What is your most illiquid numismatic item?

RYK

Yes, I know good times will last forever, but sometimes people are put in a situation in which they want to or have to sell a coin or two--often it is just to buy another coin or two. I do make a concerted effort to buy coins that I believe will generate interest, should I tire of them or change interests, but sometimes I do saddle myself with a coin that is very hard to move along without taking a significant loss.

What is your most illiquid numismatic item? Do you have any stories of trying to sell such coins? I will post my answers to these questions later this morning.

IGWT

My collection.

MadMarty

<< <i>What is your most illiquid numismatic item? >>



The pictures of the Dirty Gold Man and the Rubber Chicken!!!

Longacre

I've found that no one wants to buy New Orleans quarter eagles, even if they have a sticker. At the Baltimore show last year, I tried to sell a nice looking NO quarter eagle (with a sticker), to a very prominent CAC dealer. This dealer took one glance at it, and said she "didn't do dated gold", and recommended that I see X dealer in the next aisle.

garsmith

My rolls of ASE's, as a matter of fact I am just waiting for silver to go up a little more than I will sell.

If I have to, my AGE's would go next.

FatMan

<< <i>I've found that no one wants to buy New Orleans quarter eagles, even if they have a sticker. At the Baltimore show last year, I tried to sell a nice looking NO quarter eagle (with a sticker), to a very prominent CAC dealer. This dealer took one glance at it, and said she "didn't do dated gold", and recommended that I see X dealer in the next aisle. >>

Other than MadMarty, who would want a coin graded O with the grade stamped right on it? Hard to sell those today when the market is so focused on condition.

NHSBaseball

Half dime rare die marriages- not many people collect them or are willing to pay a premium based on the coin's rarity. Huge premiums are paid for rare bust half varities- not so much for their smaller cousins.

MadMarty

<< <i>I've found that no one wants to buy New Orleans quarter eagles, even if they have a sticker. At the Baltimore show last year, I tried to sell a nice looking NO quarter eagle (with a sticker), to a very prominent CAC dealer. This dealer took one glance at it, and said she "didn't do dated gold", and recommended that I see X dealer in the next aisle. >>



I would have figured the CAC dealers would be lining up to pay you HUGE money for your CAC stickered gold!!!

airplanenut

The coins. My bottle of acetone, however...

UtahCoin

Interesting you bring this up. My wife and I were talking yesterday about the money that we have lost in the market recently (it's a SCARY amount). I was then looking in the safe to see what I had in gold and silver bullion at hand. As I was checking my rolls of SAE's, I smiled as I noticed the price I paid on most the rolls was about $140 a roll.

fishcooker

Probly one of those dam Legacy sets I bought a few years ago.

gecko109

Im meeting a fellow collector/dealer locally this afternoon (at our Dunkin Donuts spot) to buy a 27 gram silver "modern" coin for $1,100. That certainly has the potential to be my least liquid piece in my entire collection.

doh

For the most part, the more expensive the coins are the more illiquid they are...at least that's my experience.

coolest

Try to sell a "full step" Jefferson nickel that is not in a PCGS slab that saying FS.
I have a 1953-S Nickel with one small discontinuity (possibly), and even though it is a rare coin and took me many years to find, I think it would be hard to find a buyer willing to spend $5 for the coin.

Fletcher

My California Fractional gold. When I'm buying it, everyone and their mothers are bidding me up. However, when I'm selling a duplicate ... it's nothing but crickets

rhedden

Try selling Booker T. and Washington-Carver commems. Even nice Uncs. at greysheet levels attract very little attention.

secondrepublic

I have some nice 1920s and 1930s coins from Estonia and Latvia that seem to attract very little interest. Maybe not surprising, since the populations of those countries are less than that of most US states.

gecko109

<< <i>Try selling Booker T. and Washington-Carver commems. Even nice Uncs. at greysheet levels attract very little attention. >>




Just another example of "the man" keeping them down!

tahoe98

..............i'm still googling illiquid...

ziggy29

I think many of my coins are pretty solid. I guess that would make them very illiquid.

coinsarefun

My Russian coins
Seams like they are still paying strong money for them.


