where do i even start...
Matt0224
Posts: 102 ✭✭
So cleaning out a cluster of a storage room at my parents house for a while now and stumbled upon this (I've already found quite the late 60's baseball card collection that has been pretty amazing thus far) this is just a small sample. Binders and binders of coins and currency I just snapped a few pictures quickly.
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Comments
Fun finds.
You have some fun items to locate, but there does not appear to be a lot of value there. The albums of U.S. coins are missing the expensive key date coins, like the 1916-D, 1921 and 1921-D Mercury Dimes and the 1922-D Plain and 1931-S Lincoln Cents. If you know a young collector, it would be great place for them start. The Indian Cents appear to low grade, and once more the expesive coins are missing.
The Mercury Dimes are made of 90% silver so they are worth a several times their face value.
Though @BillJones comments are accurate in regards to what you have shown, it's possible that some of the other stuff you have (since you stated this is just a small sample) may be of higher value, so don't give up right away. The Mercury dimes are silver so there is value there of about $1.25 each due to the silver content alone.
Getting yourself a Red Book which will give you an excellent starting point as to determining which items are of greater value and which are of lesser value. The valuation are generally high in the book, so mainly use it as a general tool.
With coin valuation, condition is everything, so the circulated coins you have shown will be of inherently lesser value. A few key pieces of advice for someone in your position are 1) Take your time, 2) Don't clean anything, you can almost completely eliminate any numismatic value the items may have.
Enjoy...I've been here for almost 10 years now and came after inheriting my father's collection upon his death. Your inheritance could easily be a gateway to a hobby that you could enjoy for a lifetime.
What a nice collection to discover. Judging by the albums the coins are in, most, if not all of the Dimes and Cents could have been put together from circulation.
At the very least, think of the fun it took to collect them.
I'm happy for you.
Pete
I just snapped a few pics. I'll check out the book. Here are a few more sorry they aren't higher quality. It is a massive collection I just snapped a few pics so I don't know if I am posting junk if so I apologize
I love that stuff. That's the kind of stuff I give to the grand kids. Lots of fun!
Cheers
Bob
You never know what you'll find when you go through everything in more detail. It's possible that there are some hidden gems in the foreign stuff, even. You'll probably at least have some silver. Also, coins that were fairly common in BU in the 70s (material dated from say the 20s to 50s) is very hard to find that nice today. Anything decent will probably bring some money if put up on eBay. Good luck!
Always interesting to come across a collection like this. You never know what you will find. If the person who finds the collection gets bitten by the collecting bug, he or she can have a very enjoyable time going through the collection and learning. Learning about its history, learning about the person(s) who assembled it, learning about the coins and currency, learning about the history of coinage and currency of the issuing country, etc.
Many of the coins and currency will be of low value. However there may be individual items that have a feature about it (i.e. a key date, a popular variety, an error, a condition rarity, etc.) that makes it valuable.
For US coins you should learn about them by purchasing a "Redbook" on US Coinage. This book is full of great information about all US coinage. It has been published annually since the late 1940s. There are also books on US Currency and on foreign coins and currency.
Forum member Cladking is knowledgeable on many topics concerning "Modern Coinage" [in general coins produced in from the 1930's forward that have no precious metal content, including the rarity and possible values of non US modern coinage that was not saved by collectors and thus have relatively few examples in existence [the foreign coins shown in your photos appear to date from the late 1920's into the early 1970's and some appear to be in very good condition, if not even in uncirculated condition].
If you are willing to do so, post follow up replies and pictures as you go through the collection in more detail. Those who participate in these forums like to participate vicariously with persons who end up with collections like this. They also have substantial knowledge and experience that they are willing to share with you (which may help you out while you are going through the collection).
Looks like a nicely organized all world collection of circulated. I have about 10 lbs of them and it takes a lot of time to organize. I like the ABC approach your showing here. Very nice.
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
I love old collections like this. You can spend hours learning about new stuff in a collection like that. One easy way to establish value is to put each coin into eBay and then click on the sold listings on the left. This will show you what others have sold for recently. As others have said, don't clean the coins and take your time. Have fun with it.
I recognize the world currency from when I was a kid (still am too), except the Regno D'italia and the very last one in the Cyrillic alphabet with Lenin on it.
Those nice crisp notes could be ordered from magazine ads. We had most or perhaps all of them in mint condition just from magazine ad responses.
