Old coins?

Question

where can i post questions about some old coins which i have?

i would like to know their value..is there any sites which i can visit

Answer 1

Since you specifically asked about finding the value of old coins, here are some direct links, to supplement Jules' excellent answer:

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Some general advice about

coin values and selling coins

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Ultimately, coins are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. Be aware that if you're selling to a dealer, or anyone else who plans to resell your coins, they'll want to make sure they can resell them at a profit, so you'll receive only a fraction of their likely retail selling price. With some coins, that might be a higher fraction, with others lower, but it won't be the full retail price quoted in many value guides.

Except in cases where you may have very highly sought-after coins, where some dealers or auction houses may offer excellent prices, you might also consider selling on eBay or directly to private collectors.

If you're very new to this and just want to turn the coins over to someone, a dealer may be your best option; if you're more a "do it yourself' type with respect to things like this, eBay has a large and active marketplace and most coin lots are sold for very fair values.

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Identifying coins: a first step

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First, if you're not sure if your coin is a US coin, a foreign coin, or a token or medal, try this page:

http://www.acoin.com/answerwizard/answer...

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Values of US coins

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Realistic, wholesale prices for many of the more commonly-encountered US coins, and a great place to start:

http://coins.about.com/od/coinvalues/Coi...

Another value guide for US coins, with higher (retail) values:

http://values.hobbizine.com/coin-index.h...

Another guide to retail prices of US coins:

http://www.pcgs.com/prices/default.aspx

And there are at least several more out there.

If one of the local branches of your public library has coin books in its reference section - and many do - you might look for A Guide Book of US Coins (the so-called "Red Book"), which comprehensively lists retail prices for US coins:

http://coins.about.com/od/coinvalues/fr/...

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Values of silver coins

(primarily valued for their

silver bullion content)

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If you have US or Canadian coins that are primarily valuable for their silver content, this guide will give you updated prices:

http://www.coinflation.com/silver_coin_v...

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Values of world (foreign) coins

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For world coins, it can be a little tough to find prices online. You can find approximate prices for the more common dates of various types of world coins here:

http://worldcoingallery.com/

To use that guide, find the country your coins are from, then find the denominations and dates. Look at the photos to identify the coins, and note their Krause Mishler ("KM") catalog numbers. Then go back to the country page, click the "Click here for Coin Values!" link near the top of that page, and find your coins' values in the table, next to that KM number. Note that there are sometimes scarcer or otherwise more highly sought after dates that may be worth more than the values in that table, but this will give you a place to start.

For Canadian coins, you might try:

http://www.pcfleet.com/Coinclub/Canada/C...

For British coins, you can find retail prices, denominated in Pounds (multiply by 2 to get the approximate price in US Dollars at current exchange rates):

http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/coins.ht...

Note that values for these British coins start at the British grade "Fine", which is for coins that have most of their fine detail present, but wear on high places.

Finally, as in the case of US coins, the most comprehensive price guide to world coins is a book: the Standard Catalog of World Coins. It's available in the reference section of some public libraries, and sold at some bookstores. Note that there are different editions of the book for each century: coins of the 1900s (20th Century edition), coins of the 1800s (19th Century edition), etc.

The database that is used for this book is also available for searching and browsing online, but there is a monthly subscription fee; if you have many coins to identify and value, and prefer the convenience of having Internet access to the catalog, that might be an option. Here's the online version:

http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis.jsp

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Completed auctions on eBay:

A great place to find 'real world'

values for US and world coins

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For both US and world coins, one valuable source of pricing information are completed auctions on eBay. If you have an eBay account, you can look up the actual, real-world sales prices of various coins in person-to-person auction transactions there:

http://pages.ebay.com/completedlistings/

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Grading coins

(A coin's condition is one of the

important factors in its value)

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Coins are generally worth far more in better condition (unworn, or with relatively little wear, and no major defects) than in worn or damaged condition.

A very general guide to grading US coins (determining their "grade," or condition) is here:

http://www.us-coin-values-advisor.com/gr...

When grading Canadian and British coins, and for that matter coins of any nation that was part of the British Commonwealth, this guide shows how to use the amount of wear on the monarchs' busts in grading (scroll down to the photos):

http://www.coinoisseur.com/GradingCoins....

Here's a generic guide to grading coins of any country, with some representative photos of each grade:

https://www.therosesworldcoins.com/gradi...

There are several books, some of which you can find at bookstores or libraries, which offer photos or detailed line drawings that can help you assign specific grades to various US (and in some cases, world) coins. They have detailed photos or drawings, for example, of how to grade Lincoln Cents, or Mercury Dimes.

The most authoritative grading book for US Coins is the Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins, edited by Ken Bressett and A. Kosoff.  You should be able to find it at some public library branches and bookstores, and you can also read some general information about the book - and its grading standards - here:

http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article23.c...

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Where to ask experts or other

collectors for help with coins

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After you've done your own research, if you still need help with coin questions, some places where you can post specific questions include:

* Here on Yahoo Answers, usually in the Games & Recreation - Hobbies & Crafts section.  (Sometimes coin questions - such as about exchanging foreign currency, or about the history of a coin - also appear in Business and Finance, or History, but this Hobbies section is usually the most appropriate.)

* Similar 'answers' sites like wikianswers.com

* Coin Talk - an active set of forums

http://www.cointalk.org/

* eBay Forums: Coins & Paper Money

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/forum.jspa?fo...

And, as Jules mentioned, CoinSite's Ask the Coin Doc forum is also very helpful:

http://www.coinsite.com/html/coindoc.asp

Also, don't forget:

* Local coin dealers (their expertise and helpfulness varies, but the good ones are a treasure)

* Members of local coin clubs.  You can find some clubs in your area (in the USA) via this directory:

http://www.money.org/ana_custom/club_sea...

Answer 2

Finding sites are hit and miss and most give inflated sell prices. Some are actually dealer sites and that is their sell prices. if you don't have a lot of coins I can usually find a dealer buy price on U.S. coins and book values on world coins. If you do have a longer list it will take time and space and yahoo has limits. You can click on my icon and email me and I will give you my email address to send the list and give me some time to look the coins up.

Answer 3

Here.... http://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/2005/0... .... is a site that is kind of a general introduction and has LOTS of links to other interesting sites.

Here.... http://www.us-coin-values-advisor.com/ol... .... is a site with specific info about US coins.  It has a LOT of good links as well.

And finally.... http://www.coinsite.com/ .... this site has "Ask The Coin Doc" for any questions you might have.

Those sites should answer your questions; I hope.