old coins

[jimLE]

my mom has some old coins from 1880's to the late 1940's..in which we need to find out the prices on them..so im wondering who knows of web sites that i can use to find the value of the coins,before selling them..so pointing me to any site i can use to learn the values.will be greatly appreciated...

 

[Brent S]

my mom has some old coins from 1880's to the late 1940's..in which we need to find out the prices on them..so im wondering who knows of web sites that i can use to find the value of the coins,before selling them..so pointing me to any site i can use to learn the values.will be greatly appreciated...

Just google coin prices and you'll find loads of sights. You will need to read on how to grade the coins for condition, as that's a major factor on their value. They start at fair, good, very good, fine, uncirculated, mint, etc. each grade has a point system of ten points before going up a grade. It's pretty easy to learn, and loads of info on the coin sites. For example, take a Mercury dime. If you can read two letters in the motto, it's one grade, three letters means another grade, etc. each coin has specific things to look at to determine its grade or condition. Any really good coins should be sent off to PCGS, a coin grading company that puts them in a protective plastic case to preserve them, and they label the grade on it. There are other coin grading services, but the only one that everyone trusts is PCGS. Those always sell for a little more money. I used to love collecting coins, and had an impressive collection, but now am too poor now days!

 

[Clyde]

my mom has some old coins from 1880's to the late 1940's..in which we need to find out the prices on them..so im wondering who knows of web sites that i can use to find the value of the coins,before selling them..so pointing me to any site i can use to learn the values.will be greatly appreciated...

Try these sites.

American Numismatic Association - https://www.money.org
Numismatic News - http://www.numismaticnews.net
Professional Coin Grading Service - http://www.pcgs.com/prices/

 

[jimLE]

thanks

 

[QuietH3art]

Jim, do NOT sell those coins right now. We are at an all-time low value of silver and gold. Every one is buying up silver and gold at these low prices. The US Mint has stopped producing the Silver Eagles because of the low price of silver right now. Even if you are looking at selling to collectors as opposed to selling for silver or gold value, the price will still be affected by the value.
With coins that old, I would seriously consider Brent's suggestion of having PCGS grade them for you IF they are in pretty good shape. I've had friends show me their coins that they thought were valuable because they were old but in many cases the print is completely rubbed off from time and use. Only in one rare case did a friend have a coin that actually had serious value to it, both from a collector and a content position.
If you don't know what you are doing, you really need someone who does to tell you what you have and what it is worth.

 

[Brent S]

Dealers will give you a price for,them, free, but they are the worst place to sell to. They will offer about 25% of their value. At least you will get an idea though. When you're looking at the dates, look for a letter, called a mint mark, as it can affect the price greatly. Morgan silver dollars marked CC are from Carson city, and are mormedesirable from most collectors. If a coin dosent have a mint Mark, then it was made in Philadelphia, which was the main mint. If you pm me a list of some of the older stuff I can give you a ballpark idea. One thing to know, NEVER CLEAN your coins. If destroys the value. I had a neighbor that had a collection of silver dollars. He had been polishing them with toothpaste for years, cutting the value by half.

 

[DrHenley]

THE site is:

http://ngccoin.com

(Numismatic Guaranty Corporation)

Go to the "NGC Research" menu and click on "NGC Coin Explorer". That is VERY comprehensive for U.S. coins. For foreign coins go to the same menu and click on "Price Guides" then "World Coin Price Guide."