My first coin shop experience...

nOoBiEeE

Well I went to the phone book and found a small place locally, Cranford, NJ. They just moved there not too long ago and are still organizing but I picked up 17 coins, almost all proofs of different varieties for less then $20. I will post pics up when I get a chance but the person behind the counter was great, even learned a few things from him. I thought I was there for 10minutes but realized an hour had gone by just like that. Definatley did not feel rushed and was told that next time I come by, he will have a chair for me so I can chill and look through the boxes of coins he has for as long as I want.. I must admit some of the Jeffersons I picked up have the most amazing toning I have yet to see.

Ohh yeah, I had a friend come with me and he ended up getting a few himself. Heheheh, I may have competition now!

LucyBop

Crazy!! This is when collecting is very fun......

stman

The dealer wasn't grumpy? Hmmm that doesn't sound like fun to me.

Prometheus183

Glad you found a place that makes you feel welcome, and that's local.
Closest place like that for me is 208 miles round trip, but the treatment and deals I get is well worth it.

Craig

Russ

<< <i>Ohh yeah, I had a friend come with me and he ended up getting a few himself. >>



Never take a coin collector friend along the first time to a new source. Check it out first yourself. If they have nothing but junk, bring him along the next time. If they have lots of goodies, just tell him they have nothing but junk.

Russ, NCNE

BigGreek

<< <i>

<< <i>Ohh yeah, I had a friend come with me and he ended up getting a few himself. >>



Never take a coin collector friend along the first time to a new source. Check it out first yourself. If they have nothing but junk, bring him along the next time. If they have lots of goodies, just tell him they have nothing but junk.

Russ, NCNE >>



Right, only bring the friend after you've completely strip mined it of all the goodies.

Stuart

nOoBiEeE: I'm glad that you enjoyed your first coin shop experience. Establishing a relationship with a dealer who is personable and considerate of your interests is a great start, should accelerate your learning process, and will likely help you assemble a choice coin collection over time. Enjoy!!

drainbamage

Glad you found a place too. The coin shops I know about are hole-in-the-wall places and none of them sell only coins. You have to travel forever to get to them too.

lordmarcovan

You're lucky to be close to a coin shop. Cultivate a good relationship with the dealer; that can pay dividends.

We had only one dealer here in town for a long time, and he was mostly an antique dealer. He did have a case of coins (he did the coins while the antique store belonged to his wife). He was all over the map gradewise- usually he overgraded stuff, but not out of dishonesty. He was getting up there in years and I suspect his eyesight was not what it once was. I did find a few pieces that he'd undergraded, and he was a nice man and pleasant to deal with. I graduated from high school with his son. He's since retired and moved away a long time (the dealer, not his son). Then we had another guy who was a TV repairman and he kept a few cases in his shop as a sideline. He just moved away.

This would perhaps leave this entire county dealer-less (in fact, maybe the whole coastal area between Savannah, GA and Jacksonville, FL), but I decided to to step in, put on my dealer hat, and now I'm the only sheriff in town, so to speak.

SDCollector

Congratulations. I have a great local coin shop and sounds like your's is going to be a good place to go to on a regular basis. There's nothing like a honest and helpful local dealer. I recommend you give them your business first when looking for new additions and if they don't have what your looking for, then go online.

Tsimmerdown

Nice to hear a positive dealer story! It sounds like this business knows the value in cultivating future customers. You may have spent less than $20 this time, but that dealer will definetly come to mind when you come looking to purchase higher ticket items.

I had a similar positive encounter with a dealer who doesn't own a shop, but goes to local shows. The guy held a rare note for me and allowed me to pay it in two installments. When meeting to pay the second installment, he picked up my bill at lunch. Guess who I'll be going to for my future purchases?

Friendly people really make a difference.

airplanenut

I'll have to check him out... other good dealers in the area:

Summit- Horizon Rare Coins (small, not a lot of cheap stuff... dealer is very kind, got my first coins there) (908) 522-9229
South Orange- Ye Olde Curiosite Shoppe (a lot of cheaper type in the safe, as well as world coins, paper, stamps, ancient artifacts, fossils... very cool shop)
Scotch Plains- can't remember the name, but they've got tons of type stuff... probably going to go in the next week or two.

Don't forget the Parsippany show is the first Sunday in April.

Jeremy

mrearlygold

<< <i>Well I went to the phone book and found a small place locally, Cranford, NJ.

Cranford? Small world. I found an 1833 dime ( last 3 high) in pocket change and brought it to the Garwood coin shop way back in 1969. I was so intrigued with the offer they made, I got started collecting.

Rgrds
TP

nOoBiEeE

<< <i>

<< <i>Ohh yeah, I had a friend come with me and he ended up getting a few himself. >>



Never take a coin collector friend along the first time to a new source. Check it out first yourself. If they have nothing but junk, bring him along the next time. If they have lots of goodies, just tell him they have nothing but junk.

Russ, NCNE >>



That's the funny thing. He isn't a coin collector. He was just tagging along and all the while saying, "Dude, a coin shop, common?. See the irony?

nOoBiEeE

<< <i>I'll have to check him out... other good dealers in the area:

Summit- Horizon Rare Coins (small, not a lot of cheap stuff... dealer is very kind, got my first coins there) (908) 522-9229
South Orange- Ye Olde Curiosite Shoppe (a lot of cheaper type in the safe, as well as world coins, paper, stamps, ancient artifacts, fossils... very cool shop)
Scotch Plains- can't remember the name, but they've got tons of type stuff... probably going to go in the next week or two.

Don't forget the Parsippany show is the first Sunday in April.

Jeremy >>



Thanks for those listing Jeremy. Let me know if you are going to the show in Parsippany, we'll grab a coffee and a bagel from Dunkin D's and shoot up Rt. 24 to Parsippany.

airplanenut

<< <i>
Thanks for those listing Jeremy. Let me know if you are going to the show in Parsippany, we'll grab a coffee and a bagel from Dunkin D's and shoot up Rt. 24 to Parsippany. >>

I've been going most months--although sometimes I can only stay for the first hour... I should be there in April, but I'll skip the May show because it is the day before AP exams begin, and 2 weeks prior to the post-AP GSNA show.

Jeremy