Chicago dealers

jmcu12

I will be in Chicago in a couple of weeks. Where are the coin dealers?

Russ

Marty!

Russ, NCNE

jeffnpcb

Russ is right! Ask Marty to email you a picture of his garage unless he was forced to clean it up!

Julian

I know that Harlan Berk has a store downtown, 31 N. Clark St., but many of the other big dealers have gone to offices. Larry Whitlow, Joe O'Connor, & Rarcoa are three, but there are others. Surely someone else will add to this list. Hope this is of some help.

Coinosaurus

Don't take this the wrong way, but........I have never quite understood the logic of asking who the local coin dealers are when I travel. I see all the dealers I want to at the shows, and I already know all the dealers in my specialty area, so what's the point??

darktone

I think there were like 78 coin dealers listed within 25 miles of the center of Chicago- I was going to try to check out 5-10 on the north side one of these days. mike

baccaruda

Harlan Berk is definitely worth a visit. No tax on coins in Chitown either.

JadeRareCoin

Just check the phone book for the area where you will be staying. There are tons of Chicago coin dealers. I like the small shops as opposed to the national shops. As someone mentioned, you can see the big guys at any coin show. Also, some of the bigger guys are "appointment only", which is not a bad thing (we are also appointment only). The small shops are just more fun, imho.

Chicago traffic is horrible lately, so avoid lengthy trips in the city if possible. I got stuck in a 4 hour traffic jam on the way to the Mid America show on Friday. That really ticked me off.

baccaruda

I see all the dealers I want to at the shows, and I already know all the dealers in my specialty area, so what's the point??

It's a reasonable question - I ask it too. I like to see fresh material. I have 2 local dealers and have probably seen every coin they have.

XpipedreamR

Living in Chicago, I would love to hear more about Chicago dealers...I'm in a Harlan Berk rut (not that that's a bad thing...you could be in a lot worse ruts )











<< <i>Don't take this the wrong way, but........I have never quite understood the logic of asking who the local coin dealers are when I travel. I see all the dealers I want to at the shows, and I already know all the dealers in my specialty area, so what's the point?? >>

baccaruda

Jade is right about the traffic - it's been outrageous lately. I take the train and sometimes I see the traffic backed up in Indiana for God sakes.

I spent about 6-7 dreadful hours getting to and from Mid-America (I live 40 miles from Chicago) last year and decided to skip it this year. It simply isn't worth it.

jmcu12

Coinosaurus,

Good question. But like baccaruda mentioned, my local selection is a little stale. And living in a smaller town we dont have much in the neighborhood of shows.

So, I go on vacation and I like to look up new places, 'fresh coins'.


thanks everyone!

MadMarty

There are NO dealers in Chicago.. All the good coins are all gone! Stay Home!! Leave the coins for me!!!

tmot99

What part of town are you going to be in? If out in the burbs, it is significantly different than if you are in downtown. It is also good to know northern burbs versus south-side burbs.

MadMarty

Actually when I was traveling around the city and the burbs, I would go to switchboard.com and list out the coin dealers in the area, then hit mapquest.com and map out how to get there.

jmcu12

Going to be downtown. I have a concert to go to at the United Center but other than that, just doing the normal tourist thing. I will have at least one person with us that has never been to Chicago so I am sure we will do the normal stuff. Sears Tower, Navy Pier, etc. the typical tourist stuff.

I figured I would start off on my own and get to some dealers while they make spectacles of themselves....

ccex

I live on Chicago's South Side near the lake. Most of my experience with local dealers is at the shows, where one parking fee lets me see all their offerings. Yes, traffic here can chew up a big portion of your day.

Which local dealers to visit? Harlan J. Berk is a must if you are planning on visiting the Loop with its expensive parking anyway. A conversation with Tom DeLorey is always educational and worth parking fees which now approach grading fees. I have enjoyed looking through raw U.S. coins at Kedzie Koins and World Coins on the SW side (near Midway Airport). I have yet to find a coin shop in the city with a bid board, accurate grading, and pricing which doesn't cover their rent/taxes, although I have found such in places like Bloomington, IN or Rochester, MN. Still, there is no sales tax on coin purchases in Illinois (thanks in a large part to the owner of Kedzie Koins 20 years ago.)

If your tastes tend toward better grade slabbed U.S. Coins, Larry Whitlow in Oak Brook is a must.

You may do well with a PM to Chicago-area collectors on this forum, explaining your tastes and budget. Chicago is essentially America's biggest small town, with lots of friendly folk here to show you their favorite places, despite the machine politics and traffic congestion.

OnlyBuffalos

Public transportation in Chicago is the best or very near the best of any major USA city. Maps of the transportation system are readily available in the downtown area. Avoid driving unless you absolutely must. The highway system in Chicago is inadequate for the number of vehicles that use it. Downtown parking is expensive and not always available. Never try to drive during the rush hours. If the weather is nice, biking can be a great way to get around outside of the downtown area. Many neighborhoods near the lake have locations which rent bicycles by the hour or day.

If you plan to go to a Cubs game, which is usually a good experience, be sure to have tickets ahead of time, and take the subway from downtown to the park. White Sox tickets are not that hard to acquire and also take the subway to the park.

You may want to look at the Chicago Tribune newspaper online site. The archives have tons of information on Chicago. You will need to register and you can give fictitious information if you so desire. Takes less than a minute to register.

Coinosaurus

Harlan Berk is worth a visit if you haven't been. Ask to see Tom DeLorey's seated dollar pocket piece, it is way cool. They also have a large library there (not in the main store, but upstairs).