Is Blue Book accurate for what most dealers will pay?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It's just a very general idea of what wholesale prices might be from the average dealer. Obviously there's lots of variables there, since no two dealers will typically price stuff the same way, whether they're buying or selling. Blue Book prices, like Red Book prices or any other reference, for that matter, are just a general rule of thumb. I doubt many dealers refer to Blue Book themselves. Most likely use Greysheet for US coins.

 

Yep. That's the general idea.

 

"Greysheet" is the nickname for the CDN- Coin Dealer Newsletter. I suppose you could subscribe, though as I recall, it is rather expensive. You could also ask your LCS if they would sell or give you a copy.

But if you're just an average collector, using a variety of references like Blue Book and Red Book and Numismedia, and extrapolating from there (i.e. "reading between the lines" and interpreting from what info you gather from several different sources) is probably the best way to go. No one source is definitive, when you get right down to it.

 

If that's the case- you're just wanting to help your heirs (aren't you kind of young, still?) - then the Blue Book is the best thing to leave with your collection of US coins, since it's got low wholesale prices in it.

But again, what a dealer will offer in the real world often bears no relation to published reference guides.

 

That is a lovely coin. When you get up into higher-tier material like that, the price is often set by auction.

As to pricing it, you can look at the PCGS and NGC priceguides, Greysheet, Numismedia, Red Book, Blue Book, etc. By using several different references you can get a general idea.

That depends on a number of factors, not least of which are how much you paid for it and when you sell it. It won't necessarily sell for less than you bought it for- if you bought it at the right price. Who knows?

My advice to you is to consult all the various references you have at hand, to get some general idea of what a coin should be worth- before you buy it - then try to get it at the best possible price. If you do that, then maybe it will be worth more later when you sell it, if you sell it at the right time and through the right venue.

Me, I just record what I paid, and later, when I sell something, maybe I gained a little and maybe I lost a little. I seldom take really big hits or make really big scores. It's usually just a little bit on either side of breaking even. But if I held stuff more for the long term, who knows?

PS- I will add that I usually break even or make a tiny profit most of the time. Learning to do that, and buying selectively while gaining experience in the marketplace- is the way to do it. It doesn't happen overnight.

 

I'd say you're solid, then. It is an original, problem-free coin with nice eye appeal for the grade, and NGC certified.

 

Makes sense.

 

Keeping detailed records is smart practice.

I just found a nice collection database site called CollecOnline. I’ve only gradually begun the migration of my collection from CollectiveCoin over to there.

CollecOnline is a French site but easily navigable by English speakers, and it has lots of tools for entering all your price data and totaling up your costs and so on.

Here’s what my beginnings look like over there. The migration will take me some time, so as of this post I only have a few of my ancients listed as of yet.

 

Yes, I think getting started with a database site like that, while you're still small, is a good idea.

As to ol' JC, he usually doesn't come cheap. The one Julius Caesar coin I've owned was a bit of an ugly duckling, but that was working with a $500 budget. (I barely squeaked in under that price.)

While it wasn't the best example, it had a readable name, and is a lifetime issue struck around the time of his assassination.

 

Ditto. (Not that I've ever really asked, since I'm not a big Greysheet user myself, but I've had a few give me some.)