How To Sell Your Coins
How To Sell Your Coins
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Learn how to inventory, grade, and safely store coins with guidance from 808 Coin Collector - Oahu, Hawaii.
Selling your coins
Selling your coins
We have discussed how to inventory your collection, how to go about properly handling the coins and how to identify the coins. You also have started to gain some insight to the worth of the coins. How do you now go about selling the coins should that be your decision? If you want to keep them, then you can skip this section and go right to the next section which deals with storing the coins.
As you prepare for this portion of the process, please be realistic. Coin Dealers pay wholesale prices, not retail. Auction houses will take a cut to cover their expenses and they will want to send the coins out for grading prior to auction. That cost is usually passed along to you. Online auction platforms such as eBay take a big cut and selling locally via platforms such as Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace come with their own risks. You should keep in mind that uncirculated or rare coins get premiums, but common coins often sell close to metal value or less.
So let's go over a few of the selling options:
Sell to a Local Coin Dealer
Quick and easy.
Best for large lots or low/mid-value coins.
You’ll get wholesale prices.
Look for ANA-certified or long-established dealers.
Get multiple offers for comparison.
Sell Online Yourself (eBay, Etsy, etc.)
Can get near-retail prices.
Global audience.
Time-consuming: shipping, descriptions, handling returns.
Risk of scams or disputes.
Use great photos, honest descriptions, and research fair prices.
Consider selling individual coins or small themed groups (e.g., silver dimes, foreign coins by region).
Auction Houses (for rare or valuable coins).
Best for rare, high-grade, or unique coins.
Professional marketing and collector audience.
Commission fees (10–20%+).
Takes longer to receive payment.
Examples: Heritage Auctions, Stack’s Bowers, GreatCollections
Coin Shows
Opportunity to meet many dealers.
Instant sales, negotiation possible.
Requires travel, some knowledge, and negotiation skills.
Bring your best coins and a written list.
Shop around before agreeing to sell.
Bullion Buyers (for gold/silver coins)
Great for selling American Eagles, Krugerrands, Maple Leafs, etc.
Transparent pricing (based on spot metal price).
They only pay for the metal content, not collector value.
Compare rates online and locally (try APMEX, JM Bullion, or local shops).
Make sure that you document everything!
Keep a record of:
What you sold
To whom (name, business, contact info)
How much you received
Date of sale
This is important for tax reporting, estate tracking, or future reference.
Want to Sell Only Part of the Collection?
That’s a good option if you want to:
Keep sentimental pieces
See how the process works before selling more
Avoid overwhelming yourself
Considering the Auction Houses, I did personally work with Heritage Auctions and found they provided a legit experience. One of their numismatist experts reviewed our collection. One thing that I was initially mistaken on was that I thought they were going to take on the entire collection. Instead, I found out they only take the coins of worth. They will not take coins from you that would lose money as a result of the cost of grading. For example, a Silver Eagle would get around $30 for the coin around the time we were selling. The cost of grading was going to run around that amount. So it made no sense for them to take on the sale of those types of coins.
I do follow some coin sales from Great Collections to see what Hawaii Coins are selling for but I do not have actual selling/purchasing experiences with them.
I am aware of a possible local resource for coin auctions. I am reaching out to them before posting their contact information to ensure they are willing to handle coin auctions and ensure I have their appropriate contact information.
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