Have you ever been to a coin shop in a foreign country?
braddick
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And if so, how was the experience?
Were the service and prices reasonable?
peacockcoins
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Comments
No.
My wife and I lived in Paris for 2.5 years and visited 24 countries during our time there. I would look for coin shops whenever there was an opportunity. I was collecting Morgan’s at the time and experienced the three P’s when visiting the shops. Morgan’s were Plenitful, Pricey and Polished.
Tim
I visited one in Florence maybe 10 years ago. Good experience. I made a purchase.
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Night markets in China....saw lots and lots of "US Silver Dollars"
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Went to a couple in the UK - very pleased with price and selection. Went to one in Italy and he was quite high. It’s kind of like here - be sure of your item and prices before you walk in the door.
I went to one in Thailand a long time ago. No idea how the prices compare because everything was for sale in baht. I did pick up a cool looking old silverThai coin that has King 5 on the obv and a 3 headed elephant on the reverse.
Edit- I actually think it was King 6
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There is a courtyard where Romeo spoke to Juliet (that’s their story) in that courtyard as you look at the balcony directly behind you is a coin shop (at least there was 20 years ago) I bought a circ. $5 Liberty for $95 Euros the exchange rate was 1 to 1 cost me $95 bucks.
A few in England. One was across the street from the British museum, seemed like it catered to tourists mostly.
When my daughter was in middle school there was an organized trip to Ireland, England, and France in 2010.
First, in Dublin, I went to a shopping "mall" that had small booths and one place had coins. I don't remember what I bought, but I got a pretty good deal on a couple American coins that were graded (and priced) to my advantage.
Then in Lindon, there was an interesting shop across the street from the British Museum. Prices were high, generally, and I did not find a deal on anything there. By the way, not far from the main entrance, the British Museum has on display THE Rosetta Stone. They also have several coinage exhibits.
I wanted to go to some other shops that were in the Mayfair area of London, but when I got there I could tell that it was a very high-priced area and all the shops were by appointment only. And I am guessing that you had to know somebody (and have a lot of money) to be allowed to even make an appointment.
In a square in town there was a weekly flea market and a couple vendors had coins. I bought what I assume is a Conder Token (dated "1811"), although it was not the usual half-penny or penny denomination. Instead, it was a "shilling" and made of silver. The price seemed reasonable at about $30 and it was a nice circulated piece (VF grade). I'll have to find it again.
On a day trip from London we went to the town Stratford-upon-Avon (birthplace of William Shakespeare). A small antique shop in the town square area had a few coins. The American silver dollars were priced pretty high, so I didn't buy any of those. But I did get a late 1800s Saint George and the Dragon British silver crown (VF-XF grade) for what seemed like a pretty good price.
Lastly, in Paris, I went to two shops. The first one was not well organized and there was not much to look at. The other shop was a lot nicer and had some neat things, although prices seemed a little high at the time. The woman there was very nice and accommodated my inability to speak French (she spoke English a little). I bought a couple lower-priced things. and then my main purchase for the trip was a French "Conquest of Upper Egypt" medal. I didn't know anything about it at the time, but I liked the design and I assumed it was rare since I had not seen one before that. The price seemed a little expensive at about $250, but I felt like making the "courtesy purchase" since they were helpful and I was there looking at things for a pretty long time. I just now looked on the internet for a picture of one (I don't have a picture of mine handy) and I was surprised to see that the same medal (in the same condition) recently sold at Heritage Auctions for almost $2,000:
https://coins.ha.com/itm/france/f/a/61312-22077.s
So it was a pretty good trip for shopping.
PS:
The flight home from Paris was scheduled to stop in Miami, where we would change planes to fly to Denver. But due to unforeseen headwinds, the plane almost ran out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean, and we had to make an emergency landing in Freeport, Bahamas. The plane was too big for their small disembarking platforms, so we all had to sit on the plane for hours while they did all the "incident" paperwork and refueled. Eventually we were off again towards Miami. Upon landing in Miami the plan slammed down so hard on the tarmac that a bunch of the oxygen masks popped out and fell down in our faces.
I went to dream land once and found a roll of BU 1955/55 for free!
Does New York City count as a foreign country?
I went to a conference in Oslo Norway in 2006. Everything was expensive there... food, lodging, etc. I did break away one afternoon and found a small coin shop. Mainly, foreign coins mostly raw, but I did find a few US coins that were priced well... I felt like I had to buy something, so I bought an Indian Head Cent... common date in XF and called it a day. I suppose if I collected ancients and European coins from the Renaissance on, I'd have been more in my element. The proprietor was very friendly and spoke English. Also, the exchange rate was more favorable too... overall, a very positive experience. I just wish there were more US coins...
