The Big Time. There are about 10,000 coin dealers in the United States, and probably half again as many worldwide. All but a few are small Mom and Pop dealerships serving local communities. Large national and international dealerships handle high-end collectibles for serious investors and collectors who easily spend $10,000 US dollars on a single coin, and often top $1 million for a significant rarity. If you have a single coin worth more than $1,000 US dollars, contact CoinQuest for a list of the Big Time dealerships.

The Bad Time. Coin dealers operate without regulation. Most are honest. There are some dealers (my guess is 10 percent) who are dishonest and buy coins for much less than they are worth, or sell coins for much more than they are worth, or both. Not only that, counterfeits abound in today's market, and single coins worth more than $250 should be certified by one of the following services: PCGS, NGC, ICG, ANACS. Look on the Internet for information about these companies. Do not use other companies.

Collections v. Accumulations. A bunch of coins gathered in a box over the years is seldom worth more than face value. To be valuable, coins must be collected by an industrious collector who studies the subject using various reference books

Become a Collector. Perhaps you should not sell your coin at all! Consider becoming a coin collector, or encouraging someone else to do so. I started collecting when I was 10. Now I'm older (a lot older!) and coin collecting is still one of my favorite endeavors. It is a hobby that sticks with you. They call it the king of hobbies for good reason. Write to us for how to get started.

Pricing. For typical, problem-free coins most coin dealers pay about one-half of retail price for coins they buy from collectors or from the general public. This markup allows the dealers to keep their businesses afloat. High-demand coins with good dates, good grade, and good eye appeal are easier to sell than most coins, so dealers often require less markup for these rarities. On the other end, coins with scratches, stains, spots, and similar damage, or coins that have been cleaned or polished, are almost impossible to sell to collectors, so coin dealers do not buy them at any price.

Sell to a Local Coin Shop. Take your coin to a few local coin shops (look in the yellow pages) and ask the proprietors for offers to buy. Any dealer worth his or her salt can give you an appraisal on the spot after a few minutes of close inspection. If the dealer asks you "how much do you want for your coin?" or "how much did the other dealer offer?" don't answer the question. Instead request that the dealer make an offer, which he or she is perfectly capable of doing. Don't let the dealer disappear with your coin to "check it in the back room" which could be disasterous.

Sell to an Internet Dealer. There are many reputable coin dealers on the Internet, and this may be your only option if you live in a rural area without local coin shops. You can e-mail pictures of your coin to dealers who encourage you to do so, but ultimately a dealer will need to see the coin in person to make a final offer. Use the picture on CoinQuest to describe your coin initially by (1) finding your coin on the CoinQuest site, (2) clicking the [Show Singly] control near the center of the appraisal page, and (3) copying and pasting the browser link into e-mail correspondence with the dealer. You need to develop a working relationship with an Internet dealer before the transaction can be a success.

eBay Consignment. Some people prefer consigning their rare coins for auction, rather than selling them to a dealer directly. Generally you make more money at auction than direct sale, although the transaction takes longer. There is a mammoth collector following on eBay. and rare coins almost always achieve fair market value when sold on this popular web site.

Through our parent company, Stat-Matics, Inc., CoinQuest provides eBay seller services for numismatic items. We charge a 30 percent commission, which covers eBay and PayPal fees as well as our expenses. Seventy percent of the final auction price goes to the coin owner. For the 30 percent commission you get the advantage of our long eBay history and good eBay feedback rating. We take and post pictures of your coin, write the numismatic description, set the shipping and handling costs, field auction questions, collect the money, pay fees, and ship the coin to the winning bidder. You send us the coin via normal, insured post and we send a check to you a few weeks later. In many cases we will pay your shipping cost and in some cases we will send a small check as up-front earnest money to get the transaction going. Ask about your case to find out if it qualifies.