They are still in great condition and nice to look at.
You show an 1885 Morgan, what is the mintmark, if any, on the reverse?
Can you show page #1s of the Lincoln's (1909-1918) ?
How many binders and albums of USA and how many of world is it?
Any gold in them thar binders?
What state are you in?
Depends on what your goal is. Don't rush into anything if you don't have to. If you have any interest in the collections I'd sort them out by country and then go through them one at a time.
The Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins can be useful, as is https://en.numista.com/ . The non-US coin values at NGC are powered by the Krause catalogs. Those are ballparks only and there can be rarities of course. Depends on how much time you want to spend on it.
If nothing is catching your eye to keep then eBay or the BST here could be the way to go. The albums/folders as lots. For the non-US stuff you can try splitting up by country and sell that way. I've bought lots of those many times.
But don't rush into selling--something might catch your eye.
Any grandkids with interest?
The foreign stuff looks the most interesting.
Thank you for all the tips. It's going to take a long while to go through everything especially the foreign currency.
MsMorrisine- Unfortunately no kids yet to give this too. I'm in my 30's so no grand kids and I live in DC I googled and found a coin shop that's been around for a long time I'll go check out. The foreign currency is in superb condition
Stork- I don't know what my goal is yet either. Fortunately I am a top rated power seller on eBay if I do decide to move them. How difficult is it to move on eBay. I sell trading cards and moving them ungraded is tough and you can possibly lose a lot of value. Is the same true for coins?
Kkathyl- I wish it was all so well organized. There are many many envelopes just stuffed with all sorts of coins!
SanctionII Thank you for the helpful tips. It should be a lot of fun to go through all of this. You're right you never know that is the fun going through a "found" collection you could find nothing but a lot of history (which I very much will enjoy) or you can come across the holy grail of coin collecting. I find that very exciting!
Getting all of those professionally graded with pcgs would be much too expensive. I'd only send in half of those, if that. Pick out the shiniest with the least amount of marks. Preferably just the silver coins. Make sure they are not cleaned. You can even TrueView your favorites (a photo service provided by pcgs). If you are going to sell any on ebay the tough and rare ones will go for more if they are authenticated and valued-based graded. No shortchange yourself by not following through with inventory maintainance.
Don't get anything authenticated unless it makes $ & ¢ sense to do it
Capitol Coin and Stamp is a trustable place
The paper money I said came from magazine ads were all in great condition, too. High grade and very very common.
I see nothing at all valuable in the foreign shown. Less valuable, by far, than the U.S.
You could move most of the U.S. on eBay, but from what's shown you would be FAR BETTER off at a coin dealer for most of it. The foreign is literally kiloweight and will more or less sell by the pound. They are in relatively high grade (the foreign), you may be able to group them by country for 99 cent auctions. But prepare to be disappointed in the value for your time.
Make sure you get some idea of value before taking ANYTHING to a coin shop. Most will attempt to rob you blind, especially if they get an idea that you don't know what it's worth.
I'd start with the advanced search function on Ebay to see what similar items have sold for recently. You mention being a power seller so you already know the drill, even paying all the outrageous fees to ebay and paypal you will still come out far better then taking to some dealer whose business is to rip you off. Do your research and price accordingly, good pictures are a must so buyers can get a good idea of condition. Good luck
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
For a coin collector, that is a real exciting project. For a non-collector (as you indicate you are), it can either be an interesting new pursuit or a real drudge. There is already a lot of good advice above. I would suggest you assemble it all and continue to ask questions here.... when addressing a specific coin - or coins - it will help to show both the obverse and reverse so condition and mint mark can be evaluated. Please keep us posted and good luck with this project. Cheers, RickO
That is a silly and unfair generalization about dealers. Any dealer even willing to buy that lot of foreign is a saint, not trying to rip you off.
You have to value your time at zero. This is especially true if you don't know coins. It will take hours just to discover that what several of us have said is true: the foreign has no real value.
The $1 items there (most of the foreign and a lot of the U.S.) can't be profitably sold on eBay. A transaction of $1 costs at least 40 cents in eBay fees...and then there's the shipping.
https://ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=1955+Yugoslavia&LH_Complete=1&_osacat=256&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H1.X1953+Yugoslavia.TRS0&_nkw=1953+Yugoslavia&_sacat=256
That said, if it's fun for you, do it as a hobby. Just recognize that every hour you spend on it is lost money. Do it if it's fun. If you don't find it fun, run it around to a few dealers and take either the best offer or the offer of the dealer you feel you trust most. Then never look back.
