Selling your Old Coins in New Zealand 

If you're reading this, chances are you have accumulated or inherited a coin collection and asking yourself, "Where is the best place to sell my coins?" 

There are several options within New Zealand, each with unique benefits and downsides depending on your specific needs. 

TradeMe, the country's largest online marketplace, provides an excellent platform for users looking for high visibility and control over their item's pricing, description, and presentation. Many low-value coins and bullion would often attain better prices here. $1 Auctions with no reserve prices are a popular and effective selling method on that site. 

However, the challenges of selling on TradeMe should also be considered. Accurately evaluating and pricing your coins is a complex issue, even among decades-long professionals. High-quality photos of both sides of an item are a huge factor in whether a collector wishes to buy a specific item. Dealing with after-sale processes such as receiving payment and shipping can also be time-consuming and a liability - numismatic items are sent at the seller's risk in New Zealand. Although online marketplaces have risks, such as potential scams, sellers have a certain degree of protection through TradeMe's Seller Protection Policy ( when using Ping ) at the expense of additional fees. 

Facebook has emerged as a convenient, user-friendly platform for buying and selling items. Its main advantage lies in its massive user base and a few coin and banknote specialist forums. 

Nevertheless, there is a greater risk of encountering unscrupulous buyers without third-party protection. Before dealing with someone, it is recommended to ask for references to that specific person's credibility. 

While a few numismatic societies ( coin clubs ) exist across New Zealand, they don't usually engage in buying or selling or recommending you to anyone specific to remain impartial as an organisation. 

Coin Dealers play a vital role in the world of numismatics. Their service enables most of the trade of rare and valuable coins and banknotes amongst themselves and collectors.  

As a professional service, they would have a multitude of professional as well as legal responsibilities. Some of them are as follows: 

 Guaranteeing and accepting liability for every item's authenticity and accuracy of description that they sell 

• Goods and Service Tax ( GST ) and Legal obligations  

• Sending valuables or numismatic items within New Zealand is solely at the seller's risk, as such items void NZ Post's insurance coverage policies. 

• Any changing market and legal concerns leading to the devaluation of their stock 

• Abiding by the Secondhand Dealers Act as well as any relevant Code of Conduct for membership to any professional organisations 

These responsibilities are reflected in both the prices asked by coin dealers when selling and their cash offers when buying. This specialised service comes with additional costs, but the added security through a 3rd party is irreplaceable, especially for rare or valuable coins. 

Aventine Numismatics distinguishes itself with a unique standing in the market and amongst others as a collector-dealer. Our signature Public Numismatic Auctions is held monthly, auctioning a wide range of items at $1 with No Reserves and long-running descriptions. This allows everyone a fair chance at a wide range of collectable items domestically. 

Our specialisation in rare coins gives us a unique edge in understanding their value through state-of-the-art technology and access to market data. We actively seek these items to be offered to private buyers or brokered overseas with some of the largest auction houses globally and select items for our own collection.