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In Edinburgh Scotland in 2019 I found a jewelry shop that had a section of ancient Scottish coins. I picked this one up there for a very reasonable price compared to similar ones I found on eBay once I got home. I submitted it to PCGS a couple of years ago. It’s a (1371-90) Groat S-5131 Edinburgh XF45
And a few years before that I was in Switzerland for work and I found a small coin shop that had mainly ancient coins. I didn’t get any ancients but picked up this coin for melt. I submitted it to PCGS the same time as the Scottish one. It’s a 1910 B 20 Fr that graded MS65
Mr_Spud
I bought a set of Spanish Pesetas from a coin vendor in Alicante, Spain. They had mostly European coins, I am much more knowledge in US coins and was a poor college kid at the time so I bought a date set of pesetas and a set of Spanish euro coins. I paid $15 euro for the sets, not sure if the prices were good or not. It was neat to find a coin shop when I wasn't looking for one.
I went to a calexico ca shop a stones throw from the Mexican border and found the sellers prices were higher.
I asked the reason why and they said it was primarily because they mostly bought and sent the inventory to a store farther away from the border.
I found that store and the prices were 10%-20% cheaper.
I again asked why and the seller said people who sold or bought from the other location where more desperate... attributed it to people who crossed over the border.
Pays to know your market.
Yes, I always try to make a point to visit the local coin shops when I travel. Canada, of course, but also England, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Argentina and even the Falkland Islands (thanks, FalkPhil). I don't remember any unfriendliness. Prices vary quite a bit - but you can always find a deal or at least a souvenir.
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In Ingolstadt, Germany, yes. Purchased a Thaler there along with a few Bavarian minor denominations. Overall a good experience. I still have them, all in their original flips, too.
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In Barcelona at the shop of Calicó they turned the lights off on me while I was browsing books (2:00 PM).
They take comida and siesta very seriously in Spain!
In Itay. My Wife bought some earrings.
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The only place in the Falklands which might have a coin shop is Stanley, and you'd have to know someone there to let you know where to go. On my visit there, someone gave me some local coins. One had a penguin on it, another a goose, and another, a sheep.
I stumbled onto a coin shop near the Zócalo in Mexico City. Only had Mexican 4 and 8 real coins from the various Mexican states. Same vintage as Morgan Dollars, and I thought they were more attractive coins. Didn't buy anything, because I didn't know anything about them.
Proprietor was friendly. All conversations were in Español, which probably helped.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
There are many coin shops in “El Centro” downtown Mexico City. Most are glorified bullion houses but occasionally something good turns up at one, so it pays to know the owners.
The best real coin shop was El Mundo de la Moneda run by American Duane Douglas who moved to Mexico in the 1960s. But rents have gotten too high and many (including Duane) have let go their ground floor storefronts and moved to stalls in a jewelry center. A stall on an upper floor of a jewelry center isn’t exactly the best place for walk-in business, so business usually suffers after such a move.
Duane retired last month and sadly, his stall is now closed.
Another shop has a reputation for buying coins and patterns from high mint officials (their retirement fund!) and other stolen material. The owner recently passed and it’s doubtful that his sons can continue the business.
I am in Mexico City right now for the 73rd International Numismatic Convention that is starting Wednesday and running through Saturday.
I live in Australia, so coin shops in Australia aren't "foreign" to me, but they would be to most denizens of the forum. You have the typical mix here that you'd have in America, from friendly to rude, and from fair priced to exorbitant. Most coin shops offer a mix of local (Australian) and world coins; Just like Australian coin collectors, I don't think Australian dealers are as "parochial" as their American counterparts.
For foreign countries, I've been to coin dealers in Canada and the US, 40 years ago, so my recollections are not exactly relevant to current circumstances. I do recall the Sears in Vancouver having a coin department I frequented, and visiting a coin dealer in Burlington, Vermont. I'm off to North America (mostly Canada) again in a few days (first time over there since 1983), so hopefully this tally will improve.
I've been to Turkey and New Zealand in recent years, but didn't go coin shopping in either place.
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I've been to a coin shops in a number of countries, mostly in Europe. In general, I found most of the U.S. coins were common, often cleaned, and usually overpriced. E.g. lots of Kennedy halves at twice what you would pay in the United States, also a lot of cleaned 1921 Morgan dollars and common date Peace dollars.
