Price differences

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coinme
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 6:44 pm

Price differences

Post by coinme » Wed Feb 18, 2015 7:13 pm

I get a little confused as to what pricing to use. For example. I have a 1962 MS64 nickel. In the Canadian Coin News it trends at $15, the Charlton book has it at $35 and this website has it at $13. that is a big price difference. I notice that with a lot of coins and I am not sure what to use. Why the difference?

Bill in Burl
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Location: Golden Horseshoe, ONT

Re: Price differences

Post by Bill in Burl » Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:02 am

The only thing that I use any price guide for is to get a general idea of the scarcity/population on denominations/monarchs that I don't collect and to never use just one source. I use a general rule of thumb that I can buy any coin at 50% of Charlton and 70% of Trends if I'm not in a hurry or I'm looking for a friendly bourse dealer. All bets are off on scarcer Vicky coins over MS--62 or anything else over 64 and not modern. They can put in the front of any Charlton or Trends whatever they want about "full retail" or the price that a knowledgeable seller is offering xxx to man experienced buyer, but it all comes down to "reality". And reality is 50% Charlton, 70% Trends or less.
Bill in Burl

coinme
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 6:44 pm

Re: Price differences

Post by coinme » Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:15 am

Great! Thanks for the reply. That makes sense.

Shylo
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:42 pm

Re: Price differences

Post by Shylo » Thu Feb 19, 2015 12:04 pm

Gotta remember that the books are written 6months prior to printing.. so they're almost a complete shot in the dark.. and frequently overestimated..

Trends is a bit closer...but as bill said if you're not in a hury and if it's pretty common you can get it for around 70% of trends..

The rule of thumb for me is if I see a coin I wish to buy.. I need to see 3 others like it and compair prices... it helps reduce the spontaneous/compulsive buys I am known for...

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CanuckCoinGirl
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2022 6:41 pm

Re: Price differences

Post by CanuckCoinGirl » Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:58 pm

I was just going through some older posts and want to revive this one - mostly because it discussed guides (and how they are often a best hoped for price and not what most will pay) and the need to know a bit before hitting a bourse or a store. Although I did not end up in Toronto at the suggested bourse this weekend, I did end up at a coin, stamp, and collectables show, and might even go back tomorrow. I like the responses here - if you are patient, you can get a good price and the guides are just guides. I have bought things when I was patient, and other things that I had to have because I was not sure if I would see them again. And there are things I wish I had purchased years ago. Take a list of what you have/want if you are looking to supplement, but don't always jump fast at what you didn't know you wanted. Guides are good because most people cannot remember everything - and don't have the experience of some on here. I am definitely not able to just look at a coin and know the grade, and I really look now for evidence of minor cleaning and dipping. I pull my best book along and have CAC set on my phone (love the cool tech upgrade from the first coin & collectables show I went to). Just how many variations are there on 'that' coin that I didn't know I might want? Some dealers will have magnifying glasses for you to review things with, but you can always bring your own, and it will save you waiting for the guy going through the circulation box looking for a 'gem' no one has seen before to be done. What was great about the one I was at was that there were all ages, a large number of women, clearly people of different backgrounds, and some pretty enthusiastic kids! I really should have gone out to this club's events before and I will skip why I didn't, but I might now.

But what I was thinking about when I got home was that the word bourse means stock exchange. Buy low and sell high...and if you pay market for everything you are at the whim of the algorithm. It probably makes sense to think about the bourse with stock trading rules. An example: https://investastuces.com/blog/2019/10- ... in-stocks/

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CanuckCoinGirl
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Re: Price differences

Post by CanuckCoinGirl » Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:38 am

I wanted to delete the info on basic advice as it was more specific than I really thought it was when I first posted... but I can't seem to edit that post, but the best advice is always being shared here.
Last edited by CanuckCoinGirl on Mon Oct 03, 2022 5:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Bill in Burl
Posts: 1457
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:41 am
Location: Golden Horseshoe, ONT

Re: Price differences

Post by Bill in Burl » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:01 pm

I think that the best way to get a handle on PRICE is to look at E bay "sold" items or a normal, not maximum-grade auctions with prices realized. You shouldn't pay more than 60-70% of any book price, or really 50% or so after a little research and/or grading.
Bill in Burl

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