And, for that matter probably most of the world coins I have





Stefanie

gecko109

<< <i>My Russian coins
Seams like they are still paying strong money for them.


And, for that matter probably most of the world coins I have





Stefanie >>




Stef, the OP question was which coins would you have the MOST trouble selling at a break even, or slight loss.

Cladiator

None. Just recently a month or two ago I liquidated pretty much all the illiquid coinage I had. Everything I've got today I'd consider to be very liquid.

coinsarefun

<< <i>

<< <i>My Russian coins
Seams like they are still paying strong money for them.


And, for that matter probably most of the world coins I have





Stefanie >>




Stef, the OP question was which coins would you have the MOST trouble selling at a break even, or slight loss. >>















Oops That's what happens when you read from an iphone.
So dang small, I mistaken illiquid for liquid

Stefanie

zeebob

I have about 100 New Zealand 1965 and 1967 uncirculated sets. Can't give the darn things away.

TwoSides2aCoin

the ones in my safe deposit box

adamlaneus

Let me pick at your question a little bit.



<< <i>"Yes, I know good times will last forever, but sometimes people are put in a situation in which they want to or have to sell a coin or two--often it is just to buy another coin or two" >>



Emphasis mine. Why?

Because this sentence starts out implying that good times are over and we are in hard times.
Fair enough. I am hearing general pessimism from the public nowadays, so this is a common sentiment right now.

Then...in support of hard times at the beginning of the sentence...I see at the end of the sentence...we are buying a coin or two!.



Hard times indeed. Gotta sell a coin...to buy a coin. I wonder; if this is considered hard times, then we have quite a long way to fall yet!


The original issue:

I think liquidity has a great deal to do with price. Notice you stipulate that no significant loss is to be taken. That means your uber-expensive coin languishes on the market until the right buyer 'grows some'. And after a few months you will be thinking "was I a buyer pool of 1" when I bought this item? Not-so-PQ-for-the-grade expensive coins seem like the sort of poison you are talking about. Expensive coins that do not knock your eyeballs out of your sockets lack that certain thing that causes the next buyer to open their wallet.
Cheap melty bullion coins, regardless of the numeric grade, seem to have a steady market; it is hard to go down in value when you are at the bottom.
That's why I think price is important. You need the expensive price to limit the buyer pool in the first place.

I wonder what I will experience when I sell. I refuse to sell just to experience selling. It can wait a decade or two.

The only selling I have done is raw eBay junk...bought it on eBay, puked, sold it on eBay. I am not proud of that. They were liquid however. It generates lots of money for eBay/PayPal.

roadrunner

How about MS63-65 Columbian halves? I can't recall what year it was the last time anyone asked a price for one.

roadrunner

RYK

I think that I have chosen some very esoteric areas to collect: Focusing on colonials (including medals and foreign coins that circulated in the US) and patterns puts me in a relatively small group of collectors. However, I have dealt with dealers who are known for strong and enthusiastic buybacks, and I think this gives me a decent cushion.

The coin that I took the biggest hit on was a better variety draped bust large cent (#10 on the CC) that I purchased on a whim. When I realized I did not really care for it, the dealer from whom I purchased it was not interested in buying it back. Another dealer in that specialty was able to get me about 40% what I paid. I think that these are very illiquid, unless you are buying the most popular varieties, very high on the CC, and/or in the Circle of EAC Trust.

My dated gold collection turned out to be my most liquid numismatic holdings. After all, how hard is it to sell a 70-CC $5, 1865 $3, or a 38-D $5?

Barndog

<< <i>I have about 100 New Zealand 1965 and 1967 uncirculated sets. Can't give the darn things away. >>



if you pay shipping and twist my arm, I'll take one. My daughter could use the coins for her Barbie cash register

gecko109

Geeezus RYK, how long did you hold that large cent? Getting 40% back from a "specialist" just goes to show how much profit can be built into a given coin such as that one.