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I know of a jewelry shop in Aruba. They have an extensive "stash" of gold coins.
We didn't go last year. My daughter was married and we spent a small fortune on her wedding.
I will be back again this year and I will buy some of those coins.
Most were foreign coins from the Netherlands. This is when the seed was planted for me though.
I email her from tike to time and she told me they have many US coins as well.
I was told to let her know when I will be there and the will have some things waiting for me.
That's the closest I have come to visiting a coin shop in a foreign country.
What city in Thailand?
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Don
I was stationed in England (RAF Chicksands) from 1973 to 1976. I was a weekly visitor to a small coin and stamp shop downstairs in the small town of Hitchin. There was an antique store upstairs. The owner was very sharp and we got along very well so I got a lot of good deals on coins and stamps. He had a lot of US gold (mostly common dates) in stock and at the time $20 GE were available for around $45 each. That was expensive on a Sergeant's pay. Gold sovereigns were available around $20 each. The owner was big on foreign crown size coins and always had quite a variety at good prices. I fleshed out a lot of my collection during those years.
My landlord was a gentleman farmer who sent truck loads of fresh vegetables to London weekly. He liked to talk and he like Southern Comfort and Coke (I introduced him). He had a bag of sovereigns (500 pieces) under his bed and he let me look through them quite a few times and gifted me one on the way out. He also had a big bag of 3 penny pieces that he used as counters for the pickers. Dig a bag of potatoes, take it to the truck, he would give them the 3 penny piece in exchange and at the end of the day they would be swapped for the equivalent in pounds. He also had a bag of American coins from the war years that his family got off the yanks. He wasn't a shop but he had coins that he liked to show.
When living in the Philippines I never really found a coin shop. Most tourist shops had bowls of peso coins (many counterfeits) and one of the men that worked cleaning the barracks had a business of selling coins, both US and Philippines. He priced by Redbook and wasn't great of grading but he still had deals and I picked up a lot of stuff from him (mostly silver coins).
I have lived/worked in several other countries, and visited many more. I have never visited a coin shop in any of those countries. Between work and other interests (mostly pleasurable
) my coin hobby was in the background. I have some coins from many of the countries I visited and lived in... Nothing special, just ones I saved along the way. Cheers, RickO
Are these US gold coins raw? If so, are you an expert authenticator? Caveat emptor.
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@ajaan I visited a few cities in Thailand. Krabi, Kanjanaburi and Bangkok. The coin shop was in Bangkok.
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Barcelona I hit a couple spots and there was a market in front of the Cathedral that had some coins. Got an 1807 8 Reale and a Spanish 1870 5 Pesata. Prices were good and would have bought every Pesata one place had at the price if they had more than the 1 I got, was basically a touch over melt. This was 2018.
We have been going to Aruba for 20+ years and we know these people pretty well. My wife has spent her share of money on there merchandise.
Aruba is not as bad about ripping people off as some of the other islands. From what I have experienced they want repeat customers. My wife has even traded up with them.
I agree with you though. My sister in law was ripped off badly while visiting the Virgin Islands.
You do have to be careful. We use a credit card anyway.
Went to a coin show in Barcelona about 5 years ago. Visited a few coin shops in the UK. Visited a shop in Italy but the owner made it pretty clear I was not welcome in his shop...
Any idea why?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
One in England, directly across from the British Museum. I'm sure someone else will remember the name.
I asked about one of the Spanish dollars with the King Charles III counterstamp. They didn't have one. I did buy a few touristy items, like a set of crowns in a privately made holder.
Madrid, Saltsburg, Budapest, Barcelona....the Gold Souks in Dubai and Riyadh are a trip. I agree with the general comment that Morgan dollars are plentiful, pricey and polished. Also, tons of obviously bad gold fakes in the souks. I bought an obvious fake ancient in Ephesus, Turkey, but it was worth the 10 euro. My ancient dealer friends had a good laugh at my purchase. I even bought some Chinese coins in Bird Alley, in Bejing, over 25 years ago, but I had a local friend with me to assist. The dealer asked if it was for the "American" and my friend said no, so I got a "locals" price.
The mindset is different in Europe. Much more emphasis on detail, less so, on originality. U.S. coins generally are overpriced, in my opinion. Ancients and local coins provide some value. I have done pretty well in Paris especially, and I'm planning a trip to Italy this fall. I always look for coin shops wherever I go, and generally only seek out dealers based upon referrals.
Overall, every experience was positive, even where there was a language barrier.
