I am a bitcoin noob who happens to have an unpeeled Series 1 Casascius coin with the spelling error hologram, and I'm looking to sell it for slightly more BTC than face value (Someone on Reddit told me it may be worth 1.3btc).
Error coin, nice! You should share some pics. There's nothing on the coin or it's hologram label hologram up that is sensitive information.
I've never sold a Cas coin, only bought, but i've followed the market quite a bit over the years.
- How do I make contact with an Escrow, and who to trust?
Here's the list of reputable escrow providers:
★LIST★ BitcoinTalk's ESCROW Providers- How do I prove my own trustworthiness and coin legitimacy
You need to provide pictures of the going - both sides, high quality, the more the better. In the past people would get these coins graded but i'm not sure that happens much anymore and it's not required for you to sell your coin.
There is a site where we can verify that your coin is loaded with BTC, just go to
Casascius.uberbills.com and enter the prefix of the address found on the hologram. This will verify that the coin's address still contains BTC.
- How do physical hand-offs work in Corona-time?
Latest health official guidance is that coronavirus can't contaminate objects as originally thought at the start of the pandemic. BUT...buy a plastic coin case (from any coin shop) to put your coin in if you want to protect/preserve any germs from getting on the coin. Allows anyone to sterilize the outside of the case as they deem appropriate.
- How long should I expect it to take?
This is a big sale, be patient with the timing. The escrow provider can also help you with writing the post or running the auction, if you want them to. Most auctions come with a duration, however you could set a minimum sale price at the start to ensure your upside.
- What scams should I look out for as a noob?
Don't buy or sell via eBay, nor in person. eBay is easier for sellers but you aren't totally protected from not getting paid. And if you meet someone in person you could get killed...there were stories years ago about people getting robbed when meeting in person to sell bitcoin.
If you keep your deal at bitcointalk and use one of the reputable escrow providers you'll be in good hands.
Good luck to you!