The Baltimore Coin and Currency Show – The Art of Negotiation
Pushkin
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The Baltimore Coin and Currency Show – My Experience (Really)
I’m standing in front of a display case, hoping to examine a 1885 PCGS MS-65 RB Indian Head cent – the seller and another person are sitting behind the display case, having the following conversation (I don’t remember the exact words – but the following is a pretty close CONDENSED version). Voices are loud!
Barney to Ned: “ This is a $15,000 dollar deal, I’ve come down from $16,850 to $15,000 on this coin and you want me to take an additional $20 hit?”
Ned to Barney: “My overhead is high, it cost me $1,350 to attend this show – a Coke costs $2.50 here and you know how I like Cokes. The top price I can get for this coin is $15,050 – that $20 is a big hit for me - you could even cut me a little more slack – you’re too tough on everyone!”
Barney to Ned: “$20 dollars, we’ve argued over this coin for 15 minutes, and you want me to come down another $20 dollars! I’ve missed my lunch because of you – you should give up on the $20 and buy me lunch and a Coke!”
Ned to Barney: “You say what’s $20 dollars – well its $20 frickin dollars that will be in your pocket, NOT MINE! Why should it be in your pocket Barney, why? - give me one good reason and I'll go $10 more – but you have to buy me a Coke too!”
Barney to Ned: “You and I do almost a quarter of a million dollars a year in business – so just give on the $20 dollars, we’ll close the sale – no big deal, we’ll have lunch – you buy - OK.”
Ned to Barney: “You’ve out of your frickin tree – why should I budge on $20 dollars? I’m running a business, not a charity! You want a free lunch, go to the soup kitchen!”
Pushkin (standing there listening to this for almost 5 minutes, finally chirps in) “Excuse me, but I’d really like to see that coin, the 1885 Indian cent.”
Barney to Pushkin – “Are you a looker or a buyer? If you are a buyer you can see the coin as soon as I get back from buying a Coke, if you’re a looker, go to a museum – museums are for lookers – the bourse floor is for buyers – too many frickin lookers here today!”
Pushkin to Barney – “I think I’m just a looker – thank you, bye.”
If I could only negotiate like that!
WOW!
Thank you for your attention.
I’m standing in front of a display case, hoping to examine a 1885 PCGS MS-65 RB Indian Head cent – the seller and another person are sitting behind the display case, having the following conversation (I don’t remember the exact words – but the following is a pretty close CONDENSED version). Voices are loud!
Barney to Ned: “ This is a $15,000 dollar deal, I’ve come down from $16,850 to $15,000 on this coin and you want me to take an additional $20 hit?”
Ned to Barney: “My overhead is high, it cost me $1,350 to attend this show – a Coke costs $2.50 here and you know how I like Cokes. The top price I can get for this coin is $15,050 – that $20 is a big hit for me - you could even cut me a little more slack – you’re too tough on everyone!”
Barney to Ned: “$20 dollars, we’ve argued over this coin for 15 minutes, and you want me to come down another $20 dollars! I’ve missed my lunch because of you – you should give up on the $20 and buy me lunch and a Coke!”
Ned to Barney: “You say what’s $20 dollars – well its $20 frickin dollars that will be in your pocket, NOT MINE! Why should it be in your pocket Barney, why? - give me one good reason and I'll go $10 more – but you have to buy me a Coke too!”
Barney to Ned: “You and I do almost a quarter of a million dollars a year in business – so just give on the $20 dollars, we’ll close the sale – no big deal, we’ll have lunch – you buy - OK.”
Ned to Barney: “You’ve out of your frickin tree – why should I budge on $20 dollars? I’m running a business, not a charity! You want a free lunch, go to the soup kitchen!”
Pushkin (standing there listening to this for almost 5 minutes, finally chirps in) “Excuse me, but I’d really like to see that coin, the 1885 Indian cent.”
Barney to Pushkin – “Are you a looker or a buyer? If you are a buyer you can see the coin as soon as I get back from buying a Coke, if you’re a looker, go to a museum – museums are for lookers – the bourse floor is for buyers – too many frickin lookers here today!”
Pushkin to Barney – “I think I’m just a looker – thank you, bye.”
If I could only negotiate like that!
WOW!Thank you for your attention.
0
Comments
Sure sounds like penny-wise, pound-foolish, but it's their gig I suppose.
William S. Burroughs, Cities of the Red Night
Obscurum per obscurius
Wow, Pushkin you showed great restraint. I would have had my friend "Mr. Bombay" (see Shiro's thread) tighten his tie for him.
Carl
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Didn't get to see much of the coin (only the obverse in the case in poor light) since I was just a "looker". Only wish I had found out how the $20 was resolved.
It was actually a rather amusing discussion to listen to - but I realized quickly that I was totally out-classed should I ever reach the negotiation stage.
Maybe I should have set up my own table selling signs "Buyers OK - Lookers, Go to a Museum".
I'll never forget that line.
I probably would have REALLY torn into him. I don't have control like you obviously do. Wow
You are a very laid back guy. I probably would have looked at him & responded appropriately in either Spanish, Italian or Brasilian Português; they have all sorts of appropriate responses to this situation which unfortunately, we don't have in English.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
<< <i>Who was it that said this????
I probably would have REALLY torn into him. I don't have control like you obviously do. Wow >>
Im w/ John on this one. I would have told the guy to take a flying leap, in so many words
Re-elect Bush in 2004... Dont let the Socialists brainwash you.
