Its true that not all dealers are saints but....
Some basic things to keep in mind -
Any reference book in the library or bookstore is just - a reference price. You need to know how to grade coins/currency.
No dealer buys coins/currency from a seller for full retail book prices - if they do they won't be in business long.
No one buys coins/currency based on a photograph - for so many different reasons.
A knowledgeable coin/currency buyer must have the item in hand (and maybe even weighed) to make an intelligent offer to purchase.
If you want to sell your coins - do NOT clean them to help make them look better.
Handle your coins by the edges - don't put your fingers on the face of the coin.
If you have currency - do NOT fold the notes.
If you have a box of miscellaneous types of coins you should separate them based on the metal types. Different metals have adverse reactions with other types.
There are thousands upon thousands of types of foreign coins/currency. Reference books are the size of a New York City yellow page directory of years ago. They also need
to be purchased by century of issue - 1600's, 1700's, 1800's etc. And they aren't cheap to buy. And they need to be updated now and then.
Thousands of GI's came home with duffle bags with coins/currency on the bottom. The majority of these coins sell in coin shops and shows in dealer junk boxes - Your pick 25 cents. Oh okay.... some may be silver. So they are probably just worth melt value. But not to a dealer because he needs to make a profit to pay his bills.
Run of the mill coins/currency will not make it into a Heritage auction. They get sold on eBay to unknowledgeable people who usually get burned by people looking to make money.
Go to a coin club meeting and pick peoples brains. Don't sell your stuff to the first person that pulls a wad of money out of his/her pocket. Don't sell unless your really comfortable with the person and the offer.
Don't pay attention to the You Tube video's and Facebook know it all's that tell you that you have that million dollar Lincoln penny. Finding a true rarity is..... rare. That's why they're worth so much.
Good luck.
Rich
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