Thinking about selling my Early Commem Registry set...I SOLD IT!
CommemKing
Posts: 2,202 ✭✭✭✭✭
I know a number I would like to sell at. With online auctions you never know that you are going to get. I don't know if I should sell them each individually or as a set. I have good pics of them all and its the 33rd highest rated set in the Registry. Because of the toning of most of the coins I believe my set demands a premium. Please help me out as what I should do.
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Comments
Been there. There are no buyers of entire sets unless every single coin is a toned monster.
Sell off the pretty coins individually and expect to take a beating on any average coin that's easily found on ebay or Heritage.
Corrected for grammar
Commems and Early Type
I would think you could realize more by selling them individually than as a set, but it will obviously be a little more work. If you've got a number in mind, why not put it up on the BST with that number?
Wouldn't hurt to list it on BST with a firm price, as a set, and see what happens
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
I think you can sell them just fine by listing them on eBay, then sending me a PM. I'm a sucker for a deal there.
Its listed on the BST page now. Please send me you honest bids.
See what offers you get, but I would try to broker it intact to a big dealer. It may not work, but if you start slicing off just the prettiest, you get stuck with many of the others. Someone like Legend may have a place they could park it and wait for some appreciation.
most profit = , sell one at a time with fantastic photography
I looked on that page and could not find your listing.
It's a tough time to be selling these coins given the market, but then again it's been like that since before the time I retired as a dealer. The last coins I had in inventory were some commemoratives and a couple Morgan Dollars. I blew the commemoratives out at 20% to 25% under Gray Sheet bid, and looking back on it I did well because the bids are lower that that now.
As for the Morgan dollars, I sold one for a loss and kept the other, an 1878 7 over 8 tail feather, because the dealer's offer was insultingly low.
A 33rd ranked set isn't likely to generate much enthusiasm among potential buyers. Early commems have been soft for years so you are going to have to evaluate each coin and try for a premium on the coins that truly deserve it. Anything that is ordinary will probably disappoint you. Think carefully about the best way to sell each coin individually and then move to do so.
CommemDude knows what he is writing about.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Seems to me that selling them individually would max potential.
More work and more time if time is on your side.
Part of me is sad that you (want to / have to) sell these off but that isn't the topic.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
I would certainly consider Great Collections.
I have some stuff in to be sold there.
Their fee structure and general accessibility impresses me.
Course, the coins aren't sold yet.
But...... would certainly consider as what I ...have...seen sold seems very fair.
If "fair" will do for commems.
Man, they've fallen from grace!
It's amazing how the ranking systems work on the old commemorative coin registries. I have a complete set of the 13 old commemorative gold coins, including the two Pan-Pac $50 gold pieces, which both grade MS-64. My other pieces range in grade from MS-64 (which is close to "Junk coin status" in that series) to MS-66 for my Pan-Pac $2.50. Perhaps because of my MS-64 "junk coins" I'm only #8 in the registry ATS, and there is one guy ahead of me who only has one of the Pan-Pac $50 pieces.
I guess what I'm saying is that you can have a very nice nice collector set of the "old commemoratives" and still be well down in the listings. If you have very many pieces that grade MS-63 or 64, no matter how nice they might be, you collection will get a third or fourth rate registry ranking.
Any idea on what the current Grey Sheet bid price is for the 1928 Hawaiian comem? Have been in the market for one but those reasonably priced on EBay all seem to be in Genuine/Details holders. Good chance I can pick up a MS63 or better for 25% under the current Grey Sheet bid?
You have understand that I have not been in the market for an Hawaiian half dollar for close to 20 years, but for what it's worth, here is my experience.
I bought the Hawaiian in my collection, an NGC MS-64, in 1999 for what I calculated to be $1,960. It came in a deal where I bought a complete set, as a dealer, all in NGC holders. I kept the Hawaiian, the New Rochelle and Washington - Carver for my set, and sold the rest. The $1,960 was a "basket purchase" calculation where I apportioned the total amount I paid for the set among the coins according to the Gray Sheet values at the time.
Since then the Hawaiian has gone way up and then has come way down to $2,440 according to the current Gray Sheet. Since my coin is in an NGC holder, which seems to be out of favor, my coin would be perceived was having a lower value I suppose. Still it makes me wonder how low can it go, when you look at the coins in the lower grade holders.
