@keets said: The buyer has the right to be "particular" (no spots, no chatter, etc...)...but they should sell the same quality they are demanding.
this is a knife that cuts both ways. there seem to be plenty of members here who put a high expectation on the quality and sheer number of good coins that should be available to them in Coin Shops and Pawn Shops, yet there are many who take "junk" to these same locations. Coin Shops in general and Pawn Shops in particular have become a dumping ground for the Hobby. collectors created the mess they like to complain about.
This is true.
I'd also add to it: notice how many people in this thread say that they haven't even been in a coin store in YEARS. How long is the owner/dealer supposed to keep premium items in the case waiting for you to show up?
Agreed.
In my case, I don't and never did have any expectation that dealers would or will have what I want to buy, even in quality which doesn't satisfy most contributors here. The coins I collect are usually too hard to find.
Even when was much younger and visited coin shops regularly in the 1970's, I still didn't see the US coins that many (and maybe most) contributors here want to buy. It was somewhat different because of a difference in quality preference but I suspect that the quality bought by many on this forum was essentially never available in an LCS.
When I walk into a coin shop, it seems I always encounter someone who acts as if I've interrupted his television program.
"What can I get you?" witha blank stare.
As if I instead walked up to a bar for a drink.
I don't know.
Do any of you walk into a coin shop with a shopping list? Every time I go to one, it is to browse and see what they've got. Not as easy as picking up milk on the way home from work.
Have we as a society lost the art of communication?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
@keets said:
two Women came into the shop yesterday. they had a lot of questions about Doubled Dies, OMM and stuff like that. I answered questions and one of them kept saying "I need to study and learn more" as I tried to help in that direction. I showed them a CPG but said we had none for sale, showed them a copy of "PhotoGrade" which we have copies of and the didn't buy one. apparently they want to be taught but aren't willing to learn.
there comes a point when time at the counter is "wasted time" and I am probably there with these two. they have been in a few times and yesterday was an example of how it usually goes.
another aspect touched on in this thread --- members say they are infrequent customers. the state of things right now is simple to understand: things are SLOW so owners will buy and pay fair/strong if they have a home for something, otherwise you should expect a free ride on the lowball express.
that is everybody's fault and nobody's fault, it is just the real truth about how things are right now. collectors should have fun at the multitude of shows and enjoy the leisure of shopping online in the convenience of their home. then come to sites like this in 10 years(if it's still here) and complain about Coin Shops.
welcome to The Truth.
There's also the "every collector is a dealer" problem. How many people on this forum are even willing to sell material to a B&M dealer? Even if the dealer is paying more than BST (often) or working on a 10% or less margin (beat that GC, Heritage, or Stack's), a lot of collectors feel they can wring an extra few dollars by retailing it themselves on BST or eBay or consigning it to GC.
We used to learn so much from knowledgeable dealer/friends when we started out. All of this trading at a distance is fine. I do it. But how many people are buying fakes or worthless crap because they LOVE Instagram coins but don't know enough about coins and haven't seen enough of them in person?
We have a thread running now where a Forum member bought some horribly cleaned coins and submitted them to PCGS only to find out they were horribly cleaned. That wouldn't happen so easily in the old days where he might have spent hours in the local B&M learning and where he likely would have submitted through the B&M and learned that the coins would not grade. [Yes, yes, there were/are bad dealers out there. Find a good one and work with him or her.]
@DCW said:
When I walk into a coin shop, it seems I always encounter someone who acts as if I've interrupted his television program.
"What can I get you?" witha blank stare.
As if I instead walked up to a bar for a drink.
I don't know.
Do any of you walk into a coin shop with a shopping list? Every time I go to one, it is to browse and see what they've got. Not as easy as picking up milk on the way home from work.
Have we as a society lost the art of communication?
I have similar experiences at a coin show. I’ll walk up to a table and within a nanosecond I’m asked if I can help you or I’ll be looking at something and trying to get the dealers attention while he’s reading the newspaper or texting is an act of god.
One of the reasons people start their own coin businesses is to be their own boss. This means you're going to encounter lots of different personality types. Interactions with shop owners are going to be completely different than with corporate Total Quality Organization trained employees. You can either accept this reality or not.
"SPOTS" are a bigger deal now than they used to be. Wholesalers buy spotted gold coins for deep discounts, even one spot. The coin shop I frequent sells these coins at a discount also...
@thebigeng said:
"SPOTS" are a bigger deal now than they used to be. Wholesalers buy spotted gold coins for deep discounts, even one spot. The coin shop I frequent sells these coins at a discount also...
They should NOT affect the price of a bullion coin. So, minor price difference on a 64 (which is barely above bullion). But the hazy 63 still got way underbid.
