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What is a good price to pay for unsearched coins?

Hey guys! I get bored easily when my areas of interest on the Bay of E get a little stupid with their high prices and all for garbage. Then I typically "end up" with a new collection after something strikes my eye and I find a cheap niche to work in for awhile.

With my daughter being young and the weather cold and crappy, I was thinking about buying a nice sized bag of unsearched or just mixed world coins, preferably mostly copper because of the price of silver and hopefully more towards the turn of the last century and before.

What kind of price should I be looking to pay per pound? Am I wasting my time for a good Saturday day waster? We collect imperial Russia Great Britain and India as well as minor ancients. I see the "unsearched" and uncleaned ancient lots all of the time, and I am tempted to try one but I really hate throwing good money away if it is a total scam.

Advice is being solicited....now.

Comments

  • BjornBjorn Posts: 529 ✭✭✭
    It really depends on the lot - modern kiloware should go for perhaps $5/pound while an actually unsearched or parsed lot of mostly 1700s and 1800s coins could easily demand $50/pound or $100/pound. Mind you, I don't see these latter types of lots on Ebay very often...
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Depends on the lot, as mentioned, but I've found a somewhat older mix, if you can get it for less than ten bucks a pound, is worthwhile. Think I'd lose my mind with an all-modern lot. I bought a 20-pound lot from somewhere once that was all modern with the exception of one small Civil War token (and actually a pretty scarce one).

    But I prefer the lots that have plenty of pre-WW2, if not pre-1900 coins. I don't expect any silver, but occasionally a small one will creep in.

    Go with forumancientcoins.com or a more established seller if you're gonna try eBay uncleaned Romans. That can be fun. I only tried it once, and I think it was an eBay lot. It wasn't bad. I see so much hype and BS about "gold coins found!" on those eBay lots, though, that it's a big turnoff.

    I voted less than ten bucks a pound. Go less than five bucks and you're likely to get a modern mixture. Of course there are cherrypicking possibilities either way, but I'd spend a tad more and increase the chances. If you're gonna get eye strain and greeny "copper fingers of death", then you might as well do it with a mixture that has a better chance of paying off.

    Edit- I just read the line at the top of the poll. You were meaning lots that DO contain older coins, then. I wouldn't expect to get much for under five bucks if that is the case. But maybe you can come in under ten.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • MacCrimmonMacCrimmon Posts: 7,051 ✭✭✭
    If you have the time...............$500 buy-in................NO RISK (other than petrol) !!! Except maybe a finger nail. image


    Lather - Rinse - Repeat
  • Type2Type2 Posts: 13,985 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I like $5 a Lb but finding it may be hard and unserached will be harder at any price. image


    Hoard the keys.
  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,075 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have sold larger bulk lots, unsearched by me, with some pre-1900 coins at first glance, for about $5.50/pound shipped. You have to remember, shipping isn't cheap and smaller lots will cost a lot more per pound. If you are interested in 40-50 lbs LMK. I might be able to get some at the end of the month.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • nicholasz219nicholasz219 Posts: 1,386 ✭✭✭
    Ajaan,

    Thanks for the offer. I'm very comfortable working with you on this. Let me see what kind of cashola I have towards the end of the month. There might actually BE some cashola at the rate I keep losing Bay auctions by three dollars every day. >:-(
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