How much can I get from a pawn shop to sell a $50 gold coin?

What sort of coin?

I used to work for a company that marketed collectible coins. I might be able to give some advice that will keep you out of the pawn shop. They are designed to rip you off.

@Seek A new $50 American Liberty gold coin. From the television commercial at night. Sorry I don’t have a link.

That’s not a ton of information, but I’ll hazard a guess.

We’re talking about an “uncirculated” liberty silver dollar that’s been gold-plated, right? (I say this based on the fact that the spot price of silver is about $12 an ounce last time I looked, and the spot price of gold is OMG higher.)

I can only guarantee its worth at the spot silver price, and that’s what a pawn shop would give you. The gold plating isn’t enough to add bullion value.

If you were to have the coin graded for perfection by one of the major coin grading companies, and provided it came out as a 68 or higher (scale of one to 70), you might be able to sell it at a small profit to another coin collector. Unfortunately you’ll also be out the cost of having the coin graded, which will more than kill your profit.

Your best bet is to wait until the spot price of silver goes back up. In 2011 it was $53 for a while.

Unfortunately most raw metals are a bad investment these days.

I wholeheartedly do not recommend buying gold-plated silver dollars from TV infomercials as an investment.

Generally speaking, do not look to pawn shops to sell anything if you want to make a profit*. They’re there to profit off desperate people who need quick cash and have no other option but to surrender what they already own for just enough money to buy a few scraps of bread.

(*Pretty much the only way to make a profit by selling to a pawn shop is if the goods you’re selling are stolen. But I don’t recommend that ether.)

That depends on the specific coin and its rarity/collector’s desirability.
Since you do not have any coin, there is no point in speculating.

“Collectables” sold on late night TV are sold at a tremendous mark up (300% of inherent value).

Pawn shops buy at a tremendous discount (50% of inherent value).

So a coin worth inherently $12.50 will sell on TV for $50, and the pawn shop with give you $7 if the owner is feeling generous.

@zenvelo – in my experience most pawn shops will buy precious metals outright for the current spot price. They don’t give you any credit for collectible value, just melt-down price.

@zenvelo That is exactly what I am looking for.
Thanks : ) @seek thanks too. : )

Around here, maybe $12, $15 bucks at the most

I agree with @zenvelo. Around here, 80% of scrap value for the metal alone is standard. I know a jeweler that will pay me 90% and I have a friend that will pay 100% scrap value because he’s a survivalist hoarder.

Sorry, my 80–90% was for gold only.

Sterling’s an even harder sell.
My local jeweler won’t even buy silver.
My hoarder will still pay 100% scrap.

Krugerrand is a popular way to buy and own gold. The value of the coins is in the gold, and fluctuates with the gold market.

Survivalists are funny. In the event of a collapse of society do they really think all that gold and silver they’ve hoarded will be of any use or value to anyone?