When I was dealer, the biggest trouble with Hawaiians that were in anything lower in MS-63 holders was that they were sliders (AU coins) or had an ugly spot of some kind, in my opinion. The current bids in MS-60 and 63 are $1,850 and $2,100. Frankly I don't think that you are going buy an MS-63 Hawaiian for 25% off of bid that has solid for the grade unless you take advantage of an ignorant person. You can be frugal and look for a fair deal, but when you go cheap, you either end up with nothing or you buy a problem coin in an off-grade holder that might have been put in the holder to sell to a sucker.
Of all of the commemorative half dollars, the Hawaiian is still the coin that has something going for it. The mintage is only 10,000 and a fair number of those have been messed with or rubbed. It was issued before the mid1930s when most commemoratives went into the hands of collectors who preserved them well. Every commemorative collector knows that it is THE KEY to the set, and if there is any support for early commemoratives at all, that coin should be getting it.
So my advice is, pay a fair price for a coin you like. The market has already slipped a lot, and you should consider that to be your discount.
@Billjones Thanks for a very helpful response.
Maybe sell individually what you can here as there are no fees and then consign the rest?
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
Anyone else have some stuff for sale?
You did not say how soon you would like completely cashed out or how much 'work' you are willing to put into the project. There is a trade-off between speed, cash to you, and amount of your work. Answer those questions for better suggestions.
I would sell the set through great collections broken up. Selling the set complete will be a very tough sell and the buyer will want a deal.
I agree. Selling the whole set intact might be fast, but you probably not going to get "all the money." Collectors are reluctant to buy because they will end of duplicates in a down market that might be hard to sell for a decent price. Dealers will be looking for a deal because they probably won't need all of the coins. When you are dealer, you will buy anything that is genuine for "a price," but that price might be really low ball.
To be honest, I don't blame them. Who knows what the bottom might be for the old commemoratives in run of the condition?
Assuming you want a profit, it will be difficult to impossible to get the number you want for your set.
Send them off to Great Collections. They'll take great pictures for toned coins. Set the price you want.
My guess is you'll sell a few, but not many as silver commems haven't been in demand for a long time.
The ones that come back from GC you can list on eBay or send them to HA but they will sell at no reserve auctions.
Easy to buy commems. Hard to sell commems.
It's too bad, because the majority of them are actually pretty cool.
That is I would do
1) send the cream to Legend Auctions.
2) send the balance to Great Collections
I know your hatred for CAC but they will both submit them for you. PCGS with CAC is the best recipe
I'm confident this strategy will net you the greatest gain
Mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
You might try starting a thread on the US coin forum. Ask where you should sell it. Tell them how nice it is etc. Kick back, check you PM's. Good luck.
Well it did work for Dimeman now that you mentioned it.
M
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
A nice set... I looked at it on the BST.... That being said, I think the above advice (sending it to auction) is likely your best path.. Cheers, RickO
@CommemKing For what it is worth I sold my full 144 coin set (plus duplicates) over a year ago on Heritage and I lost 50% compared to what I paid for them. I think I may have been ranked higher in the registry than you but the coins were still in the 64-66 grade range for the most part, so it certainly wasn't a high-roller set. Many of my coins had attractive toning but the winning bidders still picked them up for a song. Certainly the timing was not the best and that had an impact on my results but I had lost my job and I needed to sell. I may have done better selling elsewhere but I needed to move 3x as many coins as you have so Heritage seemed like the best bet at the time to get them all sold as quick as possible. You may have better options there since you have a smaller set.
Heritage sent 40 of my coins to CAC and 39 got stickers. It didn't make a big difference in my sell prices in the end. Several of my coins showed up on dealer sites with higher grades after the fact. Perhaps re-submitting first on my own may have helped but, at the time, I couldn't justify the cost or the time it would have taken to do it. My biggest loss was the Hawaiian, mostly because it had dropped in value anyway since I bought it, but somebody still bought it at a price as if it were a grade lower.
Hopefully your results are better than mine. I wish you luck.
Proof Buffalo Registry Set
Capped Bust Quarters Registry Set
Proof Walking Liberty Halves Registry Set
Thanks for all the help. I'm going to a dealer today to see hw he may rip me off. Then I am considering sending them to GreatCollections to be sold one by one. My question is, how much do they charge to send them to CAC before they are sold?
