I Like Being In The Trenches Of Life ...

Go to numismedia.com and look at their non-dealer price listing. ebay also is a way to verify the prices once seen on numismedia.

The RedBook is a standard in the hobby, but every one knowing anything about it will tell you the prices in it are very inflated. I think this is b/c, unlike websites, the book, once in print, cannot be updated to reflect current trends. Therefore they have to make a best guess as to what the value will be for one year ahead of time until they print the next year's addition.

As is pretty much everything in life. A baseball card is just cardboard with ink on it, unless someone says it is a rare Mickey Mantle rookie card Then it is worth $162,000. A comic book is , again, paper and ink unless someone deems it "the first appearance of The Amazing Spider-Man. Then obviously it is worth $280,000.

How much is a St.G worth? An ounce of gold? Now notice that it is a 1933, $7,000,000. Coins are no different than cars, real estate or any other collectible.

Prices are fluid and ever changing, but you are right about the bottom line, past,present and future, whatever you buy will always only be worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

I assure you the word pile to one, will mean something far different to another
It would be quite difficult to describe what my version of a pile is
But to give it any scope, it is small, maybe 15,000 at bid, maybe more
But I'm 59, I'm sick and tired of pushing someone else's wheelbarrow since I was 18
I dropped out of regular life 18 months ago, not knowing what I was going to do
But I don't care what happens ... you young guys will see for yourselves when you get here
Then I ended up getting part of my dads coins, and that was three months ago
I bought the books, I read the Greysheet regularly, on the internet constantly reading up on every curiosity
And fell in love with coins
But to survive, I also have to sell this stuff
My local dealer was paying me 20% behind bid, until the day I walked in with 70 American Eagles,
suddenly he wanted to pay below APMEX for those (please don't lecture me about dealer expenses, I get it), I've been in business

So to answer Coinfrog and Moxking what I have is a mixed bag of my dads speculations
I've already taken 1500 bucks worth of rolled nickels to the bank, my dad paid 3000 bucks for them
By the way, when dad bought stuff, he would receive it, re-tape the shipping box, and stack it with the original receipt enclosed,
he paid two times more than most of it is worth today
But good for him, it was his money to spend, and his pleasure for him to enjoy

He had a fascination with Kennedy, I've been pulling "green" 12 year old Silver proofs out of the
plastic holders they where shipped in, and putting them in flips, and have rolls and sets based on years etc.
Everything I have is post 1970, and he stopped buying in 2009, but when he was buying, if thought something
was gonna be hot, he'd buy lots of them. I'll bet there are 300 1997 Clad Mint Sets ?, I assume he read something.
1986 seems to be another favorite year for clad mint sets, as well 1973.
I happen to really like Ikes, and with 2 beautiful uncirculated Ikes in each of like 200 envelopes is fine with me

I don't want to be long winded, so a brief list would be American Eagles, Silver Commemorative's, SBA, Sacagawea
Canadian Silver sets and Silver Dollars, State Quarters, Silver proof sets, regular proof sets, rolls of Washington dollars
rolls of Saca., rolls of Silver proof halves etc. etc.

Have a great day : )

just carl

I find myself hoping to see a path that allows me to use this new found
interest to help me make some money, for I truly have the coin bug now

I have collected many things in this life, and in the past 10 years have
shed my life of every single one of them

I no longer cling to things, so calling myself a collector might be less than true

But I'm going to make every effort to stay right in the middle of coins moving from one hand
to another

thanks jbuck ... the coins are not overwhelming at all ... life just is
the coins appear to be the way out of what just months ago seemed a much more difficult situation
As mentioned above ... I don't want to work for someone else anymore, (too old for that now)
And at the same time I have discovered a new passion, and it happens to be money ...
Who Knew : )

and only the buyer, dictates the price ...

from my minimal experience in the alleys of the coin business ...

I will never buy a retail slabbed coin ...

I'll decide what a 70 is, if I'm the one paying for it ...

I don't need that plastic case ...

I also love guitars ...

I've sold things I swore I would never sell

But when you realize, that everything will be owned by someone else after you no matter what

Having just held it in my hands for those many years, becomes satisfaction enough

And food becomes today ...so you might as well get as much as you can right now

If that is what you need ... : )