Selling coins in Greenville: the questions we get every week
Where can I sell coins in Greenville, SC?
You can sell coins to us at Greenville Gold & Silver, 1637 Woodruff Rd, Ste C. We are a family-run coin shop and precious-metals buyer, and we have been buying coins across the counter here since Dan opened the shop. Bring in whatever you have: a single silver dollar, a coffee can of wheat pennies, an inherited collection you have never had looked at. We test and weigh everything in front of you, tell you what is melt value and what carries a collector premium, and pay cash on the spot. No appointment needed during business hours, and no pressure to sell. Most people are in and out in about ten minutes with a clear number in hand. If you just want to know what you have, that is fine too. Knowing is free.
How do you figure out what my coins are worth?
Two things decide it: the metal and the collector demand. For the metal, we weigh the coin and read its actual silver or gold content, then apply the live market price that day. For the collector side, the date, mint mark, and condition matter. A common-date coin in worn shape is worth its melt value. A scarce date or a coin in high grade can be worth well over melt. We look at both on every coin and tell you honestly which category yours falls into. We are not going to talk a scarce piece down to melt, and we are not going to pretend a common one is rare. You see the same information we see, and you decide what to do with it.
Do you buy silver dollars like Morgan and Peace dollars?
Yes, we buy Morgan and Peace silver dollars every week. Each one contains about .7734 troy ounces of silver, so even a worn, common-date dollar carries real silver value that tracks the market. Better dates and higher grades are worth more than the silver alone, and we grade them in front of you so you can see why. We also buy 90 percent “junk” silver coins (dimes, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier), Eagles, and world coins. If you have a roll or a bag of old silver you have been sitting on, bring it in and we will sort it with you and give you one clear number.
Should I clean my coins before I bring them in?
No, please do not clean them. Cleaning a coin, even gently, leaves tiny scratches that a collector can spot, and it almost always lowers the value rather than raising it. The toning and surface on an old coin are part of what a collector pays for. We would rather see a coin exactly as it has aged. If it is dirty, that is fine. Bring it as-is, and let us look at it before anything happens to it. The one exception is nothing: there is no coin we would tell you to clean first. When in doubt, leave it alone and let us take a look.
Do you buy foreign or world coins?
Yes. A lot of shops wave off anything that is not U.S., but we buy world coins all the time, and plenty of them carry real silver or gold content that most people do not realize is there. Old British, Canadian, Mexican, and European coins often contain meaningful precious metal, and some have collector demand on top of that. We also buy religious silver and other pieces that get overlooked. If you inherited a mixed box of coins from travel or from a relative, do not sort it yourself and toss the “foreign” pile. Bring the whole thing in and we will go through it with you.
What is the difference between melt value and collector value?
Melt value is what the raw metal in a coin is worth at today’s market price, nothing more. Collector value is what someone will pay above that because the coin is scarce, in strong condition, or in demand. Most coins that come across our counter are melt-value pieces, and that is a real, fair number tied to the live market. A smaller number are worth more to a collector than the metal alone, and those are the ones you do not want to sell to a place that only pays melt. We check both on every coin, so you never leave collector value on the table by accident.