@thebigeng said:
"SPOTS" are a bigger deal now than they used to be. Wholesalers buy spotted gold coins for deep discounts, even one spot. The coin shop I frequent sells these coins at a discount also...
They should NOT affect the price of a bullion coin. So, minor price difference on a 64 (which is barely above bullion). But the hazy 63 still got way underbid.
The spread between an VF saint and one in 63 is about $30. The slabbing cost. Ask any observer of low-end gold and they'll note the compression towards intrinsic (melt) value on $5's. $10's and $20's. Translation - there is no wholesale market for these items except at very tight spreads. Spots don't matter much unless they're horrible, and dip is cheap if you want to take the time to flip a coin up, but wholesale quality is in tubes, not slabs
The "no spots" merchandising and $20M+ Blanchard/Heritage lawsuit are 15 years past.
It's somewhat ironic that some "micro-carbon" on gold, formerly anathema to some uneducated buyers, is now acceptable because CAC, recognizing it as natural, accepts it as part of the gestalt of "original".
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Geo. Orwell
Sorry to dig up an old thread but we had two local shops for several years. One I guess went out of business because the unit he rented is empty as of a year ago. If you were there to just buy a few raw cheap coins he acted annoyed. If you came in ready to drop $500+ he treated you like royalty, but overall, he was known by dealers and collectors alike in the area as being unfriendly.
One still remains and he has a nice stock of coins if you're looking to buy raw for an album or buying some common coin in a PCI or ANACS slab. He also has a ton of silver bullion. Always a bag full of Morgans and Peace and stacks of ASEs. I sold him an 1818 large cent in a MS63 PCGS slab a couple of months ago and he told me that it was the best coin to walk into his shop in awhile. When he does get good slabbed coins he told me they get bought pretty quick. He's in his mid 80s now so not sure how long he plans to keep going, but once he shuts it down there probably isn't another one within an hour of my house.
Oh, let me add that in his display case he had really nice slabbed coins about 15 years ago. Nothing too expensive but usually full of a few dozen coins in the $250-1,000 range. Now that same case is full of proof sets between 2000-present. He said he no longer displays good stuff, first because of safety but also because the good stuff doesn't walk in that much anymore. Most of his business is just bullion anymore.
I stopped into a coin shop yesterday here in Denver for the first time. Normally when I try a new shop I feel a bit intimidated for whatever reason, It's always some older guys that see a younger guy and just dont give me the time of day or could care less to answer my questions. This shop on the other hand had about 6-7 employees make and female, I was greeted by a few when I entered and made me feel comfortable. Overall experience was excellent. As for there current inventory its was very well mixed and very full of coins and supplies alike. Quite a few older dollars, flowing hairs, draped bust, big selection of old halves, dimes and lots of old gold. Anyways the store was full of coins and merchandise wall to wall and I was happy with the experience and will definitely be back.
Jim
Collect raw morgans, walkers, mercs, SLQ, barber q. Looking at getting into earlier date coins pre 1900s.
The lcs that I patronize is the best. The owner is connected to our collecting community thru many organizations. He puts out a detailed newsletter every Thursday evening at 7pm. His shop has an eclectic inventory, a reference library and a Keurig. Doelger World of coins Warren NJ. And he's a veteran like me. Peace Roy
Coin shops can be absolutely crazy places. There was one in Bellevue, WA that went out of biz about 10 years ago. Place looked like an atom bomb went off. Stacks of dusty comic books, boxes of old baseball cards here and there, and silver rounds, modern proof sets, and some junk silver piled up under the glass countertop. So much junk was piled on the glass countertop you could hardly see inside. I think the place also did clock repair, as there were always cuckoo clocks scattered about. The entire place seemed to have an unhealthy amount of dust floating around. Foggy in there. I think you get the picture.
The funny thing was the 50-ish year old guy who ran the place (the owner I assume) also bet the horses. He’d be betting and watching races on his computer all day, at least anytime I walked it. If you walked in while a race was underway, he’d completely ignore you. If the race was over, he’d also completely ignore you as he was busy handicapping the next race. It was comical.
I wonder why he went out of business?
Dave
Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
The LCS in the Denver area vary in experience, but two (one in Denver and one in nearby Loveland) are extremely friendly, ready to buy/sell coins and bullion and even other collectibles, are always available and open when their hours indicate, and also attend local shows, and even several larger out-of-state shows.
Their inventory varies, by what walks in the door and what they pick up at the shows. Both of these two shops are willing to fill out want lists, and are accommodating to customers they know and do regular business with, but also to newcomers alike. This includes education on coins, what the customers have or don't have in their possession, and always make fair offers. There are a couple other shops in the Denver metro area that from limited experience could also fit in this category, so in these parts, the LCS folks are vibrant and not at all like some others' experience.
