# Pawn Stars destroy stolen coin collection. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawn-stars-destroy-stolen-coin-collection/683633 "2014-03-13T18:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawn-stars-destroy-stolen-coin-collection/683633/61 "2014-03-14T19:59:52Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > They’re not as liquid, there’s a cost to storing/grading/selling them, and the additional collectors value is minor compared to the melt value. They are every bit as liquid, if not more so! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawn-stars-destroy-stolen-coin-collection/683633/62 "2014-03-14T20:04:11Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > They are every bit as liquid, if not more so! Nah, they’re definitely more liquid when they’re melted. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawn-stars-destroy-stolen-coin-collection/683633/63 "2014-03-14T20:48:34Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > Who says they have to be graded? Almost all gold coins are worth more than melt value, unless badly worn. I doubt this is true for recently produced gold coins (Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, Pandas, etc) which are probably the majority of the gold coins in existence. Very few gold coins are old and rare enough to be valuable as collectors. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawn-stars-destroy-stolen-coin-collection/683633/64 "2014-03-14T23:56:10Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > I don’t understand why they were melted. Almost all gold coins have some value greater than the bullion value, and even the bullion coins have the same value without melting. Why melt them? > [@Melchior](#): > > The coins are worth more though, almost certainly, as coins. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I believe it makes them untraceable. > [@Telemark](#): > > They’re not as liquid, there’s a cost to storing/grading/selling them, and the additional collectors value is minor compared to the melt value. > [@Melchior](#): > > Who says they have to be graded? Almost all gold coins are worth more than melt value, unless badly worn. > [@Melchior](#): > > They are every bit as liquid, if not more so! > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I doubt this is true for recently produced gold coins (Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, Pandas, etc) which are probably the majority of the gold coins in existence. Very few gold coins are old and rare enough to be valuable as collectors. IMHO, **IF** the pawn shop melted the coins, they got less for them they could have by reselling them in their unmelted form. IMHO, they **didn’t** melt them, they only said they did to avoid losing their money spent/profit. There are hundreds of thousands of U.S. gold coins minted before 1933 which still exist and are worth more than their melt value. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawn-stars-destroy-stolen-coin-collection/683633.md?page=3)