Bush 2004
Jeb 2008
KK 2016
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You'll have to forgive Barney-- he's not so nice when he's not at Moe's. I'd never have expected Ned Flanders to have used the word "fricken."
If you wanted to have fun, you should have asked him if he was a coin dealer or a Coke addict. "If you're a Coke junkie, go downtown-- downtonw is for Coke fiends-- the bourse floor is for coin dealers-- too many fricking Coke fiends here today!"
Obscurum per obscurius
"Throw me a frickin' BONE, people. . . ."
William S. Burroughs, Cities of the Red Night
No, there was nothing I could say that would have salvaged the situation for me. First, the coin caught my eye, so I waited to get the seller's attention. The conversation mesmerized me - it was like some kind of Woody Allen movie - I couldn't believe it at first, but I couldn't leave.
How can you come back to a line like "Are you a buyer of a looker, if you're a looker go to a museum ..." Nope, I was nailed. The guy was good.
Just have to chalk it up to another weird coin show experience - I think I've had more than my share - do things like this happen to other people? I wasn't wearing a Michelon Tire Man (Ohio State Quarter) outfit with a giant cat around my neck, or anything like that?
Oh well, maybe some day I'll write a book: Weird Coin Show Experiences - Or Is It Just Me?
If you ever want to lose a sale just say something like "This ain't a museum. All this stuff is for sale." Maybe the person saying it thinks it's funny but it just grates under my skin.
<< <i>Barney to Pushkin – “Are you a looker or a buyer? If you are a buyer you can see the coin as soon as I get back from buying a Coke, if you’re a looker, go to a museum – museums are for lookers – the bourse floor is for buyers – too many frickin lookers here today!” >>
I think a good comeback to that would be, "Well, it is a coin show, isn't it?"
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
Pushkin, obviously, you interrupted their fun!
Not that I'm excusing their behavior, mind you.
Check out the Southern Gold Society
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#1. An old man comes to a show with a Whitman albumn series filled with unc./proof type coins complete(18-20th century). He gets berated, told how he and his coins are insulting and no good, and finally loses it and throws his empty plastic coffee cup and screams "damn you...god damn you all" and leaves. He later calms down and at the end of the show walks up to me as I'm leaving... "Would you look at my coins, I need to sell them." I offered 300% of his best previous offer out of four. He thanked me and sold. We are still friends, he is 92 now. Not a fairy tale. I have not seen the man get angry in the next 25yrs.
#2. A friend/dealer tells me there is an unc. 1794 1/2 dime, priced 34k, I may want to buy. I am leaving the show for a flight in a couple hours so immediately walk over to the table. The guy is looking through wheat cent rolls and modern proof sets...writing invoices. The coin is worth 10x the total of the rest of his case. I wait patiently for 5 minutes, he looks at me several times, no response. I ask,"may I look at your 1/2 dime, a friend tells me I may want to buy it."He says "I'm busy. Come back later." I state I am leaving for a flight and promise not to take more than 2 minutes of his time. He stands up and screams..." I told you I'm busy, you'll come back later and look at the coin!" I wanted to jump over the table...not for the 1/2 dime. I leave. I buy it two months later, from a wholesaler, for 29k.
#3 A collector walks up to a table at a show. He has a bust half to sell. The "partners" look at the coin. They disagree as to prior cleaning. They settle the discussion by leaving their table and hitting/slapping/wrestliing in the parking lot...with this guys half. It was an XF coin. They agreed on that.
Others want to share? K
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
Great stories - I'm starting to feel a little less weird already. Thanks for sharing.
About #3
<< <i>They settle the discussion by leaving their table and hitting/slapping/wrestliing in the parking lot...with this guys half. >>
Was the half still XF after its forced participation in the brawl?
<< <i>“Are you a looker or a buyer? >>
Funny, Lucy was asked this at the Long Beach show, one of the members of my party quickly replied, "Lucy is definitely a Looker!!!!!! Now sell her a Franklin!"
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
The dealer he was talking to paused, stared at him for a second or two and says "All coin dealers are eccentric!"
Some days, I agree with him!
Check out the Southern Gold Society
The next day I picked up the phone and sold it sight unseen to a major wholesaler for $15,000. When my "friend" called that day to continue his "negotiation" I told him it was sold. He was livid that I had sold "his" coin "out from under him." He demanded to know who had bought the coin. Thinking that no harm would come I told him the name. Imagine my surprise when he called the guy up, told him that I had screwed up a deal he was definitely in on, and then he proceeded to demand 50% of the action on the coin. And he got it! The two of them sold the coin for more and split the profit. Let's just say that the relationship went downhill from there.
roadrunner
<< <i>Now wait a friggin minute That's only a $750- coin. Was the total deal 15K? 1885 MS-65 RB right?! >>
Now YOU wait a minute......who asked you to ask for accuracy in this thread and ruin a good story??
<< <i>
The dealer he was talking to paused, stared at him for a second or two and says "All coin dealers are eccentric!"
>>
All coin dealers may be somewhat eccentric, but all are not rude, arrogant, or pitiless.
touche!
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How many arrogant, whiney, self-pitying, rectal-sphincter type dealers are out there like that? If someone called and told me the coin he bought from a collector was "his" and wanted to split the profit from the resale, I'd ask for proof. If the collector who sold it to me told me the guy was full of it and the dealer couldn't produce any proof, I'd tell him to pound sand. Does this guy think the world owes him everything?
Obscurum per obscurius