Below is some holocene correspondence between Atlanta Gold & Coin Buyers and our customers/prospective customers, ( some of which has been slenderly edited ) which provides our approach to valuing coins and coin collections : customer : What basis did you use to quote your propose price on each mint ? AGCB: We evaluate each coin based on its own merits. In doing so, we determine current market values for the coins, the level of activity or interest for each coin and incorporate a reasonable profit margin based on our capital outlay. We also factor in the estimated amount of time that the coin will remain in our inventory. We know in advance which coins are in high demand and which coins aren’t based on discussions with customers, other dealers, and market activity on the coins. We’re willing to pay a higher rate for coins that we know we can sell relatively quickly. On the other hand, some coins may remain in our inventory for many months; possibly up to a year. Our purchase price on these coins will be less considering that we’re unable to quickly recycle our capital on these coins. customer : rather of accepting your offer in full, may I accept a group individual coin offers ? AGCB: This is perfectly acceptable. We would love to purchase the entire collection, and typically do, but would be happy to purchase even a portion of the collection. Some dealers offer an all or nothing proposition. This is not the way that we operate. We realize that some customers may have a high basis for particular coins and would prefer to hold on to the coins in hopes of seeing additional appreciation prior to selling. Additionally, some coins may have sentimental value to customers, and certainly respect and understand why this may be the case.
customer : understand that prices vary, what period of time does this offer exhale ? AGCB: This is a good question. Some of the coins, bars and rounds are closely tied to the spot price of gold, silver and platinum, while others are not. Our offer for bullion coins, bars and rounds is typically only valid for a day or two due to fluctuating spot prices. The pricing for the common date pre-1933 gold coins is also only valid for up to a few days, as the spot price of gold has a direct impact on this market. However, higher end gold numismatic coins will likely be valid for a couple or even a few weeks, as these coins are truly collectibles. Pricing for other denomination coins, such as pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars and silver dollars also tend to remain relatively stable over a longer period of time. The value for these coins is based more on the overall demand for numismatic coins or collectibles as opposed to precious metals prices.
customer : thank you for your quotation, I have compared your quoted prices on the current number rate of each mint based on the certifiable evaluation. Your volunteer on some of the coins appear to be off from some on-line values that I was able to find. Can you please explain your rationale for pricing the coins in my collection ? AGCB: You’re quite welcome. Unfortunately the pricing information available from most of the online websites that provide values, such as PCGS, NGC, CoinWorld, CoinTrackers, etc are greatly exagerrated. They reflect high end retail prices – not market prices, which are rarely, if ever realized. It is of course in the best interest of the coin industry to publish high prices in an attempt to attract people to the industry and lead existing collectors to believe that they’re making a profit on their investment. This is no different than any other collectible industry, such as baseball cards, stamps, etc. If you’ve recently attempted to sell your baseball cards or stamps, you’ve likely come to the realization that the prices published in Beckett or your Scott’s catalogue aren’t truly indicative of market values. After all, the value of a coin is what someone is willing to pay for it – not what a guide indicates that it’s worth.
The market value of a coin is the price that we expect to receive when we sell coins. To earn a profit, we need to purchase coins for less than the current market value, which is commonly referred to as a wholesale value. The following is a link to a previous article that we wrote describing the difference between wholesale, market and retail values that may of be interest to some of our readers: Wholesale, Market and Retail Values. It is always our goal to offer among the most competitive wholesale rates in the industry. At the time of this writing, the numismatic market is relatively soft, so we need to factor this into the equation when submitting offers on collections. Please send us an e-mail at sales @ atlantagoldandcoin.com or contact us at 404-236-9744 if you have any questions or if we can be of aid in valuing your coin collection. We look ahead to hearing from you .
Leave a Comment