Determining Coin Values
Blackhawk
Posts: 3,898 ✭✭✭
How are the coin values determined for guides such as the Red Book or weekly publications?
I believe that because online auctions (Ebay, etc.) list such a large volume of coins, you should be able to get a "relative" value from the "completed auctions" archive. If the values are partly determined by the scarcity of the coin, there are many coins that are undervalued in the guides if the frequency that they are being offered on Ebay is any indication. I have been watching seated halves lately and have noticed that some of the issues (1868-P) for example, are very hard to find in any grade. The coin had a mintage of over 400,000...you would think that more of them would be offered in varying grades on a auction service that runs through as many coins as Ebay. I did manage to find a decent circulated one, and probably paid more than I should have for it, but there wasn't much of a selection to be had.
Auction Link
Do you think that the surviving number of many medium mintage coins is substantially smaller than the amount that some of the price guides use in their calculation for coin values? Since so many coins are bought and sold by members of this forum, I'm interested in your opinions.
Bill
I believe that because online auctions (Ebay, etc.) list such a large volume of coins, you should be able to get a "relative" value from the "completed auctions" archive. If the values are partly determined by the scarcity of the coin, there are many coins that are undervalued in the guides if the frequency that they are being offered on Ebay is any indication. I have been watching seated halves lately and have noticed that some of the issues (1868-P) for example, are very hard to find in any grade. The coin had a mintage of over 400,000...you would think that more of them would be offered in varying grades on a auction service that runs through as many coins as Ebay. I did manage to find a decent circulated one, and probably paid more than I should have for it, but there wasn't much of a selection to be had.
Auction Link
Do you think that the surviving number of many medium mintage coins is substantially smaller than the amount that some of the price guides use in their calculation for coin values? Since so many coins are bought and sold by members of this forum, I'm interested in your opinions.
Bill
"Have a nice day!"
0
Comments
One of the things I've run across recently to track eBay auction prices for coins is this item:
WorldCoin Explorer Plugin
Whether it's accurate or not, is yet to be seen....but I am monitoring it with various flavors of coins I have....hope this helps...
Computer Services
What did the doe say when she came out of the woods?.....Last time I do THAT for a buck!
It didn't have nice news for me, though. I used my icon for a test. It told me that another PR63 CAM 1898 Barber half sold for $671 on 01/24/2002 . It was an NGC coin. I paid slightly more than $1,000 for my PCGS Benson coin in the same grade.
I can't see a picture of that one, though, and I realize the price quoted is for "sight-unseen". For all I know, that NGC coin coulda had black-green blotchy toning and a lot of haze.
Yeah. I'll go on thinking that.
I feel better already.
(And even if I paid too much, I love my icon coin.)
You'd think that for $1,000 they would have given you pictures of BOTH sides of the coin. Did you at least get a bigger image of it, or just the icon?
Clark