Help With Silver Coins

Sorry Sorry CCF! Didn't know. I see now though. 246 posts to go....

You can use this site as a gauge to see where the price point that would make the grading effort worth while: http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/fmv.shtml

Key things that will make the coin worth extra if grade:
a) Mercury dime: Full Band (FB) - 43, 44s, 44, 44d
b) Franklin half: Full Bell Line - 43, 54, 54d, 56, 57, 57d,
Resource: http://www.caccoin.com/reference-se...ference-set/

Grading service:
a) ANACS - cheapest of the three, lower price value for coins of the same condition/grade - you don't need membership
b) NGC - cheaper membership than PCGS, on par with PCGS (some series the price value is a little bit less for NGC graded coin than PCGS)
c) PCGS - top market share, cost more/coin, coin tend to command higher price
Note: For NGC & PCGS, you need to get a membership or send through a dealer. If you find a trusted dealer, you can also get his help in selecting the coin to send in for grading & using his membership/submission privilege to send in your coins (for a fee).

Good luck.

It gets hard in the high MS grades but generally speaking they look for clean surfaces (no bag marks/dings), luster, and eye appeal.

One thing you can do is look up pictures of that coin on ebay in the graded slabs and you can kind of get an idea of the differences. In high MS grades though its like splitting hairs based off eye appeal

I probably wouldnt bother with the dimes and would just sell them as a roll. People like those things if you open it though and put it back in a tube people will generally assume its been picked through.

The halfs would be the ones to open and look through if thats the route you wanted to go that route. The 64 roll I might just sell whole even if I opened the others.

The 1965 Canadian set is not a proof set, but a proof-like set.

This is a source of huge frustration for new Canadian collectors, so here's the explanation (mostly paraphrased): when it is first made, a coin die has a frosty finish on the devices (the raised bits, the "design"), while the flat part (the "field") is smooth and shiny. The first coins made off this die (maybe only 3 to 5!) are very frosty and gain the extremely coveted "Ultra Heavy Cameo" designation, but the frosting rapidly deteriorates, moving onto "Heavy Cameo", "Cameo", and finally reaching "Proof-like". Proof-like coins are struck cleanly and strongly with more care than a typical coin for circulation, but they exhibit no contrast between the devices and field.

My 2013 Charlton Standard Catalogue values your 1965 set at $45. However, if your coins are noticeably frosted, take some pictures and post them in the Canadian forum. A cameo designation from ICCS (pretty much the only Canadian grading company) will raise the value markedly - a certified PL-65 1959 quarter is catalogued at $30, but a Heavy Cameo is $50. Ultra Heavy Cameos have populations too low to be catalogued (none, one, two), but the 1959 quarter is a strange exception, with an even 50 known at last count: this is the most common Ultra Heavy Cameo by far, and one is currently for sale on the Internet for $100.

All this is pretty confusing, but it can pay off if you check your proof-like set before selling it. Here's my source: http://www.edmontoncoinclub.com/cameo.htm

Do your homework,be careful in your decisions,be reasonable for your expectations,and listen. You will be surprized what you will learn if you just listen. Remember dealers are in business to make money so take that into consideration. Selling them yourself will take time and knowledge. So if you not in financial need take your time and who knows you may want to continue with the collection.

The " Red Book" of US coins has a fairly good description of grades. Armed with that info and a good coin loupe you can tell a lot yourself. Grading MS numbers I leave to the experts.

Rick

If theyve already been opened checking them out is fine.

If theyre still sealed from the mint you would get a higher price leaving it that way.