There are several reasons why you would want to check, how valuable your coins are. Maybe you just inherited a beautiful collection and now want to know how much it is worth. You could also be a collector who tries to figure out how valuable your coins are. Reasons for an evaluation of coins are diverse.
Anyway, evaluating coins is not as hard as it may look like at first glance. Even though getting a second opinion is not bad at all, basically there is no need to contact dealers or other people to get your coins evaluated. Some people even take money for simply having a look at your coins and telling you, how much they are worth.
Now why would you spend money for something, that you could easily do by yourself with some clicks online? Check out the evaluation section to see how easily you can get to know, how much your coins are worth.
Beside, you might want get some additional information on your coins. Whether it is because you are interested in the historical context or some other numismatic topics: Feel free to have a look at our literature section. You might find a work or two that you could find yourself interested in.
Authenticity
In order to check, whether a coin is authentic or a counterfeit, it is important to know all the parameters of the respective piece. You should look up weight, diameter, material and edge structure. When it comes to the weight of a coin, any deviation of more than 5 percent should make you wary of counterfeits. If you do not have the chance to check on weight and diameter, the edge structure might help. Unfortunately, counterfeits are sometimes produced even with proper edge inscriptions. However, checking them against the inscriptions of authentic coins will most likely reveal the fakes. On the right side of this page, you can see how several authentic edge structures look like. If you are not sure about a coin being fake or not, just check against those.
At the end of the day, only buy a coin when you are certain about its authenticity. Keep in mind, that even if the price is second to none, most bargains do not have bargain written on it. In other words, some offers might look to good to be true. Just be aware of the fact that counterfeits of many coins do exist and try to check all perimeters before you buy old German coins.
Besides, having a look at the edge of a coin is also important in order to determine its grade. Some coins might have been mounted or used as jewelry. These coins often show signs of soldering or welding on their edges. However, any alterations of a coin will result in a lower grade. For more details on grading coins check the evaluation section.
