The two rules that protect you: (1) Know roughly what you have before you sell — start with melt values and the key dates list. (2) Always get at least two quotes. The spread between offers on the same collection is routinely hundreds of dollars.
1. Local coin and bullion dealers
The fastest route: walk in, walk out with money. Most established dealers give free estimates. Expect common-date circulated silver to be bought at a percentage under melt value — that's the dealer's margin, and it's normal — but a dealer should pay real premiums for key dates and better-grade material. If a shop offers melt (or less) for a coin on the key dates list, leave and get the second quote.
2. Auctions and consignment
For genuinely valuable pieces — key dates, high grades, quality modern collector coins — auction or consignment through an established Canadian numismatic auction house (Ontario's Colonial Acres is one well-known example) usually beats a dealer's outright offer, at the cost of time and a seller's commission. This is the right route for anything worth four figures.
3. Selling online yourself
eBay reaches the most buyers, and its sold listings (not asking prices) are the best free price research there is. The trade-offs are fees, shipping risk, and your time: photograph both sides honestly, describe condition conservatively, ship tracked and insured, and never ship before payment clears. Facebook Marketplace and local classifieds avoid fees but mean meeting strangers with valuable items — meet in a public place, ideally a bank or police-station safe-exchange zone.
Mistakes that cost real money
Cleaning coins. Never. A cleaned coin loses most of its collector premium instantly and permanently. Handle silver by the edges, and store better pieces in holders (supplies guide).
Selling the whole box unsorted. Ten minutes with the key dates list can separate a $40 coin from a $900 one. Bulk offers price everything as if it were common.
Trusting asking prices. A coin listed at $3,000 that never sells is not worth $3,000. Sold listings and dealer quotes are the numbers that matter.
Rushing an inherited collection. Estates are where the worst deals happen. Get the collection identified first — the information is free, and it doesn't expire.