Sentimental value = PRICELESS
Proof Buffalo Registry Set
Capped Bust Quarters Registry Set
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With a collection like that there is a potential for some variety coins. Get yourself the latest Cherrypickers Guides and look for the varieties. Finding the right variety could be worth the cost of the books.
Check that 1919 dime for doubling in the motto.
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay
You start by deciding what you want to do with this collection (is it yours? parents? inheritance shared with others?)
You have quit a few silver coins there, and a good chance the collection will be worth even more in 10-25 years...
You did not say how much available time you have now - you could spend hours learning about the group (US Redbook, Standard Catalog of World coins) - or hours listing and selling on eBay..
And lets not leave out any obverse doubling on the Lincoln cents. The date, motto,mintmarks. As suggested above a Cheerypickers Guide would be a must.
it's always nice to find stuff like this and can be exciting, especially for a non-collector. what BillJones stated is probably the heart of the "value" truth of what has been shown thus far. being a non-collector will force a difficult decision on what to do which is to keep or sell, and if the latter is your choice finding a buyer who will treat you fair and pay the highest may be difficult. I will say this --- being able to discern what is listed in the CherryPickers Guide and assess everything you have from that perspective is a bit much for a novice. I think it is unrealistic.
here is my sobering value assessment based on what is shown:
Foreign coins --- Silver or Gold at melt value, others at 3 Cents each.
Foreign paper money --- 25 Cents each.
Wheat Cents --- Teens/9 Cents each, 20's/6 Cents each, 30's/4 Cents each, 40's-50's/3 Cents each.
Indian Head Cents --- 70 Cents each, less if damaged.
US Silver coins --- melt at about $11.50 x face right now.
Circ Morgan/Peace Dollars --- from $16-$25 each.
other US Type coins like the Large Cent --- from a few Dollars and up depending on what it is and the grade.
probably the best approach is to get a "RedBook" and/or a "World Coins" catalogue and go through everything to find what is valuable only as key dates or having bullion content. then decide to keep or sell.
Me, too! Brings me right back to the old days....
There are some cool pieces with interesting stories and I encourage you to research them more, but I see nothing immediately of value.
Fan of the Oxford Comma
CCAC Representative of the General Public
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
This. Totally agree..
I just got a spread sheet via email, from an attorney wanting to sell a collection to me. It reads about like what you've gotten. When I told him I had an appraisal fee (prior to him telling me they wanted a "buy price" ) , he said he wanted my offer price. I'm staring at this list, scratching my proverbial orbs, wondering about condition, assemblage, flips, holders, albums, socks or buckets
..... I should just copy and paste keets post to him in an email.
Funny how it seems no family wants to carry on with what one numismatic sort spent his life enjoying. What to do ? What to do ?
Hey guys I really appreciate all the information. Looks like I have quite the chore ahead of me. I just picked up the red book! When we found the baseball cards I was already pretty knowledgeable about key players variations etc so I already had a lot of knowledge and the learning curve was not so bad. Coins I have zero knowledge of so who knows maybe I will get into it.
When we decided to sell the cards it was because 1. My father really never was a collector of them (he said he'd buy the cards for the gum and just tossed the cards in a box we really do not know how that box survived without being lost or tossed out) 2. It was better to let people who were really passionate have them instead of sitting in a drawer somewhere at his house. I don't what we will end up doing with the coins but the first step like the cards will be identifying and cataloging. I do have a friend who is really into coins so I'm sure he'd be happy to help. Interestingly enough the hobby shop I go to for card information also does coins so I have a place to go with people I know won't try to rip me off. (some of the cards I had have sold for 100's and in a few cases 1,000's of dollars so I know they won't try anything because they would have already) and anything else I can always come here and ask. Wish me luck I'm sure you will be hearing from me quite often.
Some cool stuff. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with it.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
Good luck with everything and stop by any time!
K
Would never have guessed that the baseball card collection would end up more valuable than the coin collection.
LIBERTY SEATED DIMES WITH MAJOR VARIETIES CIRCULATION STRIKES (1837-1891) digital album