Trying To Determine Value Of Inherited Coin Collection

Probably too far away for you but a coin shop you can totally trust with selling a collection like that is Cameo Coins in Falls Church, VA. They do a lot of that kind of business and are super straight shooters. It is where I would go if I were doing such a transaction. Last time I was in there they had just spent a phenomenal sum on a collection out of Pennsylvania. They were discussing why the owner paid $2500 for one particular coin when the guy was only asking $2000 for it. The owner said that $2500 was a fair price and $2000 was not being fair to the seller. Can't find a better shop than one that will give you more than you're even asking.

As for things like the California gold token, you will need a good person to handle things like that. There are real ones, fake ones made of junk, and fake ones made of real gold. Quite different values depending on what you've got.

Anyway, if you've got the time we'd love to see some of the coins posted here as it sounds like an interesting collection. Although the answer to what something is worth is often "check ebay", you can get the experts here to help you figure out what the coin is, what it might grade, and generally learn a lot so you are better informed whether you decide to keep the coin or sell it.

Enjoy the process. Coins can be quite fun to learn about.

Not an easy solution. So much depends on what they are, condition of them, who wants them, etc. To start I think you should get a copy of the Red Book by Whitman Publishing. At least in that book you would see approximate values of US coins and approximate estimates of conditions. As to any foreign coins, I have no idea.

Make sure you Do Not clean any of your coins in any way. No wiping at all.

Good luck!

I'll echo that pictures are needed - even a group shot can give a good idea of what we're looking at. The vast majority of coin collections aren't worth more than a few hundred dollars, but you never know until you dig in and do some research. And older (2015-2018) copy of the Red Book is a worthy investment (a few bucks) to get a rough idea of the values of US coins.

World coins, with a few exceptions, aren't worth a lot, especially for base metal coins minted after WWII. Silver world coins are rarely worth much more than their melt value, again unless they are from before WWII.

California gold tokens are still being made today, as far as I know. They run the gamut from being solid gold to gold plated to brass. I'm not familiar with your coin, but based on the typeface used on the ONE on the reverse, I'd wager it was minted closer to 1998 than 1898. Genuine Cali gold is minted in the 1850s or 60s, always carries a denomination (dollar, dol., cents), and rarely depicts a bear.

The token looks like a novelty item.