The Greysheet

Since 1963, the Coin Dealer Newsletter (CDN) has been in the information business. Our monthly Greysheet is a must have for all coin & currency professionals, and fills a very special need in the coin business: current, accurate wholesale information on the BID level of U.S. coins. Bid is the estimated amount that one dealer is willing to pay another dealer to purchase a needed coin.

Why do dealers around the world trust Greysheet?

The Greysheet was established in 1963 with the mission of providing accurate, unbiased pricing for the coin industry. Our staff consists of well-respected members of the numismatic, some who are former dealers and coin or currency experts. The pricing staff is a team of independent professionals and market journalists. We do not offer any collectibles for sale, nor do we endeavor to host a marketplace. That is left to our marketing partners.

Prices listed as classic Greysheet values assume that the transaction is sight-seen; that is, the bidding dealer is willing to pay that price to buy a coin that he is given the opportunity to inspect prior to concluding the transaction (more about sight-unseen bidding later!). If the dealer is not pleased with the coin, or disagrees with the seller's grading, he is under no obligation to buy it. CDN prices also assume that the coin is graded according to accepted industry standards, as exemplified by PCGS and NGC. The CDN also considers information on coins that are "raw" (that is, the coins have not been examined by one of the certification services), but that are properly graded. Since coins certified by PCGS and NGC are such an important segment of the coin market, bids for these coins are an important consideration in the CDN pricing evaluations.

As the Greysheet started as a publication for dealers, we assume that our subscribers know how to grade; if they know the grade of the coin, we give them the current price. Since the Greysheet pricing is updated every four (4) hours online, the information is always current, and it is easy to take anywhere it's needed. As the grading definitions changed over the years, the Greysheet changed to reflect appropriate prices for Bids using the new definitions. Presenting tens of thousands of prices accurately every week requires the cooperation of many people. Our senior staff has over 100 years of coin business experience, and every day we get information from hundreds of people trading coins. We watch the computerized networks and pay special attention to dealers "wanted to buy" lists, as well as auction Prices Realized.

The Greysheet bid prices are derived from three primary sources: public trades of United States coins, primarily via auction results, CDN Exchange and direct dealer information which is gathered at trade shows, buy sheets, or from direct conversation. The expert pricing editors at Greysheet are in a unique position to communicate with the most influential players in the rare coin market.

Greysheet editors analyze this data, along with market knowledge and dealer experience, and derive a wholesale price that, in theory, a dealer would pay another dealer for a given coin.

The Greysheet wholesale bid prices are for problem-free, wholesome coins. Retail transactions will take place at a price above the Greysheet wholesale bid price.

We publish printed prices for all U.S. coin series as listed in our online price guides with the addition of: proof sets, type coins, world bullion gold, bags, complete sets and more. This is the wholesale pricing guide requested by everyone in the coin business!