RYK

<< <i>Geeezus RYK, how long did you hold that large cent? Getting 40% back from a "specialist" just goes to show how much profit can be built into a given coin such as that one. >>



About a year and a half.

gecko109

Then you must have had all the money in that one! Hard to believe you could take such a dump on that in such a short time frame. I wonder if you would have done better selling to an EAC collector rather than that "specialist" dealer?

ziggy29

If I wanted my coins to be liquid, I'd melt them.

RYK

<< <i>Then you must have had all the money in that one! Hard to believe you could take such a dump on that in such a short time frame. I wonder if you would have done better selling to an EAC collector rather than that "specialist" dealer? >>



I tried a number of routes. I was most disappointed that the original seller/dealer did not want it back, as it was his specialty. The other dealer got rid of it as a favor to me. I probably got back what it was really worth.

Longacre

<< <i>

<< <i>Then you must have had all the money in that one! Hard to believe you could take such a dump on that in such a short time frame. I wonder if you would have done better selling to an EAC collector rather than that "specialist" dealer? >>



I tried a number of routes. I was most disappointed that the original seller/dealer did not want it back, as it was his specialty. The other dealer got rid of it as a favor to me. I probably got back what it was really worth. >>




I thought the EAC world was much more gentlemanly and genteel than the rest of numismatics.

dunerlaw

Ugly toned coins.
I sold several coins at long beach (all PCGS).
But the three ugly toned PCGS coins, one in a rattler and one in a OGH holder, only got negitive responses.
One dealer said he would only buy toners if they had a CAC sticker!
Several dealers said they only wanted white coins.

Note: Nice looking toned coins were not a problem to sell.

RYK

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Then you must have had all the money in that one! Hard to believe you could take such a dump on that in such a short time frame. I wonder if you would have done better selling to an EAC collector rather than that "specialist" dealer? >>



I tried a number of routes. I was most disappointed that the original seller/dealer did not want it back, as it was his specialty. The other dealer got rid of it as a favor to me. I probably got back what it was really worth. >>




I thought the EAC world was much more gentlemanly and genteel than the rest of numismatics. >>



Ask Barry about his EAC experiences. The southern gold guys are several orders of magnitude more genteel than the hoi polloi of the EAC.

Coinosaurus

There is a lot of be said for buying in auctions......the absolute worst you do is about 30% less on a quick flip......

As for illiquid items, I don't think there are any - anything will sell on ebay if you put no minimum.

GoldenEyeNumismatics

Some of my Nevada paper items.

tahoe98

<< <i>If I wanted my coins to be liquid, I'd melt them. >>






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AU58WALKERS

my proof kennedy half set, I would probably take a bath on these, if i tried to sell them

BECOKA

Well, I just shipped off 90% of my collection to be liquidated but not the most liquid. What I kept is probably the most liquid.

rgCoinGuy

My smoke filled numismatic books from what I am reading.

adamlaneus

<< <i>Well, I just shipped off 90% of my collection to be liquidated but not the most liquid. What I kept is probably the most liquid. >>

AU58WALKERS

<< <i>My smoke filled numismatic books from what I am reading. >>



I heard MREARLYGOLD was starting a collection of these.

RWB

I’ve had difficulty selling a slabbed cat. Should it really be considered “liquid” since the slab sprung a leak and stuff is oozing out?

Broadstruck

<< <i>I’ve had difficulty selling a slabbed cat. Should it really be considered “liquid” since the slab sprung a leak and stuff is oozing out? >>

Shamika

Every thing is liquid or illiquid at certain price levels.

Stupid me purchased a sight-unseen a 1927-D Lincoln graded MS64RD by ACG 10 years ago. The coin was clearly recolored and I've not tried to resell it in a long time.

Than again, an ACG slab is so rarely seen today, it might be a collectible in it's own right.

PCcoins

I would say coins in gem quality. But it all sells on ebay.

TwoSides2aCoin

My brown wheaties and Jefferson nickels. When the cent is worth a nickel and a nickel's worth a dime, I'll be very tempted to break the law, but for now they're illiquid in their solid state.