Great to hear. For CAC, we charge $12.50 a coin to have them reviewed by CAC (we pay for shipping/insurance to/from CAC). CAC did put up their fees to $13.50 in the past couple of months, we just haven't reprinted our forms yet, so perhaps in 60-90 days, we will also be at $13.50). This is an option on the consignment form. CAC takes about 10-12 days including to/from shipping.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to call our office at 1-800-442-6467 or e-mail ian@greatcollections.com.
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
With what you have you should consider an eBay store plus taking a table at shows. Take control of your own destiny and get your price.
Glass display cases can be rented at most shows. Inexpensive world currency with a few nicer pieces can easily fill any gaps if you don't have enough to fill 2 cases at a show.
Great collections has a stellar customer service reputation. I would email them and ask to talk to them on the phone about your set. They can send coins in for regrade there and its far simpler as well. Some of the coins with cac as others have said will bring more return. Dealers buy may be soft since walk in for these coins is slim.
Ian post to these boards from time to time maybe send him a pm.
....head explodes in slow motion..... is this an official change of heart on CAC?
I would definitely sell them individually. GC is as good a route as any. So sad to see you sell.....
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Sorry for your 50% loss. Seems we have the sharks and the chum, with the Collectors being the chum in this game.
This is the reality of the times.......................BTW, we are at 62000 today.
This is what many choose to do......................
You have a great eye. I think the only fair thing to you would be to have them evaluated for upgrades/CAC and then auction them. If you snag some upgrades and CAC on some keys with that nice color, that may lessen the blow. There are definitely some I would bid on, but I'd be embarassed to offer you what I think they might bring, I'm not an expert so a public auction would bring out the "color" guys and make it better for you.
About half a dozen of my coins are already CAC. How important is getting the rest of them CACed before I sell? Is it really worth the fees?
I wouldn't sell a coin worth over $300-400 without letting CAC have a look. Collectors only pay for the ones that sticker $13.50 each, if I'm remembering correctly. Add a bit for shipping & such. Submit through a dealer and you'll have to pay for each one. The difference in liquidity will be huge. The difference in sale price will be good too, but I suspect you're in for a bit of a tough ride.
Definitely worth it from my perspective, particularly if you can submit as a collector and only pay for those that sticker. Additionally, you will really maximize value should some get a gold sticker.
I hate to be a black cloud but how ever you go about selling them you should be prepared to take a 40-50 percent loss on your initial investment. Unfortunately that is a reality.
I have to point out that Dealers have plenty of money in the inventory game too. I"m not buying that "collectors are the chum". In a down market all that own numismatics will be the chum IMO
CommemKing I wish you luck in the sale.
This. Do not let a dealer submit for you. If the coins do not sticker, CAC will refund the $13.50 if you submit as a collector. If you need help, PM me.
Lots of sound advice here, I wish you the best of luck CommemKing
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
I have a local dealer who is willing to buy the set as a whole for right around Grey Sheet right now. This would save much time, effort, and uncertainty than if I was to auction it. Im still going to take a huge loss, but I dont see many other options. Thoughts?
My impression is that you would be making a financially foolish move to walk away from an offer to buy the entirety of the set for approximately Grey Sheet.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
grey sheet is a solid offer. Fees and risk will be less then grey sheet net money if you sell on an auction venue.
I would perhaps look at the coins critically and maybe sell great color coins or high grades separate.
That is a very good offer considering you seem determined to sell it entirely to one individual. Your answer to that offer will pretty much tell everyone here how interested in selling your set you really are..
The offer is for the entirety of the set, which means the "great color coins or high grades" are the coins that are going to make up for the nondescript, aesthetically challenged pieces. If you take the nicest coins out, then the deal falls apart and you are at square one.
Run back to this dealer today and sell your coins. Thank me later.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
you have a valid point TomB its a tough situation but I tend to agree that taking the cash in hand offer at grey is they way.
I have no I idea what these coins have been bringing but, given what others have said, it sounds very low. Based on this and the fact that you'll have to pay fees and commissions; I'd likely take the money from the dealer who is offering you greysheet prices and run. It is a sure thing and there is no risk.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/