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 Replies: 16 / Views: 2,091 |
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
I have inherited a coin collection many years ago and am now trying to determine values. I am no coin collector, so maybe I don't understand the grading. I bought a book US Coin Digest that shows grading that have MS63 and MS65 but nothing for MS64, which is how a lot of the coins are graded. Is there a book or reference guide that shows the full spectrum of coin grading? I a lot of the coins are gold and silver pieces. I also have some foreign gold coins that I can not find the value to. If anyone can point me in the right direction, please feel free to contact me. AJP Moved to the main coin forum by Metalman ,,this post will receive more attention in the main coin forum ! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6381 Posts |
Hello AJP, and welcome to the forum! This site is a great place to start. If you care to list some of the US coins the members can give you a range of value estimates. The forum includes sections for World Coin topics which would be the place to list your foreign coins. You will need to provide the denomination, date, mint mark, and condition (grade) for each coin. If you can post clear images of the coins that is even better. I suggest you take a few of the better coins to some coin dealers in your area. Ask lots of questions and find out what kind of prices they will offer for each coin. You can also ask them to look up the values on the Grey Sheet which provides more accurate current price data than most coin books. Take your time and make sure you get at least two or three opinions from different dealers. Coin shows are excellent venues for contacting many dealers. Obviously, if you are interested in selling you want to get the best price. The more dealers you contact, the better your chances of completing a satisfactory deal. Good luck! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
AJP,
Coin grading is more of an art than a science. Proficiency is gained through years of experience. There are many nuances between types of coins and even between year groups within a type.
My advice to you is to find a coin enthusiast within your community who you can your trust. This can be a brick and mortar coin dealer or a private collector. Finding one is sometimes hard and determining their trustworthiness even harder. Start here and post pictures of some of your coins. Let the numerous experts offer an opinion of grade/value and arm yourself with that knowledge when you search for some local help. "Knowledge is power!"
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2254 Posts |
AJP, First, welcome to the forum. quote:
but nothing for MS64, which is how a lot of the coins are graded.
So you're saying the coins are in slabs, or they're maybe in 2X2 cardboard holders with penciled in grades? Post some pictures of what you have and we can start helping you with values. Just because the coin has a grade associated with it, doesn't mean it's that exact grade. Unless you have coins in slabs by PCGS, NGC, or ANACS with a few exceptions, you can't trust what's with the coin. Having said that, completed auctions on ebay, Heritage, Teletrade, etc will give you a good idea of market value. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Hi AJP
Welcome to CC ,,
In answer to your question a couple of factors play a role in value ,, you have already touched on one of them ,, and that is the grade or condition of the coin another is its relitive rarity which is most often determined by date and the mint which produced the coin.
were always happy to help someone get a reasonable Idea of what they have and can often tell you what kind of market value may be found for a particular coin or coins.
Please feel free to post pictures of your coins and we will see what we can do to help !
Metalman
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
Your best bet would be to be careful when you handle the coins, and to post pictures up on here and we can help you identify them and give them a grade( or at least tell you what's mint state or not). If you take them to a coin dealer, they might try to screw you over, us forum members won't.
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New Member
 United States
4 Posts |
I will try to post some pictures of the "slabs" that I have. They are all in plastic cases with PCGS on them. Would it be helpful to just sent the list with the coins and the PCGS grades on them? I assume that PCGS is some kind of grading company? Again, I have no knowledge of coins, other than to spend them, so all this is new to me.
