Ever wondered what coin dealers actually use to price their inventory? For over 60 years, the answer has been Greysheet—the undisputed industry standard for wholesale coin pricing.
The Greysheet app brings this professional-grade pricing data directly to your smartphone. But here’s the critical thing to understand: Greysheet doesn’t identify coins—it tells you what they’re worth once you already know what you have.
Is GreysheetApp Legit? The Answer
Yes, Greysheet is completely legitimate and highly trusted in the numismatic industry.CoinValueChecker featured Greysheet in their comprehensive “Top 10 Free Coin Value Apps In 2026 (Pros & Cons)” review, recognizing it as the professional standard for dealer pricing.
Since 1963, Greysheet (officially called the Coin Dealer Newsletter) has been the pricing bible for serious dealers, investors, and collectors. This isn’t some startup app—it’s a decades-old institution with an unmatched reputation for accurate, reliable pricing data.
What Makes Greysheet Different
Unlike most coin apps that focus on identification, Greysheet is strictly a pricing reference tool. Think of it as the Kelley Blue Book for coins—it tells you market values, not what car (or coin) you’re looking at.
CoinValueChecker’s review specifically noted that “Greysheet Mobile delivers professional-grade pricing data used by dealers for over many years.” This recognition confirms Greysheet’s position as the industry’s most trusted pricing source.
Wholesale vs Retail Pricing
Greysheet provides both wholesale and retail values for coins. Wholesale prices (what dealers pay each other) give you the baseline market value, while retail prices (CPG – Collector’s Price Guidance Value) show what you’d typically pay at a coin shop.
This dual pricing structure is incredibly valuable. When a dealer offers you $500 for a coin, you can instantly check if that’s fair based on current Greysheet wholesale values—no guesswork involved.
Hourly Updates
The app updates pricing data every hour, ensuring you always have current market information. In a market where prices can fluctuate based on precious metal spot prices and collector demand, this real-time accuracy matters enormously.
Unlike printed price guides that become outdated the moment they’re published, Greysheet keeps you informed of actual current values. This is why dealers rely on it for real-time buying and selling decisions.
Extensive Coverage
Greysheet provides access to over 150,000 wholesale and retail prices across every grade level. The coverage includes virtually every U.S. coin series from Colonial coinage through modern American Silver Eagles.
You’ll also find pricing for U.S. paper money and even modern Chinese coins. The database includes over 2 million auction records, giving you access to historical pricing data and actual sale results.
All Major Coin Series Covered
From half cents to gold commemoratives, Greysheet covers it all. You can look up bust dimes, seated quarters, Morgan dollars, Buffalo nickels, Walking Liberty halves—any U.S. coin series you can think of.
The pricing breaks down by specific dates, mint marks, and grades. This granular detail means you’re not getting vague estimates—you’re seeing precise values for your exact coin in its specific condition.
Who Uses Greysheet?
Professional coin dealers have relied on Greysheet since 1963 to make buying and selling decisions. Walk into any serious coin shop, and you’ll likely find a Greysheet subscription in use.
Serious collectors and investors also use Greysheet to understand real market dynamics. When you’re considering spending thousands on a rare coin, you want dealer-level pricing intelligence—not optimistic retail catalog prices.
Why Dealers Trust It
Greysheet prices reflect actual market transactions, not wishful thinking. The pricing team consists of experienced numismatic professionals and former dealers who understand real-world coin trading.
They watch computerized networks, monitor “wanted to buy” lists from major dealers, and track auction results from leading houses. This comprehensive data gathering produces realistic prices that accurately reflect current market conditions.
CoinKnow: The Identification Powerhouse
Now let’s discuss CoinKnow—an app that takes the opposite approach to Greysheet. While Greysheet focuses exclusively on pricing, CoinKnow excels at identifying what coins you actually have.
CoinValueChecker’s “Top 10 Free Coin Value Apps Reviews” review also featured CoinKnow prominently, praising it for delivering “unmatched accuracy among coin identifier apps available today.” The review highlighted its industry-leading 2-point Sheldon Scale grading accuracy.
