Numismedia Price Guide Question

Reliable pricing? Surely you jest. I tend to stick with Coin Values, which I have seen reflecting price changes from month to month. Some of the Numismedia prices look like they were last updated 5 years ago, particularly on volatile bullion grades. But I don't consider either of them reliable, and as for the RedBook....well, it is useful for checking mintages if you're in a shop and can't remember. I have seen selling prices swing plus or minus 30% from the lists, depending on a coin's availability, appearance and a dealer's willingness to haggle. The most reliable and most quoted of all the lists is the Grey sheet, but again it's only a rough indication.

On the selling side, all bets are off. Look at it this way: most dealers will jump on a coin they need and know they can sell, but on any given day how many of them need an 1874-S $5 Liberty in XF40? I sold a couple of walkers to a dealer in a coin/card shop a year ago. He snapped up the 1938D in an instant, but had to be coaxed into taking the 1919P (he valued it as a common date when the negotiations started). All things considered I think the 1919 was the better coin of the two, but there are a lot more open holes in coin books looking for that 38D....