deal is mearly only worth melting down and making a log of silver out of it
Hey...not everybody is telling you its worthles.....I think you got a great deal...its not everyday you see that coin in AU... Speedy
It's a good coin purchased at a good price. If I were in your place, I would have done the same thing you did. Don't melt it. It isn't a rare coin, but it's definitely worth keeping. It's one of the only older commemorative coins that can be purchased for that sort of price.
It can't be said often enough - buy the book before the coin! There are antique dealers, flea market sellers, EBay sellers, TV hucksters, and many other folks out there busy setting traps for the unwary. They price a $2 coin at $40 and allow themselves to be bargained down to $10. Or, they make outrageous claims of rarity or condition on ordinary examples of common coins. Most professional coin dealers, and many EBay sellers, price their coins fairly and make reasonably accurate claims about theim; but a dealer I patronize regularly would willingly acknowledge that his opinion on a Morgan Dollar would be worthless. He really knows his Meiji and Taisho Japanese coins, so that's what I buy from him. There is an effective shield against both fraud and ignorance, and that shield is knowledge. Repeat: Buy the book before the coin! (And if you can't afford the book, ask yourself why you think you can afford the coin.)
i looked in the redbook before i bought the coin ,i believe it said in au condition it was worth 28 to 50,off hand i dont remember but i did buy it way less then the book said it was worth, the person i bought the coin from just happened to have a red book handy ,, and thats where i bargined the price down
As we have said on this forum many times...don't use the Red book as a price guide...the Red Book is a guide...not a good price guide...sometimes they quote high...sometimes low. Also...who said the coin was in AU grade???...you or the guy? Speedy
One year's Redbook probably isn't a good current price guide. However, a series of Redbooks covering a sufficient time period to enable the collector to evaluate the history of the price of the coin in various times and economic circumstances can be a valuable tool to help establish the long run probable value for many coins. It at least tells you when you are buying into a peak price.
