Advice On How To Sell Indian Head Pennies

If you find yourself with a bunch of old Indian Head pennies from your parents or grandparents and are wondering what do to with them, this article will explain a simple and quick way to get cash for them.

Indian Head pennies were produced from 1859 through 1909. Another coin that preceded the Indian Head cent was the Flying Eagle Cent. This coin was produced in 1857 and 1858. There were a few thousand prototypes produced in 1856 that are quite rare. There are also many fakes of this coin.

If you have an old jar of these coins, you are in luck because they are certainly worth more than face value. In fact, they may be worth more than 20 times face value, depending on the condition of the coins. Face value is a term used to describe the value of a coin over the intended value. For example, a cent/penny has a face value of one cent. A nickel has a face value of 5 cents. So if a coin has a value more than face value, it means the nickel is worth more than a nickel. If a penny has a value of 2 times face, it means each penny is worth two cents. If an Indian Head penny has value of 20 times face, it means each penny is worth 20 cents.

How do you know if you have Indian Head Pennies? Easy. The Indian Head penny is identified as a coin with the portrait of an Indian on the front and a laurel wreath on the back. They will be the same size as our current Lincoln Cent.

In order to get a fairly accurate quote from a dealer, you should sort the pennies by condition. Worn, corroded, bent and or mutilated pennies will not be worth as much as pennies that are in better condition. With that in mind, this is a good place to interject some sage advice. Do not clean these coins. If you clean coins, it will greatly reduce the value. Coins are not like old cars where you can restore them to original condition. It will reduce the value of the coin. Do not let anybody tell you differently.

Once you have sorted them, you can begin getting quotes for your collection. When contacting a buyer, s/he may ask you a few questions about them. Most often, this will be about their condition. Also, you may be asked if they are in rolls, coin folders or albums. Be prepared to answer those questions to ensure you get the best price for your coins. This is where you can ask questions of the dealer. Sadly, there are scammers out there, so feel free to ask questions about the dealers business. Just because a dealer is a mail-only dealer does not make them dishonest. It is simply a different business model, just like Amazon. Amazon has no retail stores, at least as I write this.

Any offer you receive will be dependent on a review of the coins. Simply put, everybody has a different view on condition of coins. If you overstate the condition of the coins, the dealer will send them back to you along with a bill for postage, or an offer well below what you thought you might get. Coin dealers do this for a living, so you will not likely fool them.

Selling those old Indian Head Cents, or any other coins, is a fairly straight forward process. By following this advice, you will be well on your way to divesting yourself of those old coins.