How much should you charge for your painted coin flips?
Depends. One measure is the value of your painting. The other main factor is the actual cost of the coin you’ve inserted in the flip — not what you originally paid, but today’s market for that coin in that grade.
Categorically, “pretty okay” coins are going to measure up more or less like this:
LINCOLN PENNIES — In circulation, one cent apiece. For your not very high-grade 1909-1958 copper pennies, which are called “Wheaties” because of the wheat-sheaves on the reverse, you can expect to pay anywhere from a nickel to a dollar per coin for what they call “fill”, which is more or less Good to Very Fine in grade, not likely any more. Like I said, okay coins.
BUFFALO NICKELS — Only get “full horn” buffs, and then you have a major problem — most people have no idea what those things are, and have hardly seen a nickel, and when they did see one, they didn’t look at it, because it’s only five cents in a singular coin. Big deal.
JEFFERSON NICKELS — You have to be kidding. Okay, maybe the wartime SILVER nickels, but even then, it’s a long-winded explanation to people who never did give a damn about history, and they’re not about to change their essential nature so you can close the sale. Forget Jefferson Nickels, and move on.
SILVER MERC DIMES — Don’t even consider Merc dimes unless you have an audience for either silver or coins or both. The melt value of your silver dimes is going to be $2 a coin, no matter how incredible the date might be. Two bucks, period. Might as well do a painting on the flip and get your full retail value out of it, eh? You can get at least $5 per coin by painting the flip, maybe more — don’t go by my prices; I take pity and charge less than I paid most of the time, but don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay, it’s just a flesh-wound.
ROOSEVELT DIMES — I use the NON-SILVER clads, just fresh from the US Mint, and I buy them in BU condition in the original roll, for a small fraction above their face value, plus shipping, an extra four bucks.
SILVER QUARTERS — This goes for Walking Libs, Barbers & of course, Washingtons. The melt value of your silver quarters, regardless of quality or date, will be $4.00 per coin. That’s the most you can expect under normal conditions, and these conditions are far from normal.
SILVER WALKING LIBERTY HALF DOLLARS — These are great for the coin buffs, but you’ll never sell them to the general public. They add a whole ‘nother dimension of cost to the customer, but sometimes the silver walker halves get bought where the other coins go lacking for attention. Problem is, most collectors either know the actual value of the coin or they think they do, and that creates difficulties, unless you remember that you are an artist, not a coin dealer!
SILVER DOLLARS — I have a few, but only a few. Pain in the butt, and the dollar-sized flips don’t stay glued shut– you have to glue the corners down.
Speaking as an artist, the coin is merely part of the assembly of the collage. You don’t need to justify the price based on the coin. It’s your art market that rules the price here.
By the way, I offer framing at an additional $45.00 for the 3″x3″ fancy frame. I decide which style of frame to put on it, and you get to enjoy it on your desk, wall or esconcement.
Um, have I recently mentioned the Idar-Oberstein vintage carnelian banded-agate faceted beads, circa 1850, traded in Nigeria? Well, consider it mentioned. I have three necklaces of this material for sale — they are not cheap, and I based my prices on current eBay prices, which generally works out to be fairly accurate as a market indicator.
I should mention that I have Colonial Cobs mounted in painted flips — too late to paint them, they’re already done.
The main thing I wanted to mention is that the unpainted flips have a drawing on them, the under-painting or “cartoon”, it’s called by painterly painters.
It’s sort of a coloring book thing, except that it looks great, compared to cutting out a page from a coloring book and mounting it in a pricey frame.
Of course, the painting IS miniature, but that’s considered a plus, in some circles.
I’ll be offering more of the Roman and silver Merc Dimes and more this morning at the 6:30 am zoom meeting, where you are certainly welcome.
DIY flips are the way to go. I’ll be sending some off to the kids, and of course the older folks, too — that’d be you, unless you’re well under 18.
Word of Advice: Don’t visit Russia this year. The Kremlin is closed to tourists, and GUM is experiencing serious shelf-shortages, not to mention Stalingrad.
There, I mentioned it.
See You At The Top!!!
gorby