I would say that having attended big shows frequently over the past few years, it's not my local LCS shops that suffer from irritable old coin dealer syndrome, but the shows themselves. It boggles my mind at the lack of friendliness, attention, or even common courtesy from a hefty chunk of those dealing on the bourse floor. I don't expect a red carpet, but a greeting might be nice once in a while. I mean, when it's left to the lonely wife/spouse to greet you because the dealer can't be bothered to look up from whatever they're doing (and I don't include conducting business with another customer or pricing/working a deal in this), that's pretty sad. Then some folks come on this forum and complain about the death of the hobby, when collectors like myself--40, sizable collection, willingness to buy for collecting pleasure--can't get the time of day.
That leaves my business for the LCS folks here, the great dealers at shows who do show interest in customers other than their buddies or wholesale purchasers, and others I've networked with across the country through shows and Facebook/Instagram.
Returning to the OP, the LCS here may not have everything under the sun, but I think the larger Denver area does have some quality LCS remaining, and that may have to do with the age of the owners/employees, and a good supply of collections, estates, etc. that walk in their stores or to the shows on a regular basis.
GSAs, OBW rolls, Seated, Walkers. Anything old and Colorado-focused, CO nationals.
I don't bother with brick and mortar shops.
The nearest one to me well the guy is just a miserable SOB.
I find that most coin shops/dealers if you are buying..."you couldn't fine a better one anyplace at this (HIGH) price"
now if your selling..."That's the worst piece of crap, I'll do you a favor and give you X (LOW BALL) dollars for it.
I would say that having attended big shows frequently over the past few years, it's not my local LCS shops that suffer from irritable old coin dealer syndrome, but the shows themselves. It boggles my mind at the lack of friendliness, attention, or even common courtesy from a hefty chunk of those dealing on the bourse floor. I don't expect a red carpet, but a greeting might be nice once in a while. I mean, when it's left to the lonely wife/spouse to greet you because the dealer can't be bothered to look up from whatever they're doing (and I don't include conducting business with another customer or pricing/working a deal in this), that's pretty sad. Then some folks come on this forum and complain about the death of the hobby, when collectors like myself--40, sizable collection, willingness to buy for collecting pleasure--can't get the time of day.
RMP
While I agreed generally with your assessment, I hv no qualm with dealing with the owner's "assistant" first knowingly that probably 90% of us are just browsing around.
You hv to realize getting to and setting up a road show takes lot of coordination and energy. After all said and done, they then still hv to deal with the constant security and "walk in" thruout the day.
I know I'll be exhausted if I give each and every walk-in a VIP treatment within an hour's time.
@Cougar1978 said:
I have found coin shop offers can vary based on the particular dealership and impact of market conditions.
For me if operating one quick inventory turnover, competitive prices, good cash flow, positive experience for customers important.
The 2 major shops near me (recommended) US Coins on Katy Fwy (Kenny) and Royal Coins.
Second that on both dealers. Royal Coins comes to the San Antonio shows, they have always been friendly and have some good inventory, thought I've never visited their shop in Houston.
US Coins is very worthy stop, they have all kinds of stuff in there - in fact I'm likely making a stop there tomorrow during a weekend road trip.
I don't usually complain about other shops and dealers, but if I do.... it is in their face. Backstabbing and whining online isn't where my effective communications happen. Unlike our leaders.
I would say that having attended big shows frequently over the past few years, it's not my local LCS shops that suffer from irritable old coin dealer syndrome, but the shows themselves. It boggles my mind at the lack of friendliness, attention, or even common courtesy from a hefty chunk of those dealing on the bourse floor. I don't expect a red carpet, but a greeting might be nice once in a while. I mean, when it's left to the lonely wife/spouse to greet you because the dealer can't be bothered to look up from whatever they're doing (and I don't include conducting business with another customer or pricing/working a deal in this), that's pretty sad. Then some folks come on this forum and complain about the death of the hobby, when collectors like myself--40, sizable collection, willingness to buy for collecting pleasure--can't get the time of day.
RMP
While I agreed generally with your assessment, I hv no qualm with dealing with the owner's "assistant" first knowingly that probably 90% of us are just browsing around.
You hv to realize getting to and setting up a road show takes lot of coordination and energy. After all said and done, they then still hv to deal with the constant security and "walk in" thruout the day.
I know I'll be exhausted if I give each and every walk-in a VIP treatment within an hour's time.
No need for VIP treatment, as I said. But a basic, "Hello, how can I help/what are you looking for?" would be nice.
This is literally your job. You set up at shows to sell. When someone walks by and isn't even given a basic greeting, you lose sales.
