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Inherited coins - What you should do with your inheritance

If you have inherited coins and would like to know what your options are, we will give you valuable tips on what you should and should not do with your inherited coins.

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What you should do with your inherited coin collection.

  • Establish a clear overview: To begin with, it is helpful to establish a rough overview of the coins that you have inherited. To do so, you can count the coins or estimate how many there are. This initial piece of information is useful when approaching a numismatist later on.
  • Presorting: Even if you have no knowledge of coins, you can still presort your coins before meeting our experts. The easiest way to do so is according to the years indicated on the coins. You can also separate gold coins from silver coins. If you have inherited a well-kept collection with the coins arranged in boxes or albums, please leave them exactly as they are.
  • Specialist literature: If you are interested in numismatics and would like to research the possible value of coins yourself, we would recommend consulting the relevant specialist literature. The classic reference work for German coins from 1871 onwards is the Jaeger catalogue.
  • Keeping versus selling inherited collections: Inherited coin collections may well be of sentimental value. Some people prefer to retain them intact as a reminder of the deceased. Or maybe there is even someone else in the family who wishes to continue the collection. If you are interested in selling a coin collection, you should seek extensive advice from numismatics experts. Depending on what kind of coins you have inherited, there are various possible ways like to secure the best proceeds.

What you should not do with your inherited coins

  • Do not clean them: Please do not attempt to clean your coins – in the hands of non-experts, this may reduce the value of the coins considerably. The patina is very delicate and is often the key factor in determining the value of a coin for collectors. The best approach is to leave the coins as they are.

Would you like to have your coins given a genuine estimate?

Our numismatic experts will be happy to give you the benefit of our decades of experience, free of any obligation. Why not call us and arrange a personal appointment?
For a first estimation the easiest way would be, you send some photos to info@felzmann.de, via WhatsApp (more information) or you give us a call on +49 (0)211 550 4419. Of course you can also fill in our contact form and we will get in touch with you.

Further information on the following subjects can be found here:

How to submit material for auction

Having coins evaluated