Inherited collections in Philadelphia
Selling an Inherited Coin Collection in Philadelphia
When a parent's coins land in your lap, you need to know what is there before anyone splits it up. We meet privately, sort the collection in front of the family and give a written offer item by item, with no pressure to sell.
Private appointments across Greater Philadelphia. We call back the same business day.
How an estate collection gets priced
Inherited collections are usually a mix, so we price each coin or lot on its own line. Scarce dates, high grades and proof or mint sets are valued on current collector demand. Common silver and gold is valued on metal content against the live spot price. The written list shows every item, so each heir can look at the same numbers.
A roll of 20 Morgan dollars at today’s spot price
534.6 grams × 90% silver = 15.4690 troy oz × spot $57.49 = $889.31 in metal
Melt value only. Collector value, when a coin has it, is priced separately and shown to you at the table.
What shapes an estate offer
- Original albums, rolls and Mint packaging can show where coins came from.
- Collector coins are pulled out before any silver or gold is weighed.
- Coins left uncleaned and in their holders keep their grade.
- Silver and gold content sets the floor for common coins.
- Paper money and world coins are looked at separately.
What estate collections usually hold
- Coin albums and folders
- Proof and mint sets
- Rolls and bank bags of old change
- Morgan and Peace dollars
- U.S. gold coins
- Old paper money
- World coins
- PCGS and NGC slabbed coins
What happens when we meet
- 1
Call or send the form
Tell us roughly what you have. We call back the same business day and set a private appointment at a time that suits you.
- 2
Bring everything as it is
Don't clean, polish or sort. Bring the jars, albums and jewelry box, plus a government-issued photo ID if you plan to sell.
- 3
Watch each piece get checked
Date, mint mark and grade for coins. Karat for gold. Non-destructive testing and a calibrated scale, right in front of you.
- 4
Take the written offer, or don't
Say yes and get paid that visit by cash, check or wire. Say no and leave with everything plus the item-by-item list.
Selling in Philadelphia
Clearing out a Philadelphia house with coins in it
Coins tend to surface late in a house cleanout. The furniture is spoken for and the kitchen is packed when somebody opens a bottom dresser drawer in a Mayfair twin, or a cedar closet in a Chestnut Hill stone house, and finds cigar boxes, blue coin folders and a heavy canvas bank bag. Families in that spot want to know what is there and to keep the peace while they find out.
Our advice is to leave everything where it is until we meet. Coins kept in their original albums, rolls or Mint packaging keep their history, and a coin pulled out and rubbed clean can lose grade. If the collection is large, or the house is still full, you can ask about a home visit so nobody has to haul albums across town.
A Philadelphia estate often has a Mint connection of some kind. Proof sets and mint sets bought year after year show up in plenty of closets here, and silver proof sets carry 90% silver coins in many years. Many of the loose coins will have no mint mark, since the Philadelphia Mint left most of its coins unmarked for most of its history. We sort all of it with care, because a set or a date that looks ordinary can turn out to be the better piece in the box.
Dividing an estate goes easier when every heir sees the same paper. Our written, item-by-item list names each coin or lot with an offer beside it. An executor or attorney can work from it, and brothers and sisters spread from Northeast Philly to the Main Line to Cherry Hill can read it at their own kitchen tables. The list is an offer to buy. We do not prepare certified appraisals for court, Pennsylvania inheritance tax or IRS use, and we do not give tax advice.
Nobody has to decide on the spot. The evaluation is free, and the family can take the list home and talk it over. When the heirs agree, we can buy the whole collection or only the parts you choose to sell, and payment comes the same visit by cash, check, or wire for larger sales. Whoever signs for the sale should bring a government-issued photo ID.
Call 215-798-9204 to set a time. We meet families across Philadelphia and Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties, plus South Jersey near Cherry Hill, the Trenton and Princeton area and Wilmington, and we return calls the same business day.
Sellers come from
Questions
Common questions
Should I sell my parent's coins as one lot or piece by piece?
Have the collection sorted first. We pull out collector coins and price them one at a time, then price common silver and gold by metal content. You get the whole thing on a written, item-by-item list. With that in hand, the family can sell everything at once, sell part of it, or keep a few pieces as keepsakes.
Can you come to the house?
For larger collections and estates, yes. Ask about a home visit when you call 215-798-9204. It saves carrying heavy albums and bags across the city, and the coins stay where the family can see them. Smaller collections are usually handled at a private appointment, with the meeting place set when you book.
Will your list work for the executor or the estate attorney?
It can help. Our written list names each item with an offer beside it, which gives an executor or attorney a clear record of what was there. It is an offer to buy, though. We do not prepare certified appraisals for court, Pennsylvania inheritance tax or IRS use, so ask your attorney what the estate requires.
My siblings live in different places. How do we all see the offer?
Everyone gets the same written list, coin by coin or lot by lot, so nobody has to rely on a phone summary from one sibling. Family members can read it at home, compare it with another buyer and talk it over. The evaluation is free with no obligation, so there is no pressure to decide that day.
What should we avoid doing before you see the coins?
Do not clean, polish or wipe anything, since cleaning lowers grade. Leave coins in their albums, Mint packaging and slabs. Try not to split the collection between heirs until it has been sorted, because a scarce date can end up in the wrong pile. Keep it together, keep it dry and give us a call.
Find out what your coins and gold are worth. Then decide.
- Free evaluation, with no obligation to sell
- Every piece checked in front of you
- A written offer, item by item
- Paid the same visit if you say yes
Request your free offer
Three quick questions. We call back the same business day.
or call (215) 798-9204