I bought plenty at Long Beach from dealers who interacted, and have made follow up purchases. I bought nothing from the ones who didn't.
If that's their business model, well then, I hope it works out. But then bitching later about the lack of retail business, or the lack of foot traffic, or a dying hobby, yada yada yada doesn't really sit well with me, nor the other collectors who have all had similar experiences. And to boot, several dealers at Long Beach (just citing the most recent example of my attendance) indicated to me that they get the same treatment, and these folks are long established frequent regulars at the shows.
There is a certain strain, or subset of this hobby, both dealers and collectors alike, who are, for the lack of a better term, anti-social. It's not a generalization, as there are plenty of great, affable, friendly, willing-to-educate folks who I'm more than pleased to do business with and have turned into friends.
Denver is blessed with a couple of these latter types who are sociable dealers willing to go the extra mile for their customers and also happen to have thriving LCS brick and mortar storefronts.
That may not be the case elsewhere, which is a pity. But I think that some of the folks here could use some feedback on how their attitude, if nothing else, does absolutely nothing for the hobby, or their own business.
To each their own.
GSAs, OBW rolls, Seated, Walkers. Anything old and Colorado-focused, CO nationals.
@RockyMtnProspector said:
When someone walks by and isn't even given a basic greeting, you lose sales.
The other side of the coin (as it were) is that some people (like me, for example) don't take it personally when they're not greeted with a "What are you looking for?" inquiry at every table I stop at, and would actually prefer no comment at all. I'm okay with the dealer just hanging back and waiting until I let him know I have a question.
Sucks for dealers, though- damned if you do, damned if you don't.
@No Headlights said:
We have a great local shop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa run by a young gentleman that treats people fairly and with courtesy. He has a very nice selection of a wide array of coins and some currency. If you are close it’s worth the trip. All American coins and Bullion. Alex Ralston is the owner. I have always felt welcome. Hope he stays in business
There is another great shop in Hiawatha, IA. Iowa is fortunate.
@RockyMtnProspector said:
When someone walks by and isn't even given a basic greeting, you lose sales.
The other side of the coin (as it were) is that some people (like me, for example) don't take it personally when they're not greeted with a "What are you looking for?" inquiry at every table I stop at, and would actually prefer no comment at all. I'm okay with the dealer just hanging back and waiting until I let him know I have a question.
Sucks for dealers, though- damned if you do, damned if you don't.
In a business based on sales, a basic greeting should be offered. And besides, when I hover for several minutes and you can't acknowledge my basic existence, then yes, my pocketbook can walk on by and offer sales to the other dealers more than happy to spare 5 seconds of their time.
As an example, a dealer who posts here reached out after my earlier comment, struck up a conversation, and now I'm sending a want list.
This is so basic, common sense stuff that it boggles my mind that it just isn't done. Oh well, as I said, to each their own!
GSAs, OBW rolls, Seated, Walkers. Anything old and Colorado-focused, CO nationals.
Shops vary in their management and strategy. I have never had any problem in having them show me something I am interested in.
Newbs not familiar with how the coin business is run may not be familiar with the territory.
Shops have considerable overhead and the owners have to deal with many risks. They generally are not going to waste lots of time with someone who is not a serious buyer or seller especially if there are other customers in the store. One has to gauge the shop to evaluate it fit with their goals. At a show I give customers a chance to view my inventory while I gauge them many do not want to be disturbed or quickly making their rounds. Frequently I will ask “can I show you something” if the person seems interested. Or sometimes a question about what do they collect or how has their show been. At a recent show I had a box of slabs stacked 6 deep in it inside one of my cases with a sign “all coins $1 to $5 over wholesale bid.” Price stickers in red. It generated a lot of interest and many sold. One fellow had the gall to ask “do you have any below bid”. I said laughing “You don’t want buy me a burger at McDonalds drive thru? Well your no fun.”
I think it all comes down to the social-ability of the situation. I never had problems dealing with the wife or assistants at coin shows. They greet you and if they can't help you, you just wait patiently until the actual owner is done with customers to get to your needs.
People just have to know how to interact with each other and dealers need to have a personality that can interact with the basic collectors along with the advanced/ deep pocketed buyer. Know how to shift.
The overall consensus I can take from all this is that no one in this hobby wants to enter a shop that resembles the The Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Those types of dealers actually exist unfortunately but it will catch up to them in a negative way.
No problem with happy medium. No problem dealing with assistants or wives. But when a coin is inquired about, and the dealer continues to ignore the customer and/or his wife/assistant because they know nothing or don't know the price, that gets tiresome. Some collectors only have one day or just a few hours to make the rounds on a bourse floor, and I can't stick around 10 minutes waiting for an answer or acknowledgement. And again, not talking about dealers already in contact with another customer. I'm talking about the guy in the chair literally doing nothing, but can't be bothered to show anything or even answer a question.
