Expert: Joe Hylas - 12/9/2009

Question
My mother has been collecting coins for over 50 years, and now that my parents are retired they have asked me to help inquire about possibly selling some or all of their collection.

I know she has a full set of walking liberty half dollars in books, along with several incomplete sets of other coins in books, and lots of loose coins. All are early 20th century or late 18th century American coins that have been circulated. They've been in a safe deposit box for 25 years and have not been graded.

We don't know how to begin this process. It seems so tedious (and expensive) to send individual coins to a numismatic grading specialists, and they frankly don't have the cash to pay per coin for grading. Plus, It's scary to think of just sending the entire collection away to someone on faith.

I'd like to see that they get a fair shake at selling these coins without having to pay a huge up-front cost. Do you have any suggestions of a reputable resource? We are in Kentucky. I tried contacting a numismatic professional in Lexington some time back, and received no response.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Kim,
How about this.  Start by making an inventory of what you can.  Begin with the highest denomination and work down from there.

Email me the list (JoeHylas@AllCoins.US)

I will do my best to work from the list.  From my experience, it does not pay to certify anything but the rarest coins.  The only ones that get rich are the certification services.

I will advise you as best I can.  If I feel the collection warrants it, I will travel to KY to purchase it.  Where in Kentucky are you, or the coins?

Regards
Joe Hylas
www.AllCoins.US