We are often asked to appraise coins and coin-related items. We have performed numerous appraisal requests, over the years, ranging from just a single coin to collections containing 1000's of coins. Generally, our evaluations are performed either in-person or via digital images the customer sends to us. In some cases, we pick-up a collection, evaluate the items, then return the collection back to the owner once the appraisal is finished. Based upon the nature of the appraisal, we may need to select a specific method. Having someone take pictures of 2,500 coins and emailing them to us isn't practical.

An honest & accurate appraisal takes time – sometimes hours, maybe even days. While we would not charge anything to evaluate just a handful of coins, when dealing with larger quantities there would be an associated fee. If you have 100's or more coins and are looking for some quick 2-minute appraisal – we're probably not the right fit for you. It's almost certain, if you do go the quick turnaround appraisal route, your coins will be undervalued.

Coin Quantity	Service Fee
Less Than 25	None
26 to 200	$25
201 to 500	$50
501 to 1000	$100
1001+	Case-by-Case Basis

If you’re looking to sell after the appraisal, then the service fee can be rolled into final sale price, as a credit, if we end-up being the buyer. If you decide to hold onto your coins or sell elsewhere, then the evaluation fee is due upon the appraisal’s completion.

Upon request, we can also provide an itemized list of your collection in either a digital or printed version.

Published: 7/10/2022

As many of you are already aware, precious metals are becoming increasingly difficult to locate. Those items that can be found, often come with a heavily-inflated price tag. Here at MCV, we are working hard to acquire and will continue to provide precious metal offerings at some of the best prices around. No price gouging here!

Published: 4/16/2021

As a result of recent fraudulent credit card activity, we request that any first-time buyer use a payment method other than a credit card. Once a genuine business-customer relationship is established, credit card payments will be available for use.

Published: 6/1/2020

Have a coin that looks to be in excellent condition, but suffers from unattractive toning or even looks dirty and covered in grime? Do you think that this affects both the coin's eye-appeal and possible value? Wondering what to do with the coin? You may want to consider sending into NGC Conservation or PCGS Restoration services. These companies employ community accepted techniques that can remove ugly toning and other surfaces contaminants.

We recently submitted a 1961 PF69DCAM quarter into PCGS for their restoration services. The coin had a few light-brown toning spots on the obverse, and even several more toning spots on the reverse. As we felt these spots were hurting the coins eye-appeal and bottom line, we ultimately decided to send the coin in to be restored.



We are satisfied with the results as all toning spots were removed from both sides of the coin. The entire process took about a month from the time we shipped-out the coin, to when we had the coin back in our possession.

Coins can be submitted in either raw form or pre-encapsulated. Coins will have the appropriate services performed on them, graded, and then (re)encapsulated. Not all coins can be restored. Consult either NGC or PCGS for further details and pricing.

Published: 9/14/2019

We have just added Commemorative Coins to our list of available inventory. We will try to maintain both classic and modern Commemorative offerings. Many of the modern items will come in their original government packaging which will include an official US Mint display box and COA.

Published: 5/27/2019

In your searching, have you ever come across a coin that you believe is a great find? Maybe it's a part of a series or denomination that you've been tracking down for years? Maybe it's all you need to complete a collection? The coin is in good shape w/ no obvious signs of alterations or manipulations. You send it to a Third-Party Grading Service to be graded, and after a month or so of waiting, you receive the crushing news that the coin has been cleaned. Well, if this has ever happened to you – you’re not alone!

Some coins you can tell just from a simple glance that it has been cleaned. One of the most obvious tells are the parallel scratches or hairlines that can cover the entire side of a coin or just a smaller section. Other coins, you can look at over and over again, even using magnification, and still you are unable to detect any signs of cleaning.

There are many numismatists who believe virtually all coins that have any age to them, let’s say 50 years and older, have been cleaned at some point. There are estimates as high as 40% of coins submitted to Third-Party Grading Services are tagged as being cleaned.

