I have some gold coins and some gold teeth, all legitimately obtained.
The coins, are old Russian tsar gold coins with a picture of a dumb looking guy (Nichloas II) on them. What is the most straightforward and relatively optimal way to sell that stuff. Thanks
I'd check to see if the coins have any numismatic value to them -- if they're like old cars, their for-sale value could range any where from scrap minus the expense of getting them to the junkyard, all the way up to the stratosphere.
They also buy gold teeth, they have a X-Ray spectrometer to determine the actual gold content of teeth etc. Avoid the cash for gold guys, most of them will try to cheat you.
Very, very true. I have an 1870's coin with a "book value" of $230, I was very generously offered $137 by one of these sharks. Needless to say, I declined to sell it.
I also have a lot of Oz silver coins with a face value of about $103, a couple of them have a book value of over $20. I would not expect to get that as they have been in circulation, probably about $800 for the lot.
That's what I'd do -- without getting all starry-eyed. The old car world is full of stories about some non-car person with a wrecked 4-door in the barn, thinking that it should be priced the same as an immaculately restored convertible of the same model and vintage.
The same thing applies to coins: you may have a windfall, but you likely have a bunch of scrap gold. All I know about coin prices is that to collectors, a common, heavily worn coin is pretty much worth the metal. It only goes up from there as collector interest increases, and that usually goes with rarity and quality. And some fairly old coins are seen as "common".
There is no intrinsic value in an old coin (or an old car) beyond what you can do with it: once you get past melting it down for the metal, using it for a shim (or driving to work in it, in the case of the car), it's 'value' is just an illusion in the eye of the purchaser. So you need to consult with an expert who shares illusions with the marked for these 'desirable' things to find out if what you have is a bag of valuable coins -- or a bunch of little golden shims.
I usually hear the story of the mythical widow woman. Wants to sell the 1936 Packard that her husband used to drive. Put up on blocks, and polished every year since he stopped driving, in 1939 when he died of a heart attack.
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That's what I'd do -- without getting all starry-eyed. The old car world is full of stories about some non-car person with a wrecked 4-door in the barn, thinking that it should be priced the same as an immaculately restored convertible of the same model and vintage.
What I have found is that dealers that pay closest to spot prices have a three ounce minimum. Obviously, avoid all stores with dancing gorillas holding a "WE BUY GOLD!" sign.
Iggy; As much as I love rio grande, I wouldn't send them my scrap. There are plenty of people paying better. Try NTR Metals in Rosemont. You will need to supply your bonafides but they will give you a square count and a high percentage. If you want to email me off list with the particulars on the coins, I will look them up. I can't tell you prices, but I can tell you the content and if they have any value above the gold contained
snipped-for-privacy@iinet.net.oz on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:49:34 +0800 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
Book value is one thing, bullion another.
We saw that back in 1979-80. People selling for "scrap" prices the silver services and gold jewelry which was "worth" "a lot" as "artifacts". One jewelry I knew was saddened that they could not afford to keep some of the pieces, but "they had to eat too."
If you've got a decent camera and the skills to use it, take the best pictures you can of them and post 'em on ebay. Nicholas II gold coins seem to be going anywhere from 10 bucks to over 400.
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