Evaluate Your Collectibles

Price vs Value

It is Important to understand the difference between price and value. To most people, these two terms are used interchangeably. To coin collectors, they mean different things. The price or retail price of a coin is what you pay for that coin when you purchase it from a dealer. The value or wholesale price of a coin is what a coin dealer would give to you to buy the coin from you.

Karat Grade Stamp

All jewelry is required by law to be stamped so consumers will know the quality of gold used. Jewelry made in North America is typically marked with the karat grade (10K, 14K, etc.), and jewelry made in Italy is typically marked with the "fineness" such as (417, 585, etc.). So if your jewelry does not have a karat grade stamped on it, check for a 3-digit fineness number.

Selling Your Coin Collection in Albums or Folders

If you have complete coin collections in folders or albums, it is best to leave them in the album. Keep in mind that dealers can often make really quick decisions about the value because they have been doing it for so long. For example, most dealers who buy coins see many blue Whitman folders every month. They can quickly glance at the coins in the folder and appraise the value of the collection based on which holes are empty. It only takes a moment for someone who has the key dates memorized to check to see if they're in your collection.