If someone looks at a case for more than a minute or so, that should be a signal they might want some help. I've set up at my local club and there are some who don't respond to a hello. I get that.
I find it interesting that there is this much resistance to my position, given the persistent threads about the death of the hobby. Or the complaints about the LCS. I mean, if you want to conduct your business with the friendliness of a bag of hammers, be my guest. I--and my mother who is also a collector and has a bigger budget than I do--will simply take our business elsewhere.
During the ANA course with Col. Ellsworth we discussed bourse floor engagements and he suggested anyone offering a simple greeting would be way ahead of at least half of the room. I would argue that's much higher.
And to bring this to a close, I'd like to make a special shout out to two dealers @ThePennyLady and @regulated who both took the time with someone they didn't know to have a conversation and build a relationship, and I didn't buy a thing from them at that show. But guess what, when I need to buy territorial gold or some type Indian or Lincoln cents, I know who I'm going to talk to first.
Meanwhile, I've got to run to my LCS to pick up a coin I bought via Facebook. Isn't technology and friendliness fun for the hobby?
Edited to add: Bjorn at Kearney Coin Center and Gerry Fortin.
GSAs, OBW rolls, Seated, Walkers. Anything old and Colorado-focused, CO nationals.
It definitely works both ways. After you jettison the stream of “flea marketeers” looking for silver below spot, or gold at 95%; you then have to deal with buyers who won’t even pay close to sheet on some nice certified coins.
Somehow they think that they will be able to buy below dealer wholesale and anything over that price the b&m owner is taking advantage of them.
Many shops are just there to “buy” off the street, generally scrap or bullion and any collector coins that walk in. They generally don’t care if they sell anything at their shop, everything goes to wholesalers or shows or online.
If running a shop I would want greet customers to acknowledge their presence but not disrupt process if busy with a customer in buy or sell transaction. Otherwise (1) find out why the customer is there (buy or sell) or (2) direct to appropriate display area so he can look. Is he wanting look at $1 to $5 junk box, see something in display case, buy a book, or have something to sell?
At a show if busy with a buy or sell transaction will not allow that to be disrupted by another customer. If sense they are trying horn in will tell them “busy with a customer come back later” or just tell them get lost.
Comments
Agreed.
In my case, I don't and never did have any expectation that dealers would or will have what I want to buy, even in quality which doesn't satisfy most contributors here. The coins I collect are usually too hard to find.
Even when was much younger and visited coin shops regularly in the 1970's, I still didn't see the US coins that many (and maybe most) contributors here want to buy. It was somewhat different because of a difference in quality preference but I suspect that the quality bought by many on this forum was essentially never available in an LCS.
I usually go to my LCS to hand pick my 90% junk silver.
I then look at what is available for sale. If I see something I like, I may buy it.
But at this stage of my life, I am more into stacking silver than accumulating more collectible coins.
I am quite happy with my LCS, and it's friendly owners.
When I walk into a coin shop, it seems I always encounter someone who acts as if I've interrupted his television program.
"What can I get you?" witha blank stare.
As if I instead walked up to a bar for a drink.
I don't know.
Do any of you walk into a coin shop with a shopping list? Every time I go to one, it is to browse and see what they've got. Not as easy as picking up milk on the way home from work.
Have we as a society lost the art of communication?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
There's also the "every collector is a dealer" problem. How many people on this forum are even willing to sell material to a B&M dealer? Even if the dealer is paying more than BST (often) or working on a 10% or less margin (beat that GC, Heritage, or Stack's), a lot of collectors feel they can wring an extra few dollars by retailing it themselves on BST or eBay or consigning it to GC.
We used to learn so much from knowledgeable dealer/friends when we started out. All of this trading at a distance is fine. I do it. But how many people are buying fakes or worthless crap because they LOVE Instagram coins but don't know enough about coins and haven't seen enough of them in person?
We have a thread running now where a Forum member bought some horribly cleaned coins and submitted them to PCGS only to find out they were horribly cleaned. That wouldn't happen so easily in the old days where he might have spent hours in the local B&M learning and where he likely would have submitted through the B&M and learned that the coins would not grade. [Yes, yes, there were/are bad dealers out there. Find a good one and work with him or her.]
I have similar experiences at a coin show. I’ll walk up to a table and within a nanosecond I’m asked if I can help you or I’ll be looking at something and trying to get the dealers attention while he’s reading the newspaper or texting is an act of god.
One of the reasons people start their own coin businesses is to be their own boss. This means you're going to encounter lots of different personality types. Interactions with shop owners are going to be completely different than with corporate Total Quality Organization trained employees. You can either accept this reality or not.
