Close-up image of coins with a shallow depth of field. Coins that were pulled out of savings account or inheritance because of economic hardship. Variance of silver, cold, copper currency from different countries.
Close-up image of coins with a shallow depth of field. Coins that were pulled out of savings account or inheritance because of economic hardship. Variance of silver, cold, copper currency from different countries.

Is It Time to Sell Your Coins?

05/29/2025|Mark Ferguson Rare Coins and Precious Metals, LLC|

By Mark Ferguson

Have you recently inherited a coin collection or is your life changing and it’s finally time to sell the collection you’ve taken years to build?

Most collections are sold as a result of a life changing event…a relative has passed away and a family inherits a coin collection, retirement has arrived and it’s time to sell, or it’s finally time to downsize from a large home and now it’s time to sell. This is what I’ve observed since 1969 when I began buying and selling coins and collections as a teenager.

I’ve probably bought and sold thousands of collections over the years, worth millions of dollars. It’s been rewarding in that, as a coin buyer, I’ve helped people buy cars, trucks and houses. I’ve helped people settle estates, settle lawsuits, and I’ve even helped one retiree come up with thousands of dollars for dental work.

Some of the Ways People Collect Coins

Many of the people I’ve helped over the years were overwhelmed with what to do with coins they’ve inherited. Experience has shown me that most collectors acquire coins in a haphazard way, without much of a plan. Many collectors begin by filling holes in those familiar blue albums. Then they add other coins such as proof and mint sets, often with multiple examples per year.

Many new collectors jump in by buying coins promoted in ads, often touted as “investments.” Lots of people buy new issues directly from the U.S. Mint, hoping that they’ll score profits from low-mintage issues. That rarely works!

A rare collector is one who develops a collecting plan and sticks with it. Those are the people who have a much better chance of profiting from their coin investments, but only after they’ve researched the coins they’re interested in collecting. Such collections tend to be the easiest to sell for the highest prices.

How to Sell Your Coins

It’s often very difficult for collectors and people who’ve inherited coins to sell them on their own. One answer for many is eBay. If you’re willing to put in the time and work to photograph, list, and package and ship coins, eBay can be effective. But unless you want to be a part-time coin dealer, eBay is not a viable option for most people.

The best option for many people to sell their coins is by finding and working with a trustworthy and experienced coin dealer. Most dealers will make offers for your collection and buy it outright. Selling this way is most effective is you have such things as circulated coins in albums, modern coins and sets from the U.S. Mint, or bullion-related coinage.

Collections that are comprised of high-end rare coins may be candidates for consignment to major national auctions or display and sale at important national coin shows. If you think you have rare coins worthy of being sold into the national market, you’ll need a professional numismatist who’s experienced and connected in the national market.

The best way for owners of high-end rare coins to get the highest prices is often by consigning them to an experienced and trustworthy professional who knows the national market. Sure, coin dealers can make offers and buy such coins outright. But if a dealer has to tie up his or her own capital, the dealer expects to earn a higher profit margin than by selling them on consignment.

National Wholesale Market for Coins

As you may know, there are several reliable price guides for coins that are easily accessible online. It’s important to realize that most of them are “retail” price guides that represent prices that collectors pay to buy coins from dealers. Those price guides do not represent the prices you should expect to receive from a dealer.

There’s a fairly tight wholesale market that is in continuous operation between dealers in the national market. There are two major online trading networks connecting dealers across the country. These are for recognized coins dealers only who pay a monthly or annual fee to be able to buy and sell on these exchanges.

Dealers can offer coins for sale to other dealers over those networks and dealers regularly post buy prices for coins they specialize in. Some dealers handle mainly very rare high-end coins, others buy coins in bulk, like circulated Indian cents and Buffalo nickels, proof and mint sets, and bullion-related products.

Another resource just for coin dealers is a wholesale price guide that’s been published continuously since 1963. You may have heard of it as the “Greysheet” or the Coin Dealer Newsletter. Virtually all U.S. coins are listed within this guide, establishing a tight pricing structure for coins in the national wholesale market. Bulk coinage, individual collector coins and high-end rarities are covered.

As a dealer since 1969 when I was a teenager, a former coin grader for PCGS, and a coin market analyst for four major price guides, I’m very much plugged into the national coin market. I can buy or help you sell all coins, from circulated silver coins pulled from change, proof and mint sets and major multi-million-dollar high-end rarities. Feel free to call me anytime for a friendly discussion about the coins you want to sell.