Selling a collection
What to expect, before you call anyone
Most people selling a collection have never done it before and are dealing with it at a bad time. Here is how it works with us, including the parts other dealers would rather you didn't ask about, and the two ways you can sell: one offer today, or consignment through our store and live auctions.
Before you do anything
Do not clean the coins
This is the single most expensive mistake in the hobby. A cleaned coin is worth a fraction of the same coin left alone, sometimes a tenth. Polish, silver dip, baking soda, a cloth, an eraser: all of it destroys value permanently. If a coin looks dull or dirty, that is usually exactly how a collector wants it.
Do not sort or discard anything
The valuable coin in a collection is rarely the one that looks impressive. Foreign coins that seem like holiday change, a worn cent, a bent token: any of them can be the piece that matters. Bring the whole lot, including the packaging and any paperwork, certificates or old invoices. Provenance can add real money.
Get more than one number
We will say this even though it costs us deals. A collection of any size deserves a second opinion. If our valuation is fair it will stand up to comparison, and if it doesn't you should know that.
The process
Start to finish
First contact
Call, email, or send a few photographs through the form. A photo of the whole collection spread out tells us more than a careful description. We will tell you honestly whether it is worth either of our time to go further.
Arranging the appointment
Small lots can be brought to us in Kingston by appointment. For estates, safes, or anything you would rather not transport, we come to you anywhere in Eastern Ontario. There is no charge for the visit. Outside the region, or if you would rather not have anyone in your home, we do the whole valuation over a video call, from anywhere in the world.
The valuation
Significant coins are assessed individually, with grade, mintage and recent comparable sales discussed as we go. Common silver and scrap is weighed and priced against live spot in front of you. You will hear which coins carry the value and which are ordinary, and why.
The offer
Written, itemised where it matters, and valid for a stated period so you are not pushed into deciding on the spot. Take it away and think about it.
Settlement
If you accept, payment is by cash or e-transfer, and you keep a copy of the itemised offer as your record of the transaction.
Two ways to sell
Take one offer today, or let us sell it for you
Not everyone wants to sell outright, and not every collection should be. Here are both routes, with the numbers.
Sell to us outright
We value the lot with you, make one written offer, and pay by cash or e-transfer the same day. We pay wholesale and we say so. Certain, fast, done.
- One offer for the whole lot
- Paid the day you accept
- No fees, no waiting, no risk of a weak sale
Consign it. We sell it for you
We photograph, describe and sell your coins through our eBay store and live auctions, and you're paid from the proceeds as they clear. Better material can reach collector prices this way instead of a dealer's wholesale number.
- Our commission is 20% of the sale proceeds
- Platform and auction fees come out of the proceeds too, typically 5% to 15% depending on where it sells
- Shipping the coins to us, and shipping and handling to buyers, is paid from the proceeds
- You're paid as each sale clears, with a statement showing every deduction
| Sale price at auction | $1,000 |
| Platform and auction feesShown here at 10%. Ranges from 5% to 15% by platform. | − $100 |
| Our commission20% of the sale proceeds | − $200 |
| Shipping and handlingTo us, and to the buyer. Actual cost, no markup. | − $45 |
| Paid to you | $655 |
The honest part about auctions
An auction pays whatever the buyers in the room are willing to pay that day, and that pool changes from week to week. Sometimes a coin runs well past what anyone expected. Sometimes it comes in under what you had in mind, and once the hammer falls that's the price. Consignment suits people who can wait, who have better material, and who are comfortable with that range. If you need a certain number by a certain date, take the offer instead. We'll tell you which we'd do with your coins, and why.
Talk it through with usWhat we buy
In detail
Canadian coins
Pre-1968 silver, large and small cents, Newfoundland and other pre-Confederation provincial issues, Royal Canadian Mint proof and specimen sets, commemoratives, errors and varieties.
United States coins
Morgan and Peace dollars, Walking Liberty and Franklin halves, Mercury dimes, wheat cents, Buffalo nickels, commemoratives, and certified material in PCGS or NGC holders.
World coins and banknotes
British, European, and colonial issues, crowns and thalers, Canadian chartered bank notes, Bank of Canada notes, and world paper.
Bullion and scrap
Maple Leafs, Eagles, Britannias, bars and rounds, sterling flatware and hollowware, gold jewellery in any condition, and dental gold. Priced from live spot with the calculation shown, which is the difference between us and a pawn shop.
Tokens, medals and exonumia
Trade tokens, communion tokens, transit tokens, military and civic medals, and local Kingston material in particular.
The things you assume are worthless
Jars of mixed change, foreign holiday money, damaged and bent coins, coin-shaped objects nobody can identify. Bring it. Sorting it is our job, not yours.
Where we go
We're based in Kingston and make house calls for collections across Eastern Ontario: Napanee, Belleville, Picton and Prince Edward County, Gananoque, Brockville, Smiths Falls, Perth, Cornwall and the Ottawa area. Small lots can come to us by appointment; for estates, safes and anything you'd rather not move, we come to you at no charge. Anywhere else, we start with a virtual appointment over video, and if you want to sell we agree the shipping and pay on arrival.
Straight answers
Questions people actually ask
The short versions. The full FAQ goes into much more detail.
Why would a dealer pay less than the price guide?
Because a guide shows what a coin might retail for after a dealer has graded it, photographed it, listed it, insured it, paid selling fees and waited however long it takes to find the one buyer who wants it. The gap between that number and an offer is the cost and risk of doing all of that. A dealer who quotes you full guide is either mistaken or planning to find the gap somewhere else.
Should I get the coins graded first?
Usually not. Third-party grading costs money per coin plus shipping and insurance both ways, and it only pays for itself on coins where the grade is both high and genuinely uncertain. On most collections it costs more than it adds. If we see a coin worth submitting, we will say so, including when that means telling you to sell it yourself.
Would I get more selling it myself?
On a few coins, sometimes yes, and we will tell you which ones. On a whole collection it is rarely worth it. You are looking at photographing and describing every lot, fees on each sale, packing and posting, and handling returns and disputes, spread over months. What we buy, we buy in one transaction. If you'd rather have a shot at collector prices on the better pieces without doing that work, that is what consignment is for.
How do you price scrap gold and silver?
By weight and purity against the spot price at the time of the offer, less a margin for refining and handling. We show you the weight on the scale, the purity we are using, the spot price we are working from, and the arithmetic.
I'm the executor of an estate. What do you need?
Only that you have the authority to sell. We can provide a written itemised valuation for the estate file, which is often needed for probate or for dividing an estate between beneficiaries, whether or not you end up selling to us.
Is my collection too small to bother with?
No. We would rather look at ten coins and find nothing than have you throw away the one that mattered.
Start with a conversation
No obligation, no fee, and no pressure to decide anything on the day.