"SPOTS" are a bigger deal now than they used to be. Wholesalers buy spotted gold coins for deep discounts, even one spot. The coin shop I frequent sells these coins at a discount also...
They should NOT affect the price of a bullion coin. So, minor price difference on a 64 (which is barely above bullion). But the hazy 63 still got way underbid.
The spread between an VF saint and one in 63 is about $30. The slabbing cost. Ask any observer of low-end gold and they'll note the compression towards intrinsic (melt) value on $5's. $10's and $20's. Translation - there is no wholesale market for these items except at very tight spreads. Spots don't matter much unless they're horrible, and dip is cheap if you want to take the time to flip a coin up, but wholesale quality is in tubes, not slabs
The "no spots" merchandising and $20M+ Blanchard/Heritage lawsuit are 15 years past.
It's somewhat ironic that some "micro-carbon" on gold, formerly anathema to some uneducated buyers, is now acceptable because CAC, recognizing it as natural, accepts it as part of the gestalt of "original".
Sorry to dig up an old thread but we had two local shops for several years. One I guess went out of business because the unit he rented is empty as of a year ago. If you were there to just buy a few raw cheap coins he acted annoyed. If you came in ready to drop $500+ he treated you like royalty, but overall, he was known by dealers and collectors alike in the area as being unfriendly.
One still remains and he has a nice stock of coins if you're looking to buy raw for an album or buying some common coin in a PCI or ANACS slab. He also has a ton of silver bullion. Always a bag full of Morgans and Peace and stacks of ASEs. I sold him an 1818 large cent in a MS63 PCGS slab a couple of months ago and he told me that it was the best coin to walk into his shop in awhile. When he does get good slabbed coins he told me they get bought pretty quick. He's in his mid 80s now so not sure how long he plans to keep going, but once he shuts it down there probably isn't another one within an hour of my house.
Oh, let me add that in his display case he had really nice slabbed coins about 15 years ago. Nothing too expensive but usually full of a few dozen coins in the $250-1,000 range. Now that same case is full of proof sets between 2000-present. He said he no longer displays good stuff, first because of safety but also because the good stuff doesn't walk in that much anymore. Most of his business is just bullion anymore.
Positive BST Transactions (buyers and sellers): wondercoin, blu62vette, BAJJERFAN, privatecoin, blu62vette, AlanLastufka, privatecoin
#1 1951 Bowman Los Angeles Rams Team Set
#2 1980 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
#8 (and climbing) 1972 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
I stopped into a coin shop yesterday here in Denver for the first time. Normally when I try a new shop I feel a bit intimidated for whatever reason, It's always some older guys that see a younger guy and just dont give me the time of day or could care less to answer my questions. This shop on the other hand had about 6-7 employees make and female, I was greeted by a few when I entered and made me feel comfortable. Overall experience was excellent. As for there current inventory its was very well mixed and very full of coins and supplies alike. Quite a few older dollars, flowing hairs, draped bust, big selection of old halves, dimes and lots of old gold. Anyways the store was full of coins and merchandise wall to wall and I was happy with the experience and will definitely be back.
Jim
Collect raw morgans, walkers, mercs, SLQ, barber q. Looking at getting into earlier date coins pre 1900s.
The lcs that I patronize is the best. The owner is connected to our collecting community thru many organizations. He puts out a detailed newsletter every Thursday evening at 7pm. His shop has an eclectic inventory, a reference library and a Keurig. Doelger World of coins Warren NJ. And he's a veteran like me. Peace Roy
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall
Coin shops can be absolutely crazy places. There was one in Bellevue, WA that went out of biz about 10 years ago. Place looked like an atom bomb went off. Stacks of dusty comic books, boxes of old baseball cards here and there, and silver rounds, modern proof sets, and some junk silver piled up under the glass countertop. So much junk was piled on the glass countertop you could hardly see inside. I think the place also did clock repair, as there were always cuckoo clocks scattered about. The entire place seemed to have an unhealthy amount of dust floating around. Foggy in there. I think you get the picture.
The funny thing was the 50-ish year old guy who ran the place (the owner I assume) also bet the horses. He’d be betting and watching races on his computer all day, at least anytime I walked it. If you walked in while a race was underway, he’d completely ignore you. If the race was over, he’d also completely ignore you as he was busy handicapping the next race. It was comical.
I wonder why he went out of business?
Dave
The LCS in the Denver area vary in experience, but two (one in Denver and one in nearby Loveland) are extremely friendly, ready to buy/sell coins and bullion and even other collectibles, are always available and open when their hours indicate, and also attend local shows, and even several larger out-of-state shows.
