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Pushkin

Dog97

Hey he must be a real man, most wimps would have hoped they never saw you again and if they did they would have been too busy looking at the floor or sneaking away.

goose3

That is impressive that he remembered you! His actions speak volumes for him, both as a dealer and a person.

I still can't get used to that picture of yours. I keep thinking you are being attacked by a huge wildcat!

Clankeye

Pushkin---
That is really great. I like a story like that very much. Thanks for the follow up. On any given day, in any given place, any given person... can be all too human. It is a gift to be able to mend rifts like that.
Carl

mdwoods

I have dealt with Andy and talked to him over the phone many times. I am looking forward to meeting him and many of the other forum members in Baltimore. Andy is a great guy, and very easy to talk to. And he knows his stuff. I hold his opinion in very high regard. Along with quite a few others on this forum. Glad you guys are friends. mdwoods

DaveG

Allow me to echo Dog's comment.

It's very impressive that Andy apologized and went out of his way to make amends!

dpoole

Pushkin,

That is really a class act, for you to come on back here and follow up on that incident! I'll bet Bear would give the the Growl of Approval, were he here!

Your description is the Andy Skrabalak and spouse that *I* know, BTW!

airplanenut

Who could forget a guy with such a big cat draped over his head

MastaHanky

Andy made the #1 spot in my book when he let a young punk kid with spiky hair hold a MS63FH 1918/7 SL. I'll never forget it.

Lakesammman

I'm still waiting for him to talk to me again.....not sure what got under his skin....?????

leothelyon

Makes me wonder how many others he has ticked off.......look out for Mr. Hyde.......maybe it's a selling
technique.......did you feel compelled to buy.....did you.....at least you'll know what to say next time
someone is being rude to you.....Ah, your just having a bad day, that's all. It's a rollercoaster out there with anyone who is subjected to way too much PR.

Leo

MICHAELDIXON

I know Andy and have talked with him numerous times without any incidents. When he's busy and I walk by his table, he always goes out of his way to speak. He's always been congenial with customers when I have been around and I've never noticed him being rude. If you guys have had problems, it seems to be very out of character for Andy and I'd suggest you call him. He's an exceptional person, in my opinion, and not one to intentionally alienate collectors.

mdwoods

I finally got to meet Andy & Alynne Skrabalak at the Baltimore show. They are wonderful people, and I had a great time chatting with them. He seems to know everyone in the business, and a ton of people stopped to say hi to him while I was there. I got to see some incredibly beautiful coins in his cases, and bought a couple coins while I was there. Andy specializes in Cents and Nickels, but he has the contacts to find just about any coin I ask for. Andy and Mark Feld (coinguy1) are 2 of the nicest dealers that I have met. Both are willing to spend time to educate and explain some of the inner workings of the business, and neither pressures you into a sale you have concerns about. To me that says something about the person. mdwoods

Lakesammman

My "sin" was buying 2 very expensive coins from him. Several months later, he called and asked if I would be interested in a couple coins. He showed them to me at a LB show. I wasn't interested in either at the time. Several months later, one of the coins was consigned to another dealer and I bought it, having a renewed interest once my finances could handle the purchase and in part because the second dealer pointed out it was a minor variety. Andy found out and he hasn't spoken to me since, won't return my phone calls and refused overtures to talk at the recently completed Santa Clara show.....business must be very good, I guess.

I'm glad to hear others have had a different experience as he does handle nice material.

bigt

Leo,
Look out for Mrs. Hyde too!!

FinallyHere

I remember when this thread was posted and I too made comment that you might have caught Andy on a bad day. I know he and his wife personally and I can honestly say they are both very nice and straightforward people. As Laura said earlier, when we are at shows the pressure can become overwhelming at times. I know that I have been short at times and always regret not having quite enough time to spend with customers when they come to the table. If the show is really busy it's a thrill for sure, but also a real drain on you mentally. I think Pushkin encountered Andy on a day that he must have been under an unusual amount of stress.

Anyway, I commend Pushkin for bringing his new encounter with Andy and his wife to light here on the boards. I'm not sure how many would have been thoughtful enough to come back to the boards with this story, but I sure thank Pushkin for doing so.

I hate the excuse that we all have bad days....but in the real world this is simply true...for each and every one of us. It's wonderful if you are made of kevlar and do not ever let people see your "other" side if you will, but for most of us it's just not possible to be our very best every waking moment of the day.

Great post and thanks for sharing!!

Lakesammman

Mike:

I don't think you got the jest of the post - several consecutive bad days?? Phone calls not answered? Mail not returned? I didn't post in Nov. when the thread was new since I wanted to give Andy another chance. Reading what Pushkin posted made me want to do so. Being shunned at the Santa Clara show made me realize I was wasting time. There are too many other dealers and auction houses offering nice material to put up with this sort of behavior.

Keyrock

Nice feedback. Andy really is a good guy and he really does mean well. I remember talking to him after that thread was posted and he was really stressed over the incident. Glad to see the hatchet has been burried. Andy is the one guy that I go to Baltimore to see, even if I'm not looking at coppers. A great person to chat with and as MDWOODS stated I also hold his opinion in high regard.

Rich

PTVETTER

I set up at a few show where andy sets up at he is truely a class act

merz2

Pushkin
As I told you back then"the man you met isn't the one I've known for five years".I'm glad you got things worked out.He can be a good dealer to have in your corner.He does some consignments from collectors that upgrade.His inventory never ceasus to amaze me.

Pushkin

1907Quarter

so what did you end up getting

MrKelso

<< <i>Who could forget a guy with such a big cat draped over his head >>



I love that cat.