PCAs buying advice wanted! (1 Viewer)

One time I was doing some sound testing for a gold mine in the mountains near Durango, and an eBay auction was ending for some PCA $5s I was watching. Problem was I had no internet out there. So I drove 15 minutes to the little restaurant at the end of the road where I could get a signal, sat in the parking lot and sniped the auction right at the end, and drove back down the road to the mine. Success!
Must. Buy. Moar. Chipes!
 
One time I was doing some sound testing for a gold mine in the mountains near Durango, and an eBay auction was ending for some PCA $5s I was watching. Problem was I had no internet out there. So I drove 15 minutes to the little restaurant at the end of the road where I could get a signal, sat in the parking lot and sniped the auction right at the end, and drove back down the road to the mine. Success!

That was you? BASTARD! j/k
 
Yep, I love my worn out primary PCAs! Of course I've gotten them at dirt cheap prices too, so that helps. I've scored racks of primary $5s here and there for $75-85 each. Hard to beat that price for leaded Paulsons with lots of character.

Considering giving it a go. Unfortunately not living in the US or EU means biblical shipping prices, if I end up not liking them, there's also the difficulty of selling worn chips + expensive shipping back to the west :banghead:
 
Considering giving it a go. Unfortunately not living in the US or EU means biblical shipping prices, if I end up not liking them, there's also the difficulty of selling worn chips + expensive shipping back to the west :banghead:
Ouch, that definitely changes the math. Cheap chips are less appealing when the shipping might cost as much as the chips. :(
 
GRAIL. That is insane!
I rushed my build and overpaid a little, I have roughly $5500 invested in my secondary set

The primary set isn't as bad given the chips are much more worn, I'm still working on that set, it started as a cash set but I've transitioned them to a tournament build... been at it a little under a year!! Seems these have become very desirable with new members! Hopefully theres a few sets that will come out of the works soon!
 
I rushed my build and overpaid a little, I have roughly $5500 invested in my secondary set

The primary set isn't as bad given the chips are much more worn, I'm still working on that set, it started as a cash set but I've transitioned them to a tournament build... been at it a little under a year!! Seems these have become very desirable with new members! Hopefully theres a few sets that will come out of the works soon!

Under a year? Damn that's quick! Your primary 1s don't look that worn though! I'd be happy if I can find some with that condition.
 
Under a year? Damn that's quick! Your primary 1s don't look that worn though! I'd be happy if I can find some with that condition.
Haha yeah my bank account is pretty displeased...

Its fairly mixed, some are very worn some will stand on edge. They've also been cleaned quite a bit which helps bring them back to life as well!
 
Haha yeah my bank account is pretty displeased...

Its fairly mixed, some are very worn some will stand on edge. They've also been cleaned quite a bit which helps bring them back to life as well!

I see. How much would you say is a fair price for 1s and 5s of those conditions?
 
I see. How much would you say is a fair price for 1s and 5s of those conditions?
Primaries? Between .80 to .90 per chip for the worn $1, mint $1s I really can't tell you I havent seen enough of them sell but personally I'd be willing to pay up to $250 a rack for them. Primary $5s worn between $1 and $2 per chip. Better condition around $3 per chip, they're much harder to find as well. Mind you this is my personal opinion so others prices may vary.
 
Primaries? Between .80 to .90 per chip for the worn $1, mint $1s I really can't tell you I havent seen enough of them sell but personally I'd be willing to pay up to $250 a rack for them. Primary $5s worn between $1 and $2 per chip. Better condition around $3 per chip, they're much harder to find as well. Mind you this is my personal opinion so others prices may vary.

No worries! Thank you for sharing!
 
Surely PCA primaries aren't going for anywhere near $2 a chip. That's insane. I can't even find a word for paying $300 for a rack of primary $5s.

You couldn't give those away for $0.40 a chip 10 years ago.

Plenty of mint chips available for those prices. Take your time op. Don't jump in and overpay for bike tyres for the sake of hastiness. Patience is your friend.

Here are some previous sale prices, which are in line with what id expect for primaries.
Screenshot_20200220_211912.jpg
 
Surely PCA primaries aren't going for anywhere near $2 a chip. That's insane. I can't even find a word for paying $300 for a rack of primary $5s.

You couldn't give those away for $0.40 a chip 10 years ago.

Plenty of mint chips available for those prices. Take your time op. Don't jump in and overpay for bike tyres for the sake of hastiness. Patience is your friend.

Here are some previous sale prices, which are in line with what id expect for primaries.
View attachment 410669
FWIW I was referring to mint primary 5s at that price. Never seen any sell.
 
Surely PCA primaries aren't going for anywhere near $2 a chip. That's insane. I can't even find a word for paying $300 for a rack of primary $5s.

You couldn't give those away for $0.40 a chip 10 years ago.

Plenty of mint chips available for those prices. Take your time op. Don't jump in and overpay for bike tyres for the sake of hastiness. Patience is your friend.

Here are some previous sale prices, which are in line with what id expect for primaries.
View attachment 410669

Eye opening advice! Hopefully more of these opportunities come up in the future
 
Surely PCA primaries aren't going for anywhere near $2 a chip. That's insane.
All depends on denomination and condition:
  • 50c decent condition sell for $2+, mint for $3.
  • $1 decent condition sell for $2+, mint for $4.
  • $5 typical used condition sell for $1, never seen any mint.
  • $25 decent condition sell for $1.50
  • $100 typical excellent condition sell for $3-$4.
  • $500 typical excellent condition sell for $22-$25.
Mint secondaries are a LOT more expensive, except for the $1 chips.
 

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