Their inventory varies, by what walks in the door and what they pick up at the shows. Both of these two shops are willing to fill out want lists, and are accommodating to customers they know and do regular business with, but also to newcomers alike. This includes education on coins, what the customers have or don't have in their possession, and always make fair offers. There are a couple other shops in the Denver metro area that from limited experience could also fit in this category, so in these parts, the LCS folks are vibrant and not at all like some others' experience.
I would say that having attended big shows frequently over the past few years, it's not my local LCS shops that suffer from irritable old coin dealer syndrome, but the shows themselves. It boggles my mind at the lack of friendliness, attention, or even common courtesy from a hefty chunk of those dealing on the bourse floor. I don't expect a red carpet, but a greeting might be nice once in a while. I mean, when it's left to the lonely wife/spouse to greet you because the dealer can't be bothered to look up from whatever they're doing (and I don't include conducting business with another customer or pricing/working a deal in this), that's pretty sad. Then some folks come on this forum and complain about the death of the hobby, when collectors like myself--40, sizable collection, willingness to buy for collecting pleasure--can't get the time of day.
That leaves my business for the LCS folks here, the great dealers at shows who do show interest in customers other than their buddies or wholesale purchasers, and others I've networked with across the country through shows and Facebook/Instagram.
Returning to the OP, the LCS here may not have everything under the sun, but I think the larger Denver area does have some quality LCS remaining, and that may have to do with the age of the owners/employees, and a good supply of collections, estates, etc. that walk in their stores or to the shows on a regular basis.
Gonna get me a $50 Octagonal someday. Some. Day.
I don't bother with brick and mortar shops.
The nearest one to me well the guy is just a miserable SOB.
I find that most coin shops/dealers if you are buying..."you couldn't fine a better one anyplace at this (HIGH) price"
now if your selling..."That's the worst piece of crap, I'll do you a favor and give you X (LOW BALL) dollars for it.
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$200 below melt for a 63 is a bit insulting.
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While I agreed generally with your assessment, I hv no qualm with dealing with the owner's "assistant" first knowingly that probably 90% of us are just browsing around.
You hv to realize getting to and setting up a road show takes lot of coordination and energy. After all said and done, they then still hv to deal with the constant security and "walk in" thruout the day.
I know I'll be exhausted if I give each and every walk-in a VIP treatment within an hour's time.
While a coin shop may be the most liberating business to operate, I am very glad I quit.
Second that on both dealers. Royal Coins comes to the San Antonio shows, they have always been friendly and have some good inventory, thought I've never visited their shop in Houston.
US Coins is very worthy stop, they have all kinds of stuff in there - in fact I'm likely making a stop there tomorrow during a weekend road trip.
10-4,
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I don't usually complain about other shops and dealers, but if I do.... it is in their face. Backstabbing and whining online isn't where my effective communications happen. Unlike our leaders.
No need for VIP treatment, as I said. But a basic, "Hello, how can I help/what are you looking for?" would be nice.
This is literally your job. You set up at shows to sell. When someone walks by and isn't even given a basic greeting, you lose sales.
I bought plenty at Long Beach from dealers who interacted, and have made follow up purchases. I bought nothing from the ones who didn't.
If that's their business model, well then, I hope it works out. But then bitching later about the lack of retail business, or the lack of foot traffic, or a dying hobby, yada yada yada doesn't really sit well with me, nor the other collectors who have all had similar experiences. And to boot, several dealers at Long Beach (just citing the most recent example of my attendance) indicated to me that they get the same treatment, and these folks are long established frequent regulars at the shows.
There is a certain strain, or subset of this hobby, both dealers and collectors alike, who are, for the lack of a better term, anti-social. It's not a generalization, as there are plenty of great, affable, friendly, willing-to-educate folks who I'm more than pleased to do business with and have turned into friends.
Denver is blessed with a couple of these latter types who are sociable dealers willing to go the extra mile for their customers and also happen to have thriving LCS brick and mortar storefronts.
That may not be the case elsewhere, which is a pity. But I think that some of the folks here could use some feedback on how their attitude, if nothing else, does absolutely nothing for the hobby, or their own business.
To each their own.
Gonna get me a $50 Octagonal someday. Some. Day.
The other side of the coin (as it were) is that some people (like me, for example) don't take it personally when they're not greeted with a "What are you looking for?" inquiry at every table I stop at, and would actually prefer no comment at all. I'm okay with the dealer just hanging back and waiting until I let him know I have a question.
Sucks for dealers, though- damned if you do, damned if you don't.
There is another great shop in Hiawatha, IA. Iowa is fortunate.
In a business based on sales, a basic greeting should be offered. And besides, when I hover for several minutes and you can't acknowledge my basic existence, then yes, my pocketbook can walk on by and offer sales to the other dealers more than happy to spare 5 seconds of their time.