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
I forgot to add that I have some on foreign gold coins and some old silver certificate paper money. I can put pics of the gold coins on the site. Also a lot of proof sets and modern US gold coins. Don't know if the paper money is worth taking a picture of.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Welcome to the forum. To start with DO NOT take those coins to a coin dealer. I noticed you did not say you wanted to sell them. That is a good start. Next attempt to not handle any coins not in a protective item such as the slabs you mentioned or in a 2x2 flip, or in an album. Now what you should do it purchase a book on coins called The Red Book. It is Published by Whitmany Publishing, and is by R.S.Yeoman. Such a book can be purchased at most coin stores, coin shows, on line at many book web sites and also one of the cheapest is the Walmart Book Web site. With this book you can get an idea of the grades of coins, amount minted, a overstated price and lots more. Just remember the prices in that book are exagerated upwards. You may want to discuss this intire situation wiht a family member. I suggest you do not discuss this with friends, neighbors, coin stores and/or anyone you do not know real, real well. I don't know where you live but if in any large city, crime is just to rampant. Be carefull showing or telling anyone about those coins. First acquire a book or two on coins, learn what you have, evaluate the entire collection. If you can take any digital photos and know how to post them here, that to would be advantageous. I can not stress enough the word caution in allowing to many know of that collection. I live in an area where just about anything not welded down vanishes. |
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Valued Member
United States
57 Posts |
quote:
will try to post some pictures of the "slabs" that I have. They are all in plastic cases with PCGS on them. Would it be helpful to just sent the list with the coins and the PCGS grades on them? I assume that PCGS is some kind of grading company? Again, I have no knowledge of coins, other than to spend them, so all this is new to me.
PCGS is one of the top tier grading companies, you can be pretty darn sure you have legitmate coins that are graded properly. For your question in the OP, you should generally look at the value at the lower end of price guide (for example if MS64 is not listed but MS63 and 65 are, the MS63 price is closer to the value.) Also note, the price guides tend to be a little high and are never guarenteed to get the value for the coin that is listed... You should be pretty safe going to a local coin store and asking for a price for them to buy them from you, certified coins from a legit grading company and not hard to sell (just have checked out the prices before hand). You will get more selling them yourself tho, coin store buy a little lower to sell of course. If you list the area you are in, someone here might even point to a good dealer in your area. You could also sell them here, once you stay around long enough to post in the For Sale forums  . For the gold, modern gold coins are worth at least there melt value, US or Foriegn (check the spot prices link at the top left for current gold price, it's about $667/oz now...) Some are worth MORE for their collector value tho, if you post some pics of them, people might help ID them for you to help determine that. Edited by Sagan
08/27/2007 6:11 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Hello AJP and welcome to the forum! PCGS is the top third party grader of coins and they generally command the highest prices. You should be able to trust any grade listed on a PCGS slab to be accurate. You can go to their website at www.pcgs.com and look at the left side of their homepage- you should see a header titled "PCGS PRICE GUIDE". A word of warning, the prices listed may be a bit on the high side but it should give you a good estimate of value. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I'll have to disagree with the advise of taking any of your coins to a coin dealer. First know what you have. Most, naturally not all, coin dealers live on a profit of their coin sales and in a coin store, the amount of profit that must be attained is high. Therefore this tends to bread creed. Again, you never mentioned wanting to sell any of the coins, so concentrate on knowing what you have.
Again, I can not stress enough the word CAUTION in allowing to many people know what you have. Where you live might make a difference, but due to the many robberies in my area, I always preach CAUTION. Even taking coins of value to a coin dealer you do not know may not be wise in some areas. An old saying is the walls have ears and the windows have eyes.
Just sit down, make lists of what you have, buy a few books on coins, ask a lot of questions right here.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
Well, it's good that they're in the PCGS holders. Like stated by others, PCGS is the most respected grading service. Trying signing up to teletrade.com coins.ha.com (free sign up). They're coin auction sites and search for your coins with the same grade and grading company to get an estimate of what they're worth. Another thing to factor is that eye appeal of a coin makes it worth more too, so if it's colorful or completely white/original looking it might be worth more.
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
I don't know how to respond to any of the individuals that have commented on my efforts to value an old coin collection that I have inherited. If someone could instruct me on how to do make individual replys, I would be very appreciative. Andy |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I don't know how to respond to any of the individuals that have commented on my efforts to value an old coin collection that I have inherited. If someone could instruct me on how to do make individual replys, I would be very appreciative. Andy Andy: That is really not necessary. That is why there are coin forums. Most, not all, are really here to help others and ourselves also. If you want to be very appreciative, just learn as much as you can about coins and stay here and help others as you are being helped. Of course another way would be to just send me that entire collection, free of course.   And please, please be carefull of who you discuss a valuable coin collection with. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
If you want to contact an individual person, just click on there screen name and it will take you to their profile page. Click on the "Send E-mail" link and there you go. If I was you, I'd post pictures up on here and have more than one set of eyes look them over and more than just one opinion.
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Replies: 16 / Views: 2,091 |
Posted 08/26/2007 12:37 pm