What is the value of a cleaned coin? There is no simple answer, several factors need to be considered. Pre & post cleaning condition of the coin, rarity of coin, market demand of coin, method of cleaning and degree in which coin was cleaned, etc. Perhaps the best answer is that each cleaned coin needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

There are auction houses that auction-off cleaned coins, and some of these organizations provide historical auction archives. You may be able to determine a rough estimate as to the value of your cleaned coin using these historical records.

It’s important to never to clean a coin. It’s also important to keep in mind, that a cleaned coin’s marketplace is limited. If you believe that a coin has little eye-appeal in its current form, you can look into the restoration services that some Third-Party Grading Services offer.

Published: 7/31/2018

Be sure to check out our new Coin Rarities section. In this area, we will provide examples of coin errors, non-regular issues and varieties. We plan on highlighting rarities that may not be on everyone's radar. New entries will be added on a regular basis.

Published: 11/17/2017

Recently, we finished the task of itemizing an estate coin collection. Jobs like this are always an interesting to take on as you never know which coins you may come across. Will you find same rare & valuable coin? How old will the some of the coins be? Which countries will the coins be from?

Unfortunately, there were no true rarities on this occasion, no "game-changing" coins in terms of value, no coins predating the 1830's, with the bulk of coins from the United States. However, the sheer volume of coins was formidable.

We received the coins in multiple waves. The 1st wave was mostly modern items. Eisenhower dollars, SBA dollars, non-silver JFK halves and Lincoln cents (wheaties & memorials) were all present by the hundreds. Additionally, most of the Mercury dimes and silver Roosevelt dimes were found is this first wave. Various Jefferson nickels from the 1930's thru 50's were also present.

Interestingly, this first wave of coins was thought to be the entire collection. We found this a bit strange as there was a clear effort to collect silver dimes, post-1964 Roosevelts were very few in number. Adding to our suspicions, that there was more to this collection, was the fact that pennies, nickels, and dimes from the 1930's thru the 1960's were plentiful, but there were absolutely no full silver JFKs, no Franklin halves, no Walker halves, no silver Washington quarters, and even no Peace dollars. We informed the estate of the likely possibility there is more to this collection waiting to be discovered.

A couple weeks later, another part of the collection was found. This wave contained most of the older coins – the Morgans, Indian Head pennies, Buffalo nickels, Liberty Head nickels, Standing Liberty quarters, Peace dollars, Walking Liberty halves and all the different Barber denominations (dimes, quarters, halves). Many of these finds were still stored in old blue Whitman collector albums.

Collection (coin count) Summary:

Pennies:
Two Cents:
Nickels:
Dimes:
Quarters:
Halves:
Dollars:
Commemorative:
Civil War Tokens:
In total, over 2,700 coins make up this collection. Total silver weight of applicable coins checked in at just over 89 ounces.

You may be quick to notice, even after the second wave, there is still a disproportionately small number of silver Washington quarters and no Franklin halves, despite hundreds of their contemporaries being found. Again, we let the estate know that there still may be some additional coins out there. Stay tuned!

Published: 7/31/2017

We recently attended the PAN Spring Coin Show. While we managed to make the Saturday afternoon session, we would have liked to have spent more time at the coin show, but we were running on a pretty tight schedule. Unfortunately, some dealers were already packing up. However, we were able to make some purchases to expand on the MCV inventory.

Just a few observations from the coin show:

• Morgan dollars were everywhere. Numerous dealers had Morgans on display – some by the dozen, others, perhaps by the hundreds.
  
  
• With the exception of these Morgans, the majority of coins available appeared to have been from the post-Barber coin series era. Lots of Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, Standing Liberty quarters, Washington quarters, Walking Liberty halves, Franklin halves, etc. Attempting to find coins that predated this era, especially in higher quantities, required a bit more searching.
  
  
• While the floor seemed busy, most dealers were pretty accessible and there was no more than one or two buyers at each vendor.

Published: 5/30/2017