As an example, a dealer who posts here reached out after my earlier comment, struck up a conversation, and now I'm sending a want list.
This is so basic, common sense stuff that it boggles my mind that it just isn't done. Oh well, as I said, to each their own!
Gonna get me a $50 Octagonal someday. Some. Day.
Shops vary in their management and strategy. I have never had any problem in having them show me something I am interested in.
Newbs not familiar with how the coin business is run may not be familiar with the territory.
Shops have considerable overhead and the owners have to deal with many risks. They generally are not going to waste lots of time with someone who is not a serious buyer or seller especially if there are other customers in the store. One has to gauge the shop to evaluate it fit with their goals. At a show I give customers a chance to view my inventory while I gauge them many do not want to be disturbed or quickly making their rounds. Frequently I will ask “can I show you something” if the person seems interested. Or sometimes a question about what do they collect or how has their show been. At a recent show I had a box of slabs stacked 6 deep in it inside one of my cases with a sign “all coins $1 to $5 over wholesale bid.” Price stickers in red. It generated a lot of interest and many sold. One fellow had the gall to ask “do you have any below bid”. I said laughing “You don’t want buy me a burger at McDonalds drive thru? Well your no fun.”
That's why I'm not sure there's an issue with a wife/spouse and/or assistants dishing out the greetings as oppose from the owner him/ herself.
I think it all comes down to the social-ability of the situation. I never had problems dealing with the wife or assistants at coin shows. They greet you and if they can't help you, you just wait patiently until the actual owner is done with customers to get to your needs.
People just have to know how to interact with each other and dealers need to have a personality that can interact with the basic collectors along with the advanced/ deep pocketed buyer. Know how to shift.
The overall consensus I can take from all this is that no one in this hobby wants to enter a shop that resembles the The Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Those types of dealers actually exist unfortunately but it will catch up to them in a negative way.
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No problem with happy medium. No problem dealing with assistants or wives. But when a coin is inquired about, and the dealer continues to ignore the customer and/or his wife/assistant because they know nothing or don't know the price, that gets tiresome. Some collectors only have one day or just a few hours to make the rounds on a bourse floor, and I can't stick around 10 minutes waiting for an answer or acknowledgement. And again, not talking about dealers already in contact with another customer. I'm talking about the guy in the chair literally doing nothing, but can't be bothered to show anything or even answer a question.
If someone looks at a case for more than a minute or so, that should be a signal they might want some help. I've set up at my local club and there are some who don't respond to a hello. I get that.
I find it interesting that there is this much resistance to my position, given the persistent threads about the death of the hobby. Or the complaints about the LCS. I mean, if you want to conduct your business with the friendliness of a bag of hammers, be my guest. I--and my mother who is also a collector and has a bigger budget than I do--will simply take our business elsewhere.
During the ANA course with Col. Ellsworth we discussed bourse floor engagements and he suggested anyone offering a simple greeting would be way ahead of at least half of the room. I would argue that's much higher.
And to bring this to a close, I'd like to make a special shout out to two dealers @ThePennyLady and @regulated who both took the time with someone they didn't know to have a conversation and build a relationship, and I didn't buy a thing from them at that show. But guess what, when I need to buy territorial gold or some type Indian or Lincoln cents, I know who I'm going to talk to first.
Meanwhile, I've got to run to my LCS to pick up a coin I bought via Facebook. Isn't technology and friendliness fun for the hobby?
Edited to add: Bjorn at Kearney Coin Center and Gerry Fortin.
Gonna get me a $50 Octagonal someday. Some. Day.
It definitely works both ways. After you jettison the stream of “flea marketeers” looking for silver below spot, or gold at 95%; you then have to deal with buyers who won’t even pay close to sheet on some nice certified coins.
Somehow they think that they will be able to buy below dealer wholesale and anything over that price the b&m owner is taking advantage of them.
Many shops are just there to “buy” off the street, generally scrap or bullion and any collector coins that walk in. They generally don’t care if they sell anything at their shop, everything goes to wholesalers or shows or online.
If running a shop I would want greet customers to acknowledge their presence but not disrupt process if busy with a customer in buy or sell transaction. Otherwise (1) find out why the customer is there (buy or sell) or (2) direct to appropriate display area so he can look. Is he wanting look at $1 to $5 junk box, see something in display case, buy a book, or have something to sell?
At a show if busy with a buy or sell transaction will not allow that to be disrupted by another customer. If sense they are trying horn in will tell them “busy with a customer come back later” or just tell them get lost.
What I liked was the guys who would sidle over to kibitz my buying from someone else.
I was always courteous to them, though.
I always provided a pillow for them to land on outside the door.