Looking to sell a coin collection, a stamp collection, and some scrap gold and silver, but where?

Hey I was just wondering if you guys could point me in the direction of somewhere I could get a fair deal on ~400 coins, a lot of old stamps, and some gold and silver (doesnt have to be the same place for all of it)? After a family member passed away I came into possession of these things and was looking to sell them (they were a collector and dealer themselves), but I don't know where I can get the coins and stamps appraised and sold at that won't rip me off because I have no idea what I have and what its worth.

It's quite a few coins and I dont have the time to go through and price them all from internet guides, the same with the stamps. I know Chattanooga has coin dealers and shops that will buy them but was wondering if anyone here had an experience with this and could point me in a good direction?

There is also some gold and silver jewelry (I think, it could all be fake, I have no idea) and I was wondering if there was a place that would give me a good price on those as well. Again, google pulls up a lot but I don't know which ones are the best and wont rip me off for being ignorant

Thanks for the help!

Posted Jun 20, 2019, 12:17 AM UTC

417
dungonyourtongue•

Check out Fort O Coins located in Brainerd, oddly enough. Also, research local and state numismatic organizations. They will be a great resource. As for “your friend in the jewelry business” just search Sean and Donny Goetcheus.

7
PowerSnatchOP•

I will definitely check them out. Have you dealt with them in the past? Pretty fair?

Thanks for the help!

2
dungonyourtongue•

I have not dealt with fort o coins at all, I just searched numismatists and they looked like a good place to get a first opinion.

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PowerSnatchOP•

Awesome man, thank you again, I appreciate it

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dungonyourtongue•

😁

2
gestun•

I have dealt with them. He was a very nice guy and very upfront about how the transaction would go. PM me if you want more details.

1
MisChef•

For the coins, see if you can find out, are they just old collected coins, or was your family member a "Cherry Picker" who collected oddities, like Double-Die, Cuds and Mint-Mark errors? If so, those are worth a whole lot more than face value, and someone who was unscrupulous might take advantage of you if you didn't know that.

I'm sorry; I'm not the person who can help you but I am aware that this exists because my Father-in-Law is one of those quirky old men who goes over bags & bags of coins with a 10x loupe and has found some real treasures! He lives in Northern Illinois or I'd introduce you :-)

5
IntrstlarOvrdrve•

'm not the person who can help you but I am aware that this exists because my Father-in-Law is one of those quirky old

Not to take away from the OP, but what does one do with those "cherry picker" coins? My FIL collects those, and is one of those guys that goes through bags and bags trying to find weird stuff. He talks about the value sometimes, but nobody else in the family has any idea what any of them are. My wife has tried to get him to start making a list or something, but he hasn't. Hopefully we still have a long time with him, but someday we are going to end up with those coins and I have no idea what to do with them.

2
MisChef•

Sorry to get morbid, but yeah, my Father-in-Law is 75 so I know what you mean. (I hope you & yours have a long time with your FIL too.) I could easily have been in your shoes for this exact thing.

Both M&FIL are aware of what a mess it is to deal with the things left by their elders, as they were responsible for dealing with stuff from way too many people. They are going through their things every few months, putting the truly treasured/heirloom things aside for family members and selling what's left on ebay. Thank god.

I'd have your wife (not you, LOL) say she read this story and say, in a joking way, that when the ice cream man gets Dad's coins, he (IceCreamMan) would never know that they were valuable...and for that matter, SHE knows that they're valuable, but wouldn't know what to do with them. Don't let on that you're interested in his hobby, just that you wouldn't want his investment of time to go to waste.

(unrelated: people are weird about money -- MIL's sister had to go through tons of old books page-by-page because HER elderly FIL's money was squirreled way in them, and they didn't find out until he was on his deathbed. It was crazy.)

2
PowerSnatchOP•

They just SEEM to be old coins from the US and other countries. I'm not sure if any of them are oddities like you described but I'll give them another look over.

Thanks for replying!

1
MisChef•

If any of the coins are "slabbed" in squares of cardboard with plastic windows, they're special. Don't let those go without checking into them. Otherwise you likely wouldn't know what to look for. My Father-in-Law is full-on "Rainman of Coins". He can see a date and know that he should look to see if the D near the date is a little crooked, or that the L in Liberty is doubled.

And Yes, he IS a blast at parties! /s

4
PowerSnatchOP•

There are definitely some like that in the collection. Hopefully I can find someone knowledgeable like your father in law locally to sell these coins too

Thank you again

2
MisChef•

GOOD LUCK! :-D I hope you find something awesome!

3
Noogisms•

Stamps are essentially not-resaleable...

src: family got a TOME of Civil-War Era stamps appraised and were shocked that (despite prices listed in a "pricing book") the offer was only 4¢ on the dollar, compared to "price book" prices.

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

0
traintrackhangar•

Rick Davis on Brainerd will be your quickest option.

-3
PowerSnatchOP•

I've heard I should avoid him from several people. I'm not looking for quick, but quality. If it's both I'll check it out but I am more than willing to hold onto them for a second to find the best option.

Thanks for responding though, friend

6
BigBear1990•

Rick Davis is a meme

6