"Widowmaker" coins....

topstuf

Nah, it won't kill you to have em, but it'll sure make your widow happy.

As I age, I begin to think twice before comitting serious money to coins. Having been a dealer, I know what will get you a polite nod and a little bit of "mad money." But I also know what will get that RED CARPET....and....a cup of coffee.....and.....a comfy chair to sit in......and .....CASH CASH CASH!

US gold. Always in demand. A dealer will not let US gold walk out the shop.
Slabbed? Even better. Liquid and in demand ALWAYS.

Bullion .....great.....not much difference in shopping around as prices will be close nationwide. A slam-dunk for the missuzz for some quick cash.

Anything with "179" or "180" for the first 3 digits of the date. Slabbed makes it a dealer drooler.

KEY DATES... Can't tell you the ennui I got whenever I got "collections" that "Dad" ....started.... but never paid for the keys. A real yawner.............UNLESS........those KEYS were in it. Wow! Blood pressure pills, please. Don't let it walk.

Anything with "cc" stuck on the backside. Another dealer salivator.

HORSEBLANKET paper money. An insatiable line of customers.

......................................................................

Not that collecting coins of OTHER sorts is bad. But, when gettin up in years it's good to think of the future. Who knows? YOU may be the one selling em and believe me, a plastic bag of misc. 2x2's will NOT make your day if you're gray.

(Note: Above advice is worded for HUSBAND readers as they are more numerous. It in no way infers that you female collectors would not also benefit greatly from the advice)

goose3

no doubt that Any dealer would love for my wife to waltz in with my stuff in my SDB. All problem free slabbed key dates.

I was just asking her the other day why she was seasoning my supper with arsonic.

razorface1027

Here's a good one...2 weeks ago I sell a Gold type set for $1400 and some change. The Mrs. realizes the upcoming bills that need to go out; meantime we're refinancing our new home, and she says " Tom, do you think I could use $1000.00 from the coin sale and I'll pay you back when my tax check arrives." Pondering deeply; almost in a pensive state, I replied...'no problemo' (of course, as I was grunting wholeheartedly and silently). When the tax check arrived a few days ago, that same evening we went to the casino. I said we'll use $500.00 out of what you owe me, and you don't have to pay back the rest. She smiled as if saying to herself, "Hmmh, he's more ignorant than I really thought he is." The moral to my longwinded but true story is...Feed them a little money from what you make on coins, weather you lose or gain (in my case, I usually lose money), and they're usually apt to keep their trap shut when you start purchasing the "Big guns." It's been 2 years now that I've been buying coins as a constant, as time goes by (as she thinks I'm curtailing my spending habits) she's becoming more leniant about my COLLECTING hobby and the money spent...

ealandg

My husband knows if anything happens to me that he should check prices before liquidating. I have told him where to check and whom he can trust. He isn't that interested, but is at least aware of how to get the info. he would need to liquidate.

Compa

Widowmaker as in what they cause her to do to you when she discovers how much you have really been spending?

topstuf

Oh, wives are the easiest people in the world to "take to" coins. Just buy and sell a few and start paying cash for your house, Mercedes, and having a safe deposit box that is too heavy to lift.

Works every time.

My wife now looks at coins and says, "Nice."

originalisbest

Good thread, topstuf. I had been wondering on and off - what if I were to kick off tomorrow. Leaving a buncha slabs and 2 X 2's and the like around, some widowmaker coins as you say, others, not worth very much but fun for me as a collector.

Ideally I'd be able to have everything labeled with what I paid for it and the date bought. This way, perhaps even with an explanatory note that the market fluctuates, and what the spread often is between retail and wholesale, at least no "local guy" would (hopefully) get away with judging a 1909-S VDB to be counterfeit, or an 1885-S Morgan in Gem to be worth the price of an 1885-P, and so on.

Perhaps best of all would be to get them to this board using your login info, and offer up some stuff on B/S/T, or, to include with the coins some names of trusted dealers or individuals.

At the very least, it's worth the effort involved.

topstuf

originalisbest...... A .....loooonnnnnnggg.....time ago I created a Works database that I religiously keep up. I keep it in a folder (that gets a monthly backup) under HER name on the desktop. It has all the coins, stocks, guns, and antique toys.

AND a "when I die" document that lists all the dealers I have dealt with and the one who I would have SELL the stuff that is not worthy of auction.

I was a dealer. I saw family fights that cost the estate hundreds of thousands.
How about the 2 "ladies" that were stripping the brother's assets as he lay dying in the hospital? A half ton pickup FULL of stamps for $250. The guy sold it next day for 250K and within the month it had traded to a wholesaler for 800K.

It is a tough call. You're dead, but it's just not right. I had one dealer call me for the WORST Morgan set I could put together. I was nonplussed ....until.... I found out that the will specified only "one complete set of silver dollars". No mention of grade and the dealer's lawyer customer had possession of the set. hmmm

originalisbest

Yes, it takes all kinds - which I'm sure you've seen your share of.

Nice Chain cent BTW! How's "Liberty in a fright" on the front of it look?