How to buy Numismatic coins Important Terminology
Coin Pricing. Coin enthusiasts use four different terms when referring to coin values. The Catalog Price
is an inflated price published on web sites and in coin magazines and
coin books. People who know about coins rarely pay the catalog price.
Next there is the retail price. This is the price that
collectors usually pay for coins they purchase from coin dealers, from online and other auction houses, and from other collectors. Finally, there
is the wholesale bid. This is the amount coin dealers are
willing to pay for coins they buy from collectors and from the general
public. When someone asks "What is my coin worth?" they usually mean
"What can I sell this coin for?" i.e., they are asking for wholesale
bid. Face value is the value shown on the coin itself.
