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Inherited Large Coin Collection
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17 posts in this topic

Hello i inherited my grandpas large coin collection and wanted to see if i had anything in there worth anything. I can post pictures of everything. I dont really know where to start ive been doing research for a couple days but still am clueless.

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Welcome to numismatics. This is fun. You might end up deciding to keep them.

Suggest you start by dividing it between US (if you are in the US) and foreign, then divide the foreign stuff by country, then by believed timeframe. For the US stuff, divide by denomination and then by type. If it's a large collection, posting useful pictures of everything could be a bit difficult. My guidance would be to post the ones that most confuse you, or where a single example would help you identify many coins. Post whatever you like, of course, but if it's a big collection at some point you'll have to pick and choose.

Bear in mind (and please take these with a friendly tone meant to give maximum help):

  • Just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's worth a lot.
  • Just because it's not shiny doesn't mean it's worthless.
  • Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth a lot.
  • Just because it's in a plastic holder as a set doesn't make that a mint or proof set, or even valuable.
  • Don't clean any of it and don't ask us how you should clean any of it, because we will give you the very sound advice not to do so. Just imagine we gave it to you already, and that if you do otherwise, 99.9% likely you will be combusting value against our nearly unanimous guidance. And no, we won't suddenly decide that you and this case are the vanishing exceptions to that guidance. Don't clean any of it. (Hopefully I was clear enough. If I was not, I suggest you don't clean the coins.)
  • Do protect the coins, at least those that aren't worn. Consider getting a bunch of plastic flips to hold the nicer ones, especially those that look uncirculated. Fingerprints on uncirculated coins are bad. They don't need any new dings or scratches, either.
  • How to put this tactfully: Sometimes our elders are/were not as capable at numismatics as we have always believed. I learned that when a bunch of completely loose proof coins in my passed-on FIL's collection just fell out along with the rest of a paper roll of coins. I'm currently helping liquidate a lady's dad's collection and she is shocked and disgusted to learn that he bought two spendy counterfeits, a bunch of cleaned coins, and overgraded everything. I helped another lady value her deceased husband's collection, for which he paid with secret credit cards he ran up, and the short version was that she could just about pay a month's rent in a dive in the Portland suburbs with its value (a small fraction of what he actually spent). Very, very rarely does the relative turn out to have been the Great Numismatist we were always led to believe; we all think they are very special, and as people, many are, but one can be a great person and a suck collector. Separate your assessment of the coins from any assumed admiration of the relative's coin knowledge.
  • The silver is always worth something.
  • Gold is always worth something, but all that looks like gold is not.
  • Most of what you will suspect is a very pricey error is probably either post-mint damage or a no-premium detracting condition.

Let us know how we can help you figure this out.

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1 minute ago, JKK said:

Welcome to numismatics. This is fun. You might end up deciding to keep them.

Suggest you start by dividing it between US (if you are in the US) and foreign, then divide the foreign stuff by country, then by believed timeframe. For the US stuff, divide by denomination and then by type. If it's a large collection, posting useful pictures of everything could be a bit difficult. My guidance would be to post the ones that most confuse you, or where a single example would help you identify many coins. Post whatever you like, of course, but if it's a big collection at some point you'll have to pick and choose.

Bear in mind (and please take these with a friendly tone meant to give maximum help):

