ccarroll Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 I'm starting out by hoping to sell just a few silver dollars and a roll of pre-1965 quarters locally in Manhattan. I've leafed through a couple of books, and the dollars (1880, 1890, 1921, 1921) aren't considered anything special in terms of collectibility value. So far, I haven't had any luck with my hopes that someone could recommend a specific dealer, but the price I'm being offered is around $20-$21 each. Is there any reason I should look elsewhere? Unfortunately, I also have had no luck tracking down any local club of collectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 If your coins are common silver issues - no true collector value then an offer of $21 or so is pretty much in line. Morgan dollars contain about $26 worth of silver right now. Most purchasers want to make a bit of profit on both the buy and sell. So there you've got it. I tried the ANA site but not knowing the zip codes in the area wasn't able to find any number of clubs. You can go to www.money.org and search for clubs and dealers. ANA dealers have a code of ethics they are supposed to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 I'm starting out by hoping to sell just a few silver dollars and a roll of pre-1965 quarters locally in Manhattan. I've leafed through a couple of books, and the dollars (1880, 1890, 1921, 1921) aren't considered anything special in terms of collectibility value. So far, I haven't had any luck with my hopes that someone could recommend a specific dealer, but the price I'm being offered is around $20-$21 each. Is there any reason I should look elsewhere? Unfortunately, I also have had no luck tracking down any local club of collectors. May I ask, starting out on what? Is there more that you wish to sell along the way? Even common date coins can have added value if they are somewhat rare varieties, or if in exceptionally high grade. You could post high-resolution photos of what you have here ... there are several members of this forum who could spot possible die varieties of your coins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stilson Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Right now in ebay completed sales common morgans most are going for over $32 + shipping. Have you thought about there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarroll Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Thanks for the helpful replies. I guess, BobH, by "starting out," although I didn't analyze it, I suppose I was signaling that I'm not as yet particularly well-informed. I do have more coins, and in particular I also have a handful of international coins that I'll look through later on, that I don't expect will have any value, except to someone who might like an old coin as a souvenir if his family is from that country. If by "grade" you mean condition, nothing is in pristine condition - this was never a serious collection, but just a jumble of circulated coins. Since I'm very low-tech and can't do photographs or Ebay, I am starting to consider Craigslist as a possible option, if the dollars would fetch enough more than the $20 dealers are offering to make it worthwhile, both for me and the buyer. I figure that if I can't take pictures, at least with Craigslist, the person would be local and look at the coin in person. I just discovered ANA today, and was told to check out their website for local clubs. The funny thing is that when I put in my zip code, nothing came up, and they don't have an option for checking with a radius! I guess they expect people to input 10 or 20 separate zip codes?!? Kind of odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Thanks for the helpful replies. I guess, BobH, by "starting out," although I didn't analyze it, I suppose I was signaling that I'm not as yet particularly well-informed. I do have more coins, and in particular I also have a handful of international coins that I'll look through later on, that I don't expect will have any value, except to someone who might like an old coin as a souvenir if his family is from that country. If by "grade" you mean condition, nothing is in pristine condition - this was never a serious collection, but just a jumble of circulated coins. Since I'm very low-tech and can't do photographs or Ebay, I am starting to consider Craigslist as a possible option, if the dollars would fetch enough more than the $20 dealers are offering to make it worthwhile, both for me and the buyer. I figure that if I can't take pictures, at least with Craigslist, the person would be local and look at the coin in person. I just discovered ANA today, and was told to check out their website for local clubs. The funny thing is that when I put in my zip code, nothing came up, and they don't have an option for checking with a radius! I guess they expect people to input 10 or 20 separate zip codes?!? Kind of odd. I myself would be cautious about using Craigslist as this is advertising that you have valuables outside the normal everday household stuff for sale. Try to use methods that do not include letting people know your home address or coming to your home. A local coin show may be a good place to sell you coins as you would be able to talk to several persons concerning disposistion of the coins. Many coin shows are free and would only cost you the transportation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 It also depends on the number of coins that you have to sell. If you have 10 or 20 (x) coins and the total price difference of even 4 or 5 dollars each may not justify putting too much work into it. How far do you want to travel and how much time do you want to spend for a potential $50 extra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccg Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 I myself would be cautious about using Craigslist as this is advertising that you have valuables outside the normal everday household stuff for sale. Try to use methods that do not include letting people know your home address or coming to your home. A cell phone number and arranging to meet at a public location (e.g. coffee shop) are always suggested for in-person meetings of any type, regardless of what's being transacted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarroll Posted November 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 At the moment, I have only six silver dollars (though more later on), and I doubt anyone would get over-excited over that. I know people tend to meet in coffee shops, but it might be interesting to meet in someplace more formal like the Met Museum or Morgan Library. Even if I were selling a bag of diamonds, there are guards all over the Met, and no one could clonk me on the head and run off. If people on Ebay are asking $32 plus shipping, do you think I could ask $35each? Of course, the handy thing about Craigslist is that you can always reduce a price if there are no takers. It's the same problem that I'm having with selling some gold jewelry - if it's a small amount, you don't mind a middleman taking a chunk, but has the numbers mount up, it starts to irk you. I wonder if it would be harder selling a roll of quarters this way, because maybe a buyer would want to weigh them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccg Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Keep in mind that on ebay there are often buyers from places where they can't get things easily, and as such will pay more than full value for relatively common items (especially if they're getting kickbacks from their credit card, etc.) - it's one of the ironies of ebay (common stuff sells for > full value whereas scarcer items often sell poorly). I'd probably just post $X or OBO and go from there. (X being whatever you feel comfortable with) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmott88 Posted December 10, 2011 Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 Ebay is probably the best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarroll Posted December 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Unfortunately, I can't really do Ebay for all sorts of dumb reasons. For one thing, I'd have to solicit all kinds of help with photos, uploading, etc., which I can't do. But I'm okay with Craigslist - I'm cautious and I'd meet in a public place. In fact, I'm trying to come up with better options than the usual coffeeshops that people meet in. For instance, if I met in a museum lobby, there would also be guards all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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