Welcome Rusty, it sounds like you have a pretty neat collection on your hand. I hope you are able to share a few pictures with us. A couple pieces of advice that have not been covered yet.
1 - How is the collection stored? Is everything this stored in plastic holders/white cardboard flips or is all loose? If it is loose/bagged, it is probably a good idea find a place you can lay them out on something soft and not move them around a lot until you figure out what you have and how you want to store them. Condition is an important part when establishing value and the more they move around, the more damage that can be caused.
2 - When handling the coins, try to wear some kind of cotton or soft gloves and do not touch the face of the coins, handle along the rims. Fingerprints will hurt value of your collection.
3 - DO NOT CLEAN. Cleaning coins will destroy the value of your coins very quickly. If it looks dirty, just leave it, sometimes a darker color will improve the value/make it more attractive to collectors.
4 - If selling, take your time and get recommendations from a few people on how best to dispose of the collection. Don't take the first price your offered, even if it seems like a lot, try to figure out what you really have. This forum is a great place to get recommendations on dealers/auctioneers who can/will help you out, as there are some sharks out there. If you can, take your time to let it sink in and figure out what you really want to do. At first it might seem like the best idea is to sell, but this was likely a hobby that was enjoyed by someone and it might make a great memory piece. Once they are gone, you will likely not get them back. This is an interesting and rewarding hobby, but it does take some time to get into it and will seem very overwhelming at first (at least it was for me).
5 - Prepare yourself for the coins not being worth as much you initially thought. Some collections are full of low grade coins that are worth very little and from time to time people have accidentally/knowingly purchased fakes to complete a set. The 1921 5 cent coin is very valuable, but is also a very popular fake coin.
A rough guide for more valuable coins
Pre 1968 10, 25, 50, 1.00 coins are silver
1921 and earlier 5 cent pieces are smaller coins and silver
1 - Queen Victoria coins (1858-1901)
2 - 1947/1948 silver dollars
3 - 50 cent silver pieces (1870-1936)
4 - Coins minted before 1953 (non-queen Elisabeth)
There are an infinite number of varieties that will have value, but these are some very broad categories. The coins and canada site can be a great reference tool, but the prices on the main pages are not reflective of reality. In most cases cut the price in half if you are selling yourself, probably less if you give to a dealer. The "
ebay prices" for each date are more reflective of the true value.
Welcome and I hope you stick around.
...to CCF
Posted 11/25/2015 10:06 am