  • Just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's worth a lot.
  • Just because it's not shiny doesn't mean it's worthless.
  • Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth a lot.
  • Just because it's in a plastic holder as a set doesn't make that a mint or proof set, or even valuable.
  • Don't clean any of it and don't ask us how you should clean any of it, because we will give you the very sound advice not to do so. Just imagine we gave it to you already, and that if you do otherwise, 99.9% likely you will be combusting value against our nearly unanimous guidance. And no, we won't suddenly decide that you and this case are the vanishing exceptions to that guidance. Don't clean any of it. (Hopefully I was clear enough. If I was not, I suggest you don't clean the coins.)
  • Do protect the coins, at least those that aren't worn. Consider getting a bunch of plastic flips to hold the nicer ones, especially those that look uncirculated. Fingerprints on uncirculated coins are bad. They don't need any new dings or scratches, either.
  • How to put this tactfully: Sometimes our elders are/were not as capable at numismatics as we have always believed. I learned that when a bunch of completely loose proof coins in my passed-on FIL's collection just fell out along with the rest of a paper roll of coins. I'm currently helping liquidate a lady's dad's collection and she is shocked and disgusted to learn that he bought two spendy counterfeits, a bunch of cleaned coins, and overgraded everything. I helped another lady value her deceased husband's collection, for which he paid with secret credit cards he ran up, and the short version was that she could just about pay a month's rent in a dive in the Portland suburbs with its value (a small fraction of what he actually spent). Very, very rarely does the relative turn out to have been the Great Numismatist we were always led to believe; we all think they are very special, and as people, many are, but one can be a great person and a suck collector. Separate your assessment of the coins from any assumed admiration of the relative's coin knowledge.
  • The silver is always worth something.
  • Gold is always worth something, but all that looks like gold is not.
  • Most of what you will suspect is a very pricey error is probably either post-mint damage or a no-premium detracting condition.

Let us know how we can help you figure this out.

 

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That's a worn bust half dollar, which we call a bustie. They are very popular. I can't see the obverse detail very well, nor whether it was cleaned (kind of doubt it), but worn 1829s show up in price guides from the high two figures to the low three for nicer examples. Actual market value is well below the publicly available price guides.

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Panama-Pacific commemorative half, uncirculated, toning looks natural. CW mag has lower unc grades for $400; you wouldn't get that, but you would definitely get more than melt.

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Welcome to the forum.

It appears that your collection contains some really nice coins, some of which could have considerable value. JKK has given you some good advice, and I would like to offer a bit more:

Be patient. Don't get in a hurry to liquidate your new collection. Take your time and research the coins thoroughly. This will help you to receive maximum value for your coins, should you decide to sell.

Take a look at this thread, written by a former member of these boards.It contains some very good information.CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK

When posting pictures, keep in mind that the better we can see the picture, the more likely we are to give accurate estimates of condition and value. Post well-lit, straight-on pictures that are as close and clear as possible. (And, thank you for posting both sides. You would be surprised at the number of people who don't think to do that.)

Be patient when waiting for answers to your questions. None of us get paid to be on here, but most of us really enjoy helping other collectors.  It may take a few days to get responses, so just hang in there.

Post one or two coins per thread. More than that can get confusing for all involved.

Let us know how we can help.

I am looking forward to seeing what you have. :)

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Attention (most) newbies:

THIS is a collection worth having, from what we're seeing so far. If there were an auction, my kiester would already be asking Siri for directions to get there. That PanPac half has me drooling.

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42 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

Attention (most) newbies:

THIS is a collection worth having, from what we're seeing so far. If there were an auction, my kiester would already be asking Siri for directions to get there. That PanPac half has me drooling.

Agreed. 

The Rhode Island Commemorative appears to be a little too shiny to be original luster, in my opinion.  Most commems I come across have a soft, airy skin.  Or they're just corroded as all get out.  

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59 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

Attention (most) newbies:

THIS is a collection worth having, from what we're seeing so far. If there were an auction, my kiester would already be asking Siri for directions to get there. That PanPac half has me drooling.

Yeah right … The toning on that piece is mouth watering … :-)

 

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Also, at some point you may need to remove these from the flips/holders they're in to get better pictures or move to a new flip/holder.  It's safe to gently slide them out onto a hard, dust free, surface with nothing present to scratch or abrade the coin.  Nothing like rough fabric.  When handling always hold on the edges with your middle finger & thumb opposite each other.

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18 minutes ago, CRAWTOMATIC said:

Also, at some point you may need to remove these from the flips/holders they're in to get better pictures or move to a new flip/holder.  It's safe to gently slide them out onto a hard, dust free, surface with nothing present to scratch or abrade the coin.  Nothing like rough fabric.  When handling always hold on the edges with your middle finger & thumb opposite each other.

Actually that's a really good point.

Looks to be the era of PVC flips - bad for coins as we all know

 

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