Do not clean anything, and do not rush
Two rules first: never clean the coins (it destroys value), and never accept the first walk-in offer. Dishonest buyers count on heirs being uninformed and eager to sell quickly. Time is on your side — coins do not spoil, so take the weeks needed to understand what you have.
Keep everything in its original holders and order for now; how a collector organised coins can itself be a clue to what is valuable.
Sort, identify and get a sense of value
Separate the obvious value first: any silver coins (by date), any gold, and anything in a graded slab from PCGS or NGC. Then identify the rest — country, denomination, date, mint — and note key dates and errors. You do not need to become an expert, just to know roughly what is precious metal, what is common, and what might be special.
For a collection of any size, an appraisal from a reputable, independent dealer (paid, not a "free evaluation" from someone hoping to buy) gives you a professional baseline before you sell.
Choose the right way to sell
Match the venue to the collection. Bullion and common coins sell fine to a local dealer at a fair spread. Genuinely rare or high-value coins usually do best at a specialist auction, which reaches serious collectors and competitive bidding. Selling piecemeal online can maximise return on individual pieces but takes far more time.
Always get more than one offer, and understand the spread: a dealer must resell at a profit, so expect 60–80% of retail on a dealer sale. Knowing the retail value keeps you from being underpaid.
Value the whole collection with CoinVault Pro
CoinVault Pro turns an intimidating box of coins into an organised, valued inventory: photograph each coin to identify it, estimate its grade, and see real eBay sold prices — so you walk into any sale knowing what the collection is actually worth.
Build a digital catalog you can share with dealers or heirs, and track the total value. CoinVault Pro is free to download, GDPR-compliant, and hosted in the EU.