Tom
@pruebas Can you please provide a “Show report “ for us about the Mexico city show?
Not to side track this thread, but in answer to your question, I did a show report for last April’s show here.
I’ll try to oblige for this year.
@BillJones that shop across from the British Museum is CoinCraft.
My daughter and I were on a trip to France a couple of years ago. We stayed a couple days in Colmar, which is a magnificently beautiful city. Wandering around I found a coin shop near the Bartholdi museum. Bartholdi, of course, was the designer of the Statue of Liberty.
We stopped in and had a delightful visit. I was hoping to find some old US gold, and ended up leaving with a few French mint sets from the era when I lived there in the 90s. Euros are fine, but the artistry of the old French francs was really pretty nice. Seeing those again brought back plenty of memories. The "feel" of the shop was exactly like nicer B&M stores here in the states. The guy spoke only a few words of English and I didn't have much numismatic French vocabulary, but we managed. He was deeply fascinated with coins and he seemed to enjoy the chance to connect with an American.
When I lived in France I always carried around an Ike as a pocket piece. The people were always enamored by its size. I was wishing I had one to give him.
Many years ago stopped at Spink in London to see if they had any US material. They showed me a tray with some junk coins. They were exceedingly rude, perhaps because I was very young at the time, which is no excuse.
Once in Canada when I was much younger. Would like to visit a UK coin shop someday.
"You can't get just one gun." "You can't get just one tattoo." "You can't get just one 1796 Draped Bust Large Cent."
I popped into Wayne Miller's shop in Helena, Montana a couple of years ago. Was greeted by the legend himself.
Smitten with DBLCs.
I used to spend summers in Helena. It's not exactly a foreign country (possibly it is to a Kiwi), but it's close.
I called Miller a few years back and we talked all things Peace dollars for an hour or so. I wanted to get his take on the quantity (and quality) of Peace dollar and Morgan toners in the market today. He was very approachable and we had a nice visit. Basically, I found out that we pretty much see it the same way.
In Germany, in Ukraine, in Ireland and France.
Why Yes! Istanbul, Netherlands, Germany, London.
The best was Paris, twice. About 1968 I read in Coin World that an 1808 quarter eagle was up for auction. I flew there, found the auction at Hotel Druot. Bought the 1808 cheaply and also about 75 sous marques. I had only recently learned about the sous.
Then in 1998 I found a woman dealer upstairs in a Paris office building. Bought the best Herakles/Striding Athena tetradrachm I've ever seen, before or since. The price was a STEAL at $200.USD. sold it on Ebay two weeks later for $1200. My wife thought I was a genius. (Still does.)
There was a place in Montreal I wandered into a handful of times between the early 80's and early 2000's. I wish I could remember where it was now. Each time I bought something inexpensive and pleasant. It was always fun, but I don't know very much about Canadian coinage and have never collected it with any seriousness. They do have some great designs though. I still have a few of those coins.
I bought this at Ritter coin in Dusseldorf in 2017. They didn't have coins you could look through. They had a published catalog/coin list. If there was a coin you were interested in, then they would look up the reference number and pull it from a large bank of coin cabinets lining the back wall of the coin shop. Everything was raw. It was kind of similar to lot viewing for an auction, except it was for the purpose of buying the coin outright.
I only bought a few things since I had a limited budget for the trip. I lost my wallet 1 day before a business trip to Germany. So I grabbed my passport and I took 1500-2000 euro cash from the bank and paid for everything in cash on my ~8 day business trip. I had to follow a budget since I didn't have my company card or personal credit card/debit cards for the occasion. Fortunately, Germany is one of the more cash friendly countries in the world.
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I’ve gone to a couple in Germany. The service was fine, but they did not have anything for me. Don’t get me wrong, they had a good selection, just nothing I wanted at the time.
Coincraft?
I went to a collectibles shop in Mexico once when I was younger, they had lots of US coins, I dont really recall whether prices were high or low as I was a whitman blue book filler at that age, but remember seeing some neat stuff, have not been out of country since then
Cambios in Naples and a jewelry shop in Beirut. Found gold in Beirut, they only had 1 $3 for $8, but had several $1 pieces for $6 each. I thought a little high on the ones but they wouldn't budge on price. I bought 7 ones and the 3 for $50. Very happy with them, made great gifts. Gave 1 to my girl friend, married her, so still have it. Others all gone. Naples had lots of cambios(exchanges). Lots of coins but only bought one, a gold Guatemala 2 Reales for $6.