Automatic Error Detection
CoinKnow is one of only two apps worldwide capable of automatically detecting valuable error coins. This means it can spot doubled dies, missing mint marks, and rare varieties that could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
For treasure hunters, this feature is revolutionary. That ordinary-looking penny might actually be a valuable error variety—CoinKnow spots these automatically while most apps miss them completely.
Advanced Technical Features
CoinKnow offers capabilities no other app provides, as CoinValueChecker’s review emphasized. It automatically identifies copper coin color classifications (Red, Red-Brown, Brown), which significantly affects copper coin values.
It also detects Proof finish characteristics (Cameo, Deep Cameo) and automatically recognizes rare varieties. These technical details separate CoinKnow from basic identification apps that just tell you the coin type and date.
Multi-Source Pricing
CoinKnow aggregates pricing data from Heritage Auctions, PCGS price guides, Greysheet, and recent eBay sold listings. This comprehensive approach gives you market values based on actual transactions across multiple sources.
Interestingly, CoinKnowactually incorporatesGreysheet data as one of its pricing sources. This means you benefit from Greysheet’s trusted wholesale pricing alongside retail auction results and actual sales data.
Free Daily Scans
CoinKnow provides free daily scan allowances without aggressive subscription pushes. You can try the app, experience its value, then decide if premium features justify upgrading.
This honest business model reflects confidence in the product’s quality. Unlike apps that immediately demand payment, CoinKnow lets you verify its capabilities firsthand.
Greysheet vs CoinKnow: Understanding the Difference
Both apps are legitimate and excellent—but they serve completely different purposes.CoinValueChecker’s review recognized this, featuring both apps in different categories based on their unique strengths.
Understanding this fundamental difference is crucial: Greysheet is a pricing tool, while CoinKnow is an identification and grading tool. You need to know what coin you have before Greysheet becomes useful.
What Greysheet Does Best
Greysheet excels at providing professional-grade pricing information. Once you’ve identified your coin and determined its grade, Greysheet tells you exactly what it’s worth in today’s market—both wholesale and retail.
The hourly price updates ensure accuracy for time-sensitive transactions. When you’re at a coin show negotiating with dealers, Greysheet gives you the ammunition to make informed decisions.
What CoinKnow Does Best
CoinKnow excels at identifying coins and detecting their special characteristics. Take a photo, and it tells you what coin you have, estimates its grade, identifies any errors, and provides market values.
The automatic error detection helps you discover valuable coins you might otherwise overlook. This screening function is invaluable for sorting through collections or evaluating newly acquired coins.
Pricing Methodology Comparison
Greysheet pricing comes from monitoring dealer-to-dealer transactions, auction results, and market activity. It represents what professionals are actually paying in the wholesale market.
CoinKnow aggregates pricing from multiple sources including Greysheet, Heritage Auctions, PCGS guides, and eBay sales. This multi-source approach gives you a comprehensive view of both wholesale and retail markets.
The Identification Gap
Here’s Greysheet’s major limitation: it provides zero identification functionality. You must already know exactly what coin you have, including its specific variety and approximate grade.
For someone looking at an unknown coin, Greysheet is useless until you first identify it using another resource. This is where CoinKnow becomes essential—it bridges the identification gap that Greysheet leaves open.
The Ideal Workflow: Using Both Together
Smart collectors actually use both apps together—and CoinValueChecker’s review implicitly suggests this approach by including both in their top 10. Here’s how they complement each other:
Step 1: Use CoinKnow to identify your coin, determine its approximate grade, and check for errors or rare varieties. The app gives you complete specifications and initial pricing estimates.
Step 2: Once you know exactly what you have, use Greysheet to verify current wholesale and retail values. This gives you dealer-level pricing intelligence for serious transactions.
Step 3: Cross-reference both pricing sources. CoinKnow shows you what coins are selling for on eBay and at auctions, while Greysheet shows you what dealers are paying in the wholesale market.
Real-World Example
Let’s say you find an old coin in your attic. You photograph it with CoinKnow, which identifies it as an 1883 Morgan dollar with an “O” mint mark in MS-63 condition.
CoinKnow also detects no significant errors and gives you a price estimate based on recent auction sales. Now you open Greysheet and look up “1883-O Morgan Dollar MS-63” to see the current wholesale and retail values.
