Free Coin Appraisals in Dallas

Free appraisal or written appraisal: which do you need?

Most people want the free appraisal. It tells you what you have and what we would pay for it today. Families settling an estate or insuring a collection often need a formal written appraisal instead, with each item described and valued for a court, an insurer or a group of heirs. Tell us which one you need when you book so we set aside the right amount of time.

Both kinds start the same way, with every coin checked in front of you. The difference is the paperwork at the end and what the numbers are meant to show. A free appraisal is built around our offer. A written appraisal is built around the purpose you give us, whether that is a court filing, a policy rider or a fair split among heirs.

Appraisals for probate, insurance and dividing an estate

Each purpose asks a slightly different question. Probate usually wants fair market value as of the date of death, meaning what the coins would sell for between a willing buyer and seller. Insurance usually wants replacement value, which is what it would cost to buy the same coins again, and that number tends to run higher than a selling offer.

Dividing an estate among heirs needs something more practical: a list detailed enough that siblings can split coins into lots of similar value. We can group the list that way if you ask. A brother who wants the silver dollars and a sister who wants the gold can see exactly how their shares compare.

We are coin buyers, not lawyers or accountants. Ask your attorney or CPA what format the court or the IRS expects, and bring that request to the appointment. We will match the appraisal to it as closely as we can.

How to get ready for an appraisal

A little prep makes the visit faster and the list more useful.

You do not need to know anything about coins to get ready. If the collection is a jumble of jars, bags and folders, that is fine. The point of the visit is to sort it out together, and we explain each group as we go so the written list makes sense when you read it again at home.

• Do not clean, polish or wipe any coin, even with a soft cloth.
• Leave coins in their folders, flips, slabs, rolls and mint packaging.
• Gather everything in one place, including coins in safe deposit boxes.
• Bring old purchase receipts, lists or price guides with notes.
• If you need a written appraisal, bring any letter or request from your attorney or insurance agent.
• Flag any coins the family wants to keep so we can list them separately.
• For a large collection, call to set up a home appointment.

Coin appraisals for Dallas families and estates

Dallas County runs three statutory probate courts, and they handle a steady flow of estates every month. Many of those estates include coins: a few rolls in a desk, a set of proof sets in the closet, or a serious collection in a safe. Executors often need values for those coins long before anyone decides whether to sell, and a written appraisal gives them something solid to file.

Older Dallas neighborhoods, from Kessler Park and Lakewood to the M Streets and Swiss Avenue, hold a lot of long-time owners. People who bought homes there decades ago often collected the same way for forty or fifty years, ordering proof sets from the U.S. Mint each year or filling blue folders one coin at a time. Their collections tend to be orderly, which makes an item-by-item list simple to build.

Insurance is the other common reason Dallas homeowners ask for an appraisal. A standard homeowners policy usually caps what it pays for coins and precious metals, so collectors who want full coverage often schedule them on a rider. Your agent will want a recent, itemized appraisal to set that coverage, and they may ask for one again after a big jump in gold or silver prices.

Heirs are not always local. A parent's collection may sit in a Lake Highlands house while one child lives in Dallas and two more live out of state. One appraisal list gives everyone the same facts. Make copies and share them, so nobody has to rely on a sibling's memory of what the coins were worth.

If you only want to know what you have, keep it simple. Bring the coins, sit with us, and listen as we explain what each one is. You do not need to promise anything or plan to sell. Plenty of people leave with the list, talk it over at home, and come back months later, or not at all.

Appointments run Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and we give directions when you book.