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OrangeBlossomBaby
05-26-2025, 07:16 PM
My grandfather had some old coins that ended up at my parent's house after he passed. Sister and I are clearing out the house (mom passed, dad's not well). Saw grandfather's coins plus a bunch more, from the 1800's and early 1900's, many around the WWII era. Plus a small box of foreign currency, including some coins from countries that no longer exist (Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia) and currencies that are no longer in circulation.

None of them are in "fine" condition, they're all circulated and some are in pretty worn shape.

But sister and I aren't coin collectors, we have no use for this stuff, so I'm hoping to find out if any have enough value to care, or if I should just sell the lot to a hobbyist for a few hundred bucks and call it a day.

The stamp collection is a whole other beast. Apparently dad signed up for a subscription stamp collecting thing and has tens of thousands of uncirculated stamp pages, some from the US, some from other countries. I could do the math and figure out the actual stamp value of the US stamps, but I'd have to go through around 4 dozen enormous stamp collecting books to find them all. Each book has something like 50 leaves, and each leaf has two sheets of stamps, one front, one back. I'd like to find someone who has an interest in this stuff, OR someone who does, or did, deal with it professionally. Find out if they have any value beyond the face value, or if dad just subscribed to some pointless "Franklin Mint" collector scam and we're stuck having to unload it all.

If this stuff has value, we could use the proceeds to help offset the costs of dad's long-term medical care. While it's not urgent, it could be the difference between sister and me enjoying a few dinners next time I visit, or a private room if dad needs to go to a nursing home.

I see one Stamp Collector club, and one "Buffalo Coins" collector club. I might have just two buffalo coins out of the bunch so that's not going to be helpful. Does anyone know of a numismatist or coin hobbyist in the area? I'm not looking for an appraisal. I'm looking for advice, and possibly an interest in buying. But I don't want to get hoodwinked. If I happen to have the elusive $20,000 1829 Hoosiewhatsis 5 Centadinapesakuran coin, I don't want someone telling me it's worth $15 and they'll give me $10. If my entire "collection" (a few small boxes) isn't worth more than $1000, I can accept that. As long as it's a reasonable and honest estimate.

metoo21
05-26-2025, 09:26 PM
This might give you a hint as to value. Dimes, quarters & Dollars below are pre-1965

Coinage Silver Weight (Troy ounce)
Dime 0.0723
Quarter 0.18084
Half Dollar (Pre-1965) 0.3575
Half Dollar (>= 1965) 0.14792
Dollar 0.7734

Silver price per Troy Ounce 5/24/2025 $33.71

Some coins may be worth more depending on year, mint mark and condition.

villagetinker
05-26-2025, 09:42 PM
There is a lot of time and effort involved in what you are asking. If you have some time the internet is your friend as you can easily do a search on specific coins and see if they are valuable. The same goes for the stamps, my dad apparently had some very valuable stamps decades that he sold to buy their first house, so I understand your situation.
I would at least do an initial review, say separate the coins by 10 year intervals, do a search for any outstand (aka high value) coins in these periods and if you have any set these aside. This way you will have a much smaller number of coins to have evaluated. Misprinted stamps and mis struck coins can be much harder to find, but tend to be much more valuable. There are devices that can plug into a TV or computer and make looking at the coins much easier.
You can call around and see if anyone will give an estimate but personally, I would do the above first.

OrangeBlossomBaby
05-27-2025, 07:00 AM
Wow thanks for the different perspectives, both of you! I hadn't even considered the fact that some of these are silver coins that might be worth more in silver than their coin face value. A silver dollar that is otherwise unremarkable could fetch me over $30? Awesome.

And grouping by decades and seeking out "what coins are valuable during these decades" is the exact reverse of what I worried I'd have to do. I was thinking I'd have to "lens" each coin, check every e-bay listing for it, find the most common selling price, write it down, and go to the next one. The foreign coins will be a little harder but I can just do a search for "10 dinar coins minted between 1897 and 1945" and I'm sure something useful will come from it.

Pre-WWII coins seem really interesting to me, because countries changed their names or ceased to exist. So even though the coins might not be worth anything "as coins" they're still a piece of world history. I'd hate to see them lost. Someday, someone with ancestors who grew up "behind the iron curtain" might want to know about their family history, what the world looked like back then. A single coin can represent so much, to a seeker.

DaddyD
06-03-2025, 11:45 AM
Pawn shops will give you the least for your coins, but you might want to drop by one or local pawn shops simply to get a "starting point" of what your coins are worth. You mentioned that they aren't in great shape--whatever you do do NOT clean them. If they are only worth their melt value then the condition of the coins doesn't matter, but if they have collectible value (numismatics) then cleaning them will absolutely lower their value.

For both your stamps & coins, join subreddits like https://www.reddit.com/r/stampcollecting/ &/or https://www.reddit.com/r/numismatics/ , post pictures & you'll get reliable feedback regarding whether your stamps / coins have collectible value.

If your coins aren't worth enough to travel to get the best price, I think D&R Coin shop in Ocala (352) 817-6564 will offer you the best rates in this area--definitely more than any pawn shop.

If you have enough to make traveling worthwhile, check out Vermillion Enterprises in Tampa (352) 585-9772, or All American Gold & Silver Buyers in Apopka (407) 257-9944

HappyTraveler
06-03-2025, 02:57 PM
Easiest first step would be to take some actual coins and maybe close-up photos of others to this place. Bob's Coins & Jewelry | Premier Coin and Jewelry Shop for Central FL (https://www.bobscoinsandjewelry.com/)

They've been around a long time and just opened a new store. I swung by today, very nice and plenty of coins so, I figure they know what they're doing.

You could sell them a couple and see if you like dealing with them.

OrangeBlossomBaby
06-03-2025, 04:29 PM
Easiest first step would be to take some actual coins and maybe close-up photos of others to this place. Bob's Coins & Jewelry | Premier Coin and Jewelry Shop for Central FL (https://www.bobscoinsandjewelry.com/)

They've been around a long time and just opened a new store. I swung by today, very nice and plenty of coins so, I figure they know what they're doing.

You could sell them a couple and see if you like dealing with them.

Bob's is right up the street from me (12 minute drive according to Google), great call, thanks! I'll see about bringing the coins up there next week.

DaddyD
06-04-2025, 09:58 AM
Bob's is right up the street from me (12 minute drive according to Google), great call, thanks! I'll see about bringing the coins up there next week.

If you don't have a substantial amount, Bob's Coins may be a good option. But if you have a lot...not such a great choice.

I just called them & asked how much they are paying pre-1965 coins, i.e., dimes, quarters, etc made up of 90% silver. They are paying 20x face, meaning for a pre-1965 dime ($0.10), they'll give you $2.00. The company in Tampa I mentioned above is currently paying 23X face, so $2.30 for that same dime.