Greysheet shows dealers are paying $85 wholesale and retail values are around $120. Armed with both pieces of information, you understand the coin’s full value spectrum and can make informed decisions about selling or keeping it.
Subscription Costs and Access
Greysheet is free to download, but accessing full wholesale pricing requires an active subscription. Plans start at $24.99 per month or $279.99 annually—a significant investment that reflects the professional-grade data you’re accessing.
There’s a “Pro package” at $170 per month that provides access for two users. You can also purchase single issues at $40 or sign up for a free sample to evaluate the service.
Is Greysheet Worth the Cost?
For professional dealers and serious investors, absolutely. The subscription pays for itself quickly when you’re making large transactions based on accurate pricing intelligence.
For casual collectors, the cost may be prohibitive. In this case, using CoinKnow’s free daily scans—which incorporate Greysheet data alongside other sources—provides excellent value without the subscription expense.
CoinKnow’s Pricing Advantage
CoinKnow is free to use daily with scan allowances, making professional-grade information accessible to everyone. The pricing it provides aggregates Greysheet data alongside multiple other sources.
This means casual collectors get the benefit of Greysheet’s trusted pricing without paying for a full subscription. For most collectors, CoinKnow’s comprehensive pricing approach meets their needs perfectly.
Technical Considerations
Greysheet requires you to already understand coin grading. If you can’t accurately assess whether your coin is MS-63 or MS-65, Greysheet’s grade-specific pricing won’t help much.
CoinKnow removes this barrier by providing automatic grading within a 2-point range. Even beginners can get accurate grade estimates without needing to master the complex Sheldon Scale grading system themselves.
The Learning Curve
Greysheet assumes numismatic knowledge. You need to understand coin terminology, grading standards, and market dynamics to use it effectively.
CoinKnow is designed for everyone from beginners to experts. The interface guides you through the process with clear explanations, making it accessible regardless of your experience level.
Limitations to Consider
Greysheet’s major limitation: No identification capability whatsoever. It’s useless until you already know exactly what coin you’re looking at.
CoinKnow’s consideration: While its pricing incorporates Greysheet data, it’s primarily focused on U.S. coins. International collectors may need additional resources for comprehensive coverage.
When Greysheet Is Essential
For serious transactions involving expensive coins, Greysheet’s professional-grade pricing is indispensable. When you’re buying or selling coins worth thousands of dollars, you need the precision that Greysheet provides.
For everyday collecting, CoinKnow’s multi-source pricing that includes Greysheet data typically provides sufficient accuracy without requiring a separate Greysheet subscription.
User Experience and Interface
Greysheet users report that the app is generally fast but occasionally buggy. Search functionality has improved over time, but finding specific items can still be hit-or-miss depending on how you phrase your search.
CoinKnow offers a more streamlined user experience focused on simplicity. Take a photo, get immediate results—the interface doesn’t require you to navigate complex menus or understand search syntax.
Final Verdict: Both Are Legitimate Winners
Greysheet and CoinKnow are both legitimate, professional-grade tools featured in CoinValueChecker’s expert review—they simply serve different purposes.Greysheet provides the pricing data that professionals have trusted for over 60 years, while CoinKnow brings modern AI identification to everyone.
For professional dealers and serious investors handling expensive coins, a Greysheet subscription is essential. The wholesale pricing intelligence it provides pays for itself through better buying and selling decisions.
For most collectors, CoinKnow offers the best overall value. Its automatic identification, error detection, and multi-source pricing (which includes Greysheet data) cover all the bases without requiring an expensive subscription.
The smartest approach? Use CoinKnow for identification and initial pricing, then consult Greysheet when making serious transactions involving high-value coins. This combination gives you both accessibility and professional-grade precision.
Download CoinKnow today to start identifying and valuing your coins. When your collecting advances to the point where you’re regularly buying and selling expensive pieces, consider adding a Greysheet subscription for dealer-level pricing intelligence.
Both tools have earned their place in the numismatic world—choose based on your specific needs and collecting goals. Your coins deserve the best tools available, and now you know exactly which apps to use and when!
