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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,389 |
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New Member
United States
0 Posts |
Hello, I inherited my husband's collection who passed away last year. I know I should have paid more attention while he was alive, especially when he tried to show me what he was purchasing and I just nodded and said "that's nice honey" LOL. I know very stupid on my part (((shaking head))), but coin collecting was his thing, not mine. I am sure I am not the first wife to not pay attention and I won't be the last ha ha ha. Anyway, he told me many times over the years to be very careful with his collection if anything happened to him. He told me to educate myself, get the Red Book, do my research, etc. I am not pressed to sell the collection but if and when I do, I want to get the best bang for my buck. He pretty much collected anything that caught his fancy from commemorative coins, Morgans, US Mint stuff, foreign stuff, New Zealand mint, graded coins, whatever caught his eye, no rhyme nor reason. Of course when he first started collecting, he didn't have a clue, like me. Now that I am researching, I can see that in the beginning he was taken advantage of (heartbreaking to say the least). I am sure he is not the first newcomer to be taken advantage of. Luckily he kept most of his invoices which seem to be early on from Littleton and then he switched to Chattanooga Coins and the United States Mint, so I can see what he paid. Some of his coins are graded by different grading companies. I am reading that coins graded by ICG are not that good. The questions that I have are should I crack some and submit to the upper tier coin grading companies? If so how does one crack without hurting the coin? Also, if and when I decide to start getting rid of the coins, where would one get the best bang for their buck, i.e. ebay, Great Collections, Teletrade, Heritage? I did go to a local coin shop months after my husband passed and spoke to the owner (husband dealt with him in the past). He did say he would be interested in looking at the collection, but I did not get a warm fuzzy feeling. So here I am now, the wife who should have paid attention, seeking any advice and/or tips. I am trying to educate myself and I am sure my husband is up there smiling and laughing because I now have to actually look at and research every coin he purchased to make sure that I am not going to be taken advantage of ha ha ha. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you from the wife who should have paid attention! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
634 Posts |
 , I'm sure we can help. Igc is not the best, but whether the coins are worth resubmitting depends on what they are and in what grade. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
1559 Posts |
Payattentionwife, many of us here have inherited coin collections through the departing of a loved one, I also did. You are in the right place! The folks here are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help you with any questions or concerns that you may have. I have learned a tremendous amount in the short time that I have been here as I am sure you will too. A must however, is that you are able to photograph the coins and post them in the appropriate forum, I.e.; modern error, colonial, grading, Etc... Without pictures it is pretty much impossible to answer questions regarding the coin your asking about. just familiarize yourself with the layout of the forum and if you have any questions on how to post a pic please do not hesitate to ask. Remember, if you don't ask, we can't help. Looking forward to your contribution.  |
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Valued Member
United States
338 Posts |
I think you are going about it the right way.
Just go slow and do your homework.
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
24885 Posts |
To the Forum. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3323 Posts |
It sounds to me like you have already developed a pretty good background in coins. "Cracking", TPG, the various buy/sell sites, the proper nomenclature for the various series and producers, and figuring out when and where your husband may have been "taken advantage of." You didn't start looking at this yesterday in other words. This forum is a great place to get more detailed information. And, if you get enough posts & choose to, you could offer the coins for sale here, a much cheaper alternative to the auction sites. In the meantime, Edit: I also wanted to let you know not to expect realizing the Red Book prices for your items. Those prices are usually high retail. Folks on this site can also give you an idea as to what your individual coins are worth as you post them here. "Nummi rari mira sunt, si sumptus ferre potes." - Christophorus filius Scotiae
Edited by Bump111
12/28/2017 2:51 pm
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Moderator
 United States
187702 Posts |
to the Community! |
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Don't crack anything at this point. Show us photos and ask any questions you would like assistance with. We have actual experts in almost any field of numismatic and will give you honest answers - for free  |
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New Member
 United States
0 Posts |
Thank you all. I just started about a month ago looking at his collection. Unfortunately my husband was computer illiterate so he mainly used the Red Book, catalogs that came to the house, and he also frequented the local coin shop. I now wish I paid more attention to what he was purchasing so that I could have done internet research for him and told him whether he was being taken. From what I see from the completed auctions on ebay, sadly, a lot of the stuff he purchased years ago, and commemorative stuff, i.e. Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Military coins, Pope coins, etc., he for sure got taken for a ride. I don't want to follow in his footsteps but at the same time, I could kick his behind for leaving me with the task. I guess I shouldn't kick a gift horse in the mouth, I am blessed that I have the collection, but I for sure need to educate myself. Who knows, maybe I will enjoy myself and it will take my mind off of losing him cause I sure do miss that old fart! Is there a real market for the commemorative type stuff? I am assuming that with silver and gold type coins, if I sit on them for some years, the value would typically go up? I was thinking of going through and getting rid of the commemorative type stuff and leaving the good stuff for later as an investment. Just not sure what to do at this point and just how easy it is to sell coins. From doing google research, I was led here, so now I am trying to take in all the info that I can get. Thank you all for responding and I look forward to surfing around this forum and yes, I should be able to upload photos of some of the coins so that I can ask more questions as I go along. |
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Moderator
United States
14463 Posts |
If asking questions about a certain type coin, please start threads in that forum section. They would then get an audience of collectors and experts in that coin type. This forum has several sections for US, UK, other countries, and Ancient coins. And sub-sections for grading, varieties & errors. There are also sections for paper money, coin roll hunting, metal detecting, and many others. Try and post your pictures of the coins in the corresponding section/sub-section to reach experts in that area. Here is the tutorial about uploading and posting imagesAnd here is the CCF Free Image Optimizer to help crop your images. Please preview your post/pictures to be sure they are rotated correctly. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
11922 Posts |
to the CCF! |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6514 Posts |
Welcome to the Forum. Sorry for your loss. There are so many people here willing to help you figure out what you have. One step at a time.  |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,389 |
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Posted 12/28/2017 2:10 pm
