Coin Values

My answer would be "some of the above". I check Heritage completed auctions because that is one awesome database, and there are usually multiple examples of each coin there. I check ebay auctions, but I don't rely on those too much because there are more unknowledgeable buyers there, so prices might be a bit distorted. My local dealer uses Greysheet, so checking his prices gives me the Greysheet numbers.

I do NOT give much consideration to magazines or CoinWorld's "values" thing because their numbers appear to be all over the place without any readily identifiable reason. RedBook numbers are fairly useless because, by the time the new edition hits the stores, the numbers are about 18 months old. Not very current. I do not consider PCGS price guide because they are outrageously high. The values given there are wildly overinflated because they typically reflect "the highest price ever paid" for a PCGS slabbed coin, and that just isn't realistic.

For early American copper coins (large cents and Half Cents) I use a couple of specialty guides: CQR (Copper Quotes By Robinson) and Penny Prices by Noyes.

I glance at Coin Values mag, which is all over the place on values I agree. The RedBook is slways good. Love the RedBook for mintage numbers. I look at what dealers are getting both slabbed and raw and input all this data into my brain and try to figure out the value. Never really works like it should..

Tony

Looks like there is a 4 way tie going so far...

Other

A little bit of everything.

I put other, I get all my prices for coins out of the Numismatic News monthly price guide. And I will not pay more for a coin unless it meets my grading standards I just don't care what other people are willing to pay for a coin and I know what I think a coin is worth and I will pay no more, at least that is the way it seems to me.

Bruce.

I picked magazines. since I have seen alot of dealer using Coin Values to price there coins they are selling, were I see almost all use the Grey sheet when buying. I got my first gray sheet last week. I really enjoyed reading it but I also no that most dealer will not sell coin to me at this price.
The dealer I go to in town sells most of his stuff to me at the ask price in the grey sheet. but I know he is a very rare dealer most of them I have bought from at show I have found they are very close to the same price as coin values if not a little higher. just what I have found. so I will not ussally pay more then coin value for any US coin. But I do no that I probaby overpay on my silver foriegn bullion dollars. since most of these are much higher then melt but even thought I feel I am over paying for these now I feel that with most of there mintage number it will pay off down the road.

I don't use any foriegn price guides so I can not give an opion on those.
I guess if all of the coiins I was buying were MS or higher then I might have a different veiw on this but since I buy mostly lower priced coins then most of the guides are prity close to the price I cna get them for.

I'm like everybody else. I use a mix of book value, ebay and coin magazine values. I set my buy price before I start searching on ebay and then stick to it so I don't get carried away with auction fever. Once I've been outbid I just sit back and watch to see how high it goes. Sometimes I'm really surprised how high bidders will run up the final cost. I've had better luck buying from small local dealers than ebay.