Confused About Grading Vs. Market Value

Ok. They do list the ebay sold stats which is helpful but not sure how often it's updated.

The market will tell you what the coin is worth. Other than the occasional "deal" (mostly on unnoticed variety, raw or under graded listings with poor pictures or poor timing) there is enough collectors and dealers scouring ebay that most coins sell pretty close to what they are worth in today's market. Although I have been surprised a few times with my own auctions, it's more of an exception that the rule. The current collector demographic dictates that there is still pricing discrepancy between online pricing and some of the larger auctions at shows and shows themselves where for many its is still the favorite place to buy coins. I've seen worn out large cents sell at country auctions for 6 bucks where I have them in a 2 dollar bucket at the store. A lot of that has to do with physically seeing the coin, trust and in some cases technology savvy. As we get more historical pricing and easier access to it, the online sales are becoming a more accurate "trend" for coins than anything else. This is mostly true for either graded and/or common "cookie cutter" coins. Rare and unique coins will always be an exception as pricing history is inconsistent. I find it's also more difficult to buy and sell in the same market. For example gone are the days where world ebay sites were separated and many coins were only seen if you went directly to them (The current German site excluded). Some people still hunt the British and German sites directly as sometimes a coin that doesn't have worldwide shipping specified will show up only on those sites. Bottom line is that more and more online sales are becoming the reference guide to a pricing trend. It's a bit of a double edged sword. Every time something sells below average (deal) it becomes part of the trend and ultimately determines longer term value of that item. As far CCN trends pricing, it's all over the map but generally it has become "book" more than a "trend". Many coins are regularly selling below 50% CCN trend values (even good ones). CCN is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Dropping the pricing to reflect current market would not be good for the dealers so they leave it alone (This is my assumption and opinion only). CC does list the ebay average and I think they are pretty good at updating but as mentioned above, you can easily scour the ebay "sold" section for details.

"Value" is what someone is willing to pay for something. There is no more accurate list of values than completed auctions. There were two MS-63 millenium mules listed recently on ebay. One sold very quickly for $300ish, the second is priced at $450 and nobody is buying. One was priced realistically, the one is priced based on what the book says it should be worth.