Free Coin Appraisals in Chicago

Coin appraisals for Chicago families and estates

Most requests for a coin appraisal in Chicago come from someone holding coins they know nothing about, such as a coffee can from a Bridgeport basement or the contents of a safe-deposit box opened after a parent dies. Many families in the city and suburbs have owned their homes for decades.

Coins gathered over a lifetime usually stay in the house until someone downsizes or settles the estate. Carson City Morgans, struck from 1878 to 1893, are one of the better finds in those boxes, and pre-1933 gold coins are another.

Our appraisals are free purchase appraisals. They show what we will pay, coin by coin, and the written list is yours to keep. They are not certified appraisals for court, probate, insurance or IRS use, so if an attorney needs a formal valuation, ask the attorney who they work with.

The item-by-item list earns its keep when siblings are splitting a collection or an executor wants a record of what was offered. When one sibling lives in Naperville and another lives in another state, a written list means everyone is reading the same numbers. You can also take it to a second buyer and compare line by line.

Some Illinois coins get more attention than their price supports. A circulated 2003 Illinois state quarter, the one with Lincoln, the state outline, a farm scene and the Chicago skyline, is worth 25 cents, while the silver proof version carries silver value. The 1918 Illinois Centennial half, with 100,058 struck, sells to collectors above its silver, and its price follows grade.

The Columbian half dollar was sold for $1 at the 1893 fair in Jackson Park, where the Museum of Science and Industry now fills the fair's old Palace of Fine Arts. About 4 million were dated 1893 and many were later spent at face value, so worn ones sell for a little more than their silver. A coin with sharp detail and original luster is worth more, and the appraisal tells you which kind you have.

Looking over a few coins takes about 10 minutes, and a large collection takes 30 to 60. Gold and silver go on a calibrated scale you can read, and the offer follows the live spot price for metal and current collector demand for numismatic coins.

Appointments run Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and for big estates you can ask about a home visit. If you might sell on the spot, bring a government-issued photo ID.