You can walk away from a bid. The metal is still yours.
A bid is an offer, not a verdict. Take it home. Think. Get another number. Spot will move. That is…
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The public coin and money library, plus dealer guides — what people bring to a shop, how money works, and how shops run.
Start in the library · Coin history · Visitors · SpotPro for dealers
Sort it before you arrive (or plan to wait)
One bag of everything is a puzzle. Four piles are a ticket. Shops will sort it either way. Only one…
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What to bring when you sell coins or gold (and what to leave at home)
The metal, the ID, the paperwork if you have it. Not the toothpaste. Not twelve heirs on speakerphone. Not a…
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Traveling “we buy gold” tables: why the hotel ballroom is not your shop
The banner is rented. The testers may be fine. The bid is built to leave town on Sunday. A shop…
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Junk silver vs Silver Eagles vs bars: what you actually have
Three ways to hold silver. Three bids. Eagles are easy. Bars depend on the stamp. Junk is a formula. Do…
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90% silver, 40% silver, and war nickels: junk silver in English
US dimes, quarters, and halves before 1965 are 90%. Some 40% halves exist. War nickels are a different trick. Face…
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Sterling vs silver plate: the magnet is not the whole test
Sterling is 92.5% silver. Plate is a skin on something else. Flatware drawers are where estates go to get their…
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Gold filled, gold plated, and solid gold: they are not cousins
Plated is paint. Filled is a thicker skin. Solid is the metal. Shops see all three every day. The stamp…
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Karat vs fineness: what 10k, 14k, 18k, and 22k actually mean
24k is the whole pie. 14k is a little more than half gold. The stamp is a claim. The test…
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