Sales Appraisals: Deciding When and Why to Sell
Sales appraisals exist to answer a single question clearly and without momentum: should this coin be sold at all—and if so, why now?
They are not about execution, venues, or market mechanics. They are about decision clarity.
Within the Perspectives framework, sales appraisals sit upstream of consignment and downstream of long-term stewardship.
What a Sales Appraisal Is (and Is Not)
A Sales Appraisal Is Not:
• A price guide lookup
• A venue recommendation
• A prediction of auction results
• A commitment to sell
A Sales Appraisal Is:
• A decision-focused evaluation
• A test of sell vs. hold vs. redeploy
• A strategic assessment of timing and opportunity cost
• A way to slow down emotionally driven decisions
When a Sales Appraisal Is Appropriate
A sales appraisal is most useful when:
• A coin’s role in a collection has changed
• Capital may be better deployed elsewhere
• Market movement creates pressure to “do something”
• A collection is being refined or upgraded
• Emotional attachment and strategy are in conflict
Sales Appraisals Within the Stewardship Framework
Sales appraisals occupy the decision layer of the stewardship framework.
They prioritize intent, timing, opportunity cost, and collection strategy, while explicitly avoiding execution mechanics.
Why you need a sales appraisal.
For collectors weighing whether to sell, the short video below explains how sales appraisals focus on decision clarity rather than transaction mechanics.
Overview of the sales appraisal approach, centered on disposition decisions and strategic timing.
What Sales Appraisals Optimize For
Sales appraisals are optimized to produce:
• A clear sell / hold / defer recommendation
• Context for why a sale would or would not make sense
• Alignment with broader collecting goals
• Fewer regret-driven decisions
What Sales Appraisals Intentionally Ignore
Sales appraisals intentionally avoid:
• Venue selection
• Hammer price speculation
• Net proceeds modeling
• Execution sequencing
Sales vs. Consignment: The Critical Distinction
A sales appraisal answers the question: should this coin be sold?
A consignment appraisal answers the question: how should it be sold?
Separating these steps prevents decision-making from being distorted by execution mechanics.
Sales appraisals are one expression of the broader stewardship framework outlined in our Perspectives essay on collecting with intent.
