How to Sell Damaged Coins

Damaged coins are still worth selling — typically £1 to £50 at For Parts, against £5 to £200 undamaged.

Can you sell coins that are damaged?

Yes. Damaged stock has its own buyers: people who repair and restore, people who want the material rather than the object, and people who want a cheaper one and do not mind a flaw. Nobody should be surprised when it arrives.

The damage buyers look for on coins

These are the flaws that move coins down the grades, and the ones a buyer will check first:

Cleaning, which permanently damages surfaces and value
Wear that drops the coin into a lower grade
Common dates held in large numbers
Edge knocks and scratches

Before you list it

Never clean a damaged coin. Cleaning is itself the damage collectors price down hardest, and it cannot be undone.

Grading it honestly

Fair covers something heavily used, or with a described fault or missing part: around £2 to £90. For Parts covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen: roughly £1 to £50. Grades are seller-declared and nobody inspects them for you, so grading up does not raise what you get — it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else. All five grades explained.

Working out what you actually have

Establish the flaw properly rather than guessing at it:

Identify the date, mint mark and denomination precisely
Weigh it if precious metal content is relevant
Compare against sold results for the same date and grade

Photographing the flaw

Photograph the damage directly and in focus — it is the evidence that the rest of the description is honest:

Obverse and reverse of each significant coin, filling the frame, in even light
The date and any mint mark, close enough to read
The edge, on coins where lettering or milling matters
The whole lot together for a bulk listing, plus any case, certificate or album

What to state in the listing

Alongside the flaw itself, buyers of damaged coins want these confirmed:

Denomination, country, year and mint mark
Metal and weight, and fineness for bullion
Whether graded and encapsulated by a third party, or ungraded
Honest description of wear, toning and any damage, without cleaning it first

Denomination, year, country and grade: “1933 George V Penny, Fine” or “Silver Britannia 1oz 2015, Capsule”. Collectors search year and type. For bullion, weight and fineness are the search. Do not invent a grade — describe honestly or say ungraded.

What buyers will ask

Answer these in the listing rather than waiting to be asked:

“Has it been cleaned?”

Answer truthfully. Collectors spot a cleaned coin instantly from the hairlines and unnatural brightness, and an undisclosed clean destroys trust as well as value.

“What grade is it?”

If it is not professionally graded, describe the wear plainly rather than assigning a grade. Photographs let buyers grade it themselves, which they prefer anyway.

“Is it silver?”

Say what you know from the year and type rather than guessing from colour. Composition changed on specific dates for most currencies and that is easily checked.

Is it worth repairing first?

Only where it is cheap and visibly well done — a clumsy repair costs more than the flaw it hides. What lifts the price:

Scarce dates, mint marks and low-mintage issues
Original, uncleaned surfaces
Professionally graded and slabbed coins
Precious metal content on bullion issues

If the work would cost more than the gap between £50 and what sound ones fetch, sell them as they are damaged and let the buyer decide.

When to list it

Steady year round to a specialist audience. Bullion tracks the metal price and sells any time; collectable coins sell when correctly identified, which is the real bottleneck.

Getting it to the buyer

Small and light but easily lost and worth stealing, so use a tracked, signed service and pack in a rigid envelope or small box. Never send loose coins in a padded bag.

WishThrift does not process payments, arrange delivery or hold funds. Confirm the money has cleared before the item leaves your hands, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed.

Ready to list them? Free to list, no commission, and neither side pays a buyer-protection fee — create a free account, or read the full coins selling guide if yours turns out to be sound.

Frequently asked questions

Can you sell damaged coins?

Yes. Damaged coins typically are worth £1 to £50 against £5 to £200 undamaged, and there is a real market in repair, restoration and craft stock. Cleaning, which permanently damages surfaces and value

Is it worth repairing first?

Only where the repair is cheap and visibly done well. What buyers pay for is scarce dates, mint marks and low-mintage issues — a repair that draws attention to the flaw can leave you worse off.

How should I describe the damage?

Precisely, with a photograph of the flaw itself. Answer truthfully. Collectors spot a cleaned coin instantly from the hairlines and unnatural brightness, and an undisclosed clean destroys trust as well as value. Vague wording is what produces the message asking for a refund.