All this for $50

[cyberdan]

This lady had an index card file box half full of coins and paper money. I looked at it for a while and there were so many different types of items I didn't have time to add up everything so I told her I feel safe offering $50 and she accepted.

here is approximately what I got

four modern $2 bills and $8 in modern ikes and JFKs ($16 value, so I really paid $34)

two older (early '50s) $2 bills
one $1 silver certificate
one worn peace dollar
one worn liberty half
one proof commemorative clad half in the mints box
about $6.50 in silver U.S. coins
one ounce of older silver foreign
small handfull of wheats
25 indian cents
big double handful of older foreign (a lot of WWII german with swastika)
three sterling tokens (about 3.5 oz)

Last but not least: two very big Franklin mint commemorative coins (about 1.5oz each) 24K gold plated on sterling, at least that is what is stamped on the edge. I tested both and they do not test silver at all. Looks like the Franklin Mint is/was putting out fakes. I am investigating this still. These are very high quality, frosted proof coins. It looks like Franklin mint quality, I do not think someone would counterfit their stuff. Will keep you updated.

[Jeep]

Sounds like ya got a great deal

Keep us updated on that Franklin mint, I may have to test mine

[j.raud]

Nice going Dan!! What do you estimate the worth of all?

[cyberdan]

Nice going Dan!! What do you estimate the worth of all?

I think all the silver at about $180
don't know about indian heads, bills or foreign.

I got an answer back from a company that specialazes in Franklin mint and he assures me they are 925. so add another $55-60

[cyberdan]

It is my dream to find the actual Franklin Mint at a garage sale.

This is the only mint I like.

[diggummup]

Nice score cyberdan. Check out your nazi coins here. They could be silver.

http://www.luckylukeonline.com/Silver.html

Not trying to hijack your post but I have to mention this-
Although I have 3 small jobs tommorrow I found a nice estate sale to go to when i'm done right down the street from my last job. http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/gms/1762140172.html. I figured out who's estate it was too after a little digging-http://tinyurl.com/33fgava. Wish me luck!

[cyberdan]

Nice score cyberdan. Check out your nazi coins here. They could be silver.
http://www.luckylukeonline.com/Silver.html

Well, how did you do at the estate sale? Any of her paintings for sale?

Thanks for the link on the coins. All the ones I have are copper. I figured 10-25 cents each. Boy was I off, they were $4-5 each but better quality than I have. I may put them together as a lot on eBay, if they don't have rules against swastikas.

[diggummup]

Nice score cyberdan. Check out your nazi coins here. They could be silver.
http://www.luckylukeonline.com/Silver.html

Well, how did you do at the estate sale? Any of her paintings for sale?

Thanks for the link on the coins. All the ones I have are copper. I figured 10-25 cents each. Boy was I off, they were $4-5 each but better quality than I have. I may put them together as a lot on eBay, if they don't have rules against swastikas.

Not too good at the estate sale. There was a professional sales person there conducting it. Prices were ridiculous. They wanted 5 dollars a piece just for some old souvenir felt pennants. I could get them cheaper on Ebay. They wanted 15 for a fake, made in china Limoges box. I don't expect to pay that for a real one of course, but i'm not paying 15 bucks for some POS that was made in China neither. Anyway glad your coins were worth more than you thought. I've seen them on Ebay before so I don't guess they have a policy against it. Were they silver Reichsmarks?

[cyberdan]

Were they silver Reichsmarks?

No all copper and some look like they had been buried and found with a metal detector.

[SvenS]

[/quote]

Not too good at the estate sale. There was a professional sales person there conducting it. Prices were ridiculous. They wanted 5 dollars a piece just for some old souvenir felt pennants. I could get them cheaper on Ebay. They wanted 15 for a fake, made in china Limoges box. I don't expect to pay that for a real one of course, but i'm not paying 15 bucks for some POS that was made in China neither. Anyway glad your coins were worth more than you thought. I've seen them on Ebay before so I don't guess they have a policy against it. Were they silver Reichsmarks?
[/quote]

That's what I found down south at estate sales run by professionals, they throw out all the good stuff (they consider trash) that would sell for under $5.00 and keep what they think is good and sell at inflated prices. Sometimes they sell a used item for what you can go down the street and buy new. Private estate sales down there are almost as bad.

[Darshevo]

Around here the 'professional' estate sale plan seems to be mark the item at about 2.5x what it would sell for on ebay initially and then expect to actually sell some stuff on the last day which is typically 1/2 price. In the mean time anything they get 'sticker price' for (or an amount close to sticker)... BOOYAH!

On the other side of that coin if you get in tight with the people that run the sales you'd be amazed at what a pile of stuff can be repriced to. Not to mention what they are willing to sell the balance of everything left to you for at 3 pm on saturday/sunday

A friend of mine is a professional junk buyer (aka estate sale junkie) I have learned from him if you go in and pick a single pair of pliers off the bench its gonna cost you say $5. Go to the same sale, clear off the bench of all american made tools, any form of automotive chemical and anything you can scrap. Throw it all in 1 big pile and smile when they tell you $25 for the whole shootin match. 100x the stuff for 5x the money. No matter how bad the prices seem, the pros have to balance making the owner $$ with making everything disappear

-Lance