A Novice Looking for Advice
Fireman786
Posts: 6 ✭
First, I just want to say that I love the forum and all of your knowledge about coins. My questions pertain to receiving proof sets from my father-in-law. We received basically all of the 1980s-mid 1990s sets as well as some Franklin half dollar era proof sets(54,57,60,61). All of the coins have never been touched. The coins from the 50s proof sets are in a plastic case with screws. The half dollars have what appears to be some oxidation on them.
My first question is, will the oxidation or coloring on the half dollars affect the price?
My second question is, if I were to send them in to have them graded how would I go about that? I really don't want to open the sets before sending them in.
Some of you guys and girls have some awesome coins and I'm sure these aren't too rare or anything, but they look pretty cool to me. Any advice would be helpful. If you guys want some pictures I can take some, but they will be from my phone lol.
Thanks,
Fire
Comments
Welcome, the best way to get guidance here is for you to post some in focus, close up pics of the coins in question. I don't think the mint sold proof coins in screw type holders. Also coin toning appears in a variety of flavors. Show us what you got. Good luck. Peace Roy
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You can submit the coins in their original packaging. I would not send any 80s or 90s sets in. They would have to be exceptional and it is unlikely to be worth the cost.
The older sets could be, however most are not a good value, especially if hazy.
There should be no hurry to submit anything. Study and ask for a few years and then consider the option again.
Howdy and welcome, Fire.
Before I write any further, I would strongly suggest against sending anything in for certification until you have either much more experience or you take the coins to someone who absolutely knows what they are doing and can be trusted to give you sound advice. Certification is not some sort of Magic Money Tree for submitters, but it is a source of great income for the certification companies.
If I am reading your post correctly, it appears your father-in-law had lots of US Proof sets in what are known as Capital Plastics holders. These are after-market holders that are very high quality and were quite popular prior to TPGs (third-part graders such as PCGS, NGC or ANACS) where folks would drop their coins in for safekeeping. The sets from the 1980s and 1990s are typically worth very little. A search of ebay completed sold auctions will show you how little. If I recall correctly, these are often sold for $10 or less per set. Don't certify anything from these unless someone who knows better tells you the individual coin is worth it.
The sets with the Franklin half dollars are better and they are 90% silver, but again if you certify them you will give perhaps the bulk of the funds to the TPG and won't have much left for yourself. If your goal is to sell (liquidate) them then simply offering them here on the BST (Buy, Sell & Trade) board or taking them to a local coin shop will most likely net you far more funds, be easier to do and will be quicker. The oxidation you write of could be haze or might be considered attractive toning. Since you are new, I would suggest you leave the coins alone.
Take images, preferably of some decent quality, and share them on the thread. Good luck!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Great advice from experts above !
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Welcome to the forum.
Coins weren’t sold by the Mint in plastic cases with screws. So the ones in those holders have been touched. However, that, alone doesn’t guarantee they’re of inferior quality.
Don’t clean the coins.
For now, at least, don’t remove the coins from their holders.
Oxidation can affect the value of the coins - sometimes favorably and other times, negatively.
Many, if not most coins of those dates aren’t worth the cost of grading. If you’re able to post good images, forum members might be able to provide helpful feedback. Still, chances are that ultimately, you’ll need to get some in-hand assessments.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Welcome to the Forum!
Yes, take the wise suggestions serious before sending anything in for grading.
The proof sets in the 50's are the best ones! Exception, 1964.
Good Luck.
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line."Many, if not most coins of those dates aren’t worth the cost of grading."
This.
Pete
You have received as your request required. Listen, heed and comply. Once you have mastered collecting, buying and selling proof coins, then you can move on to another quest. If you just wish to sell, simply go to ebay(as already recommended) and check the sold price(not ask price) and if you do not know how to do this, just say so and we will tell you how. If you do, once you have that information then take good photos obv/rev and list them on the BST(again as already recommended) with the knowledge of what they are worth. Complete all the steps and for sure do not open screws, remove any coins and especially do not clean them. Best of luck and welcome to the forum.
Jim
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Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Thanks for all the replies. Yeah, I wasn't sure if those cases were from the mint or if he put them in there himself. I'm not really looking to sell. I just was curious if there was anything worth sending in. I will try to take some decent pictures and post them.
Apparently my photography skills aren't nearly as good as everyone else's on this forum so I won't be able to show close detail. I working on getting my crappy pics up that at least show the coins in their current packaging.
What is your oldest proof set - 1954? Might be helpful to list the years and quantities.
Thank you for the images.
The hard plastic holders with screws might not be Capital Plastics, but they are something similar and contemporary and the quality of these holders is quite good. From what I can see in the images it appears you have nice quality coins and I would either keep them as-is or sell them as-is. Unless you want to invest a significant amount of your time learning to micro-grade proof coinage and/or going through the deep pool of internet and book minutia of attempting to find relatively scarce or rare die varieties I would suggest keeping them or selling them and not worrying about certifying them.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Excellent advice above by @TomB and @MFeld.... Your pictures are good enough for us to understand - generally - what you have. It is unlikely that any one coin (of those shown) is of significant value and therefore not worth submitting. Listing here on the BST (Buy, Sell, Trade forum), once you do a bit of price research, would be best if you intend to sell. If keeping, then maintain as is.... no cleaning, good storage. Cheers, RickO