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Coin Price Guide
All people are, by nature, hunter-gatherers. In a modern society, it is no longer necessary to hunt or gather for sustenance or livelihood. This leaves us with to time to pursue other interests, and, whether we like it or not, no matter what our interests may be, at some stage or other, we will find ourselves collecting something.
Very often our passion to collect a particular item will start early in our lives, and as we mature, so will our interests. Possibly some of the easiest items to start collecting are coins. They are small, easily stored and identified, and will always have some value. While it is great to know that the item you’re collecting does have some value, at some stage you will want to consult a coin price guide to ascertain the value of your collection.
There are obviously coins that are more rare than others, and consequently command a better price. So too, coins that are exactly the same may have differing values, as one of them is in mint condition, and the other not.
Throughout the trading history of mankind, metal coins have been used to denote specific values with which to barter for goods or services. These coin face values were adjusted from time to time, meaning that a particular coin could be discontinued, or, it would be found that a coin’s value would need to be halved, making it necessary to cut a coin on occasion. This happened with the British Crown, before the half-crown coin was minted. A cut half–crown is more valuable than a minted half-crown. To get specific values for a coin, a coin price guide is a necessity for any numismatist.
Many historical events have been commemorated with a limited minting of a specific coin or range of coins. It is also not unheard of that a country’s entire currency range has been changed when a new government comes into power. This creates a situation where the previous coinage becomes scarce, although not necessarily more valuable. In most cases a bank in a country will not exchange a coin for more than it’s face value, regardless of the coin’s value as reflected in a coin price guide.
When buying or selling coinage through a dealer, do not expect to get the best price available, or to realize the best price, as the dealer will take a commission based on the value of the transaction.
Due to the volatile nature of coin selling and buying, coupled with supply and demand factors, prices do fluctuate. Some items will exhibit a large number of transactions in a specific period, and will then appear to go into a dormant state, while another item that was previously very slow moving will suddenly show an upturn in demand.
Coin collecting is a sound hobby, especially when one considers the investment aspect. At an International level, two coins stand out for their investment value, both from South Africa. The first is the Kruger Rand, available in several values, and the Mandela R5.00 coin, which is trading at levels far exceeding its original face value of (currently) about $0.62.
The World Wide Web has many websites devoted to collectors of coins, most of which offer to guide the coin collector toward a better price for a particular coin. By comparing values across several providers, you will be in a better position to not only value your collection, but will be in a good position to sell parts of your collection to purchase additional coins.
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