Do you feel comfortable going to a show just to look and learn?

dan1ecu

Suppose you wanted to attend a show in order to see what's out there. Seeing coins in person is better than looking at scans. Do dealers get annoyed if you just want to look at coins, but don't want to buy anything?

Dan

michael

Do you feel comfortable going to a show just to look and learn?

yes

Do dealers get annoyed if you just want to look at coins, but don't want to buy anything?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just do not tell them you are just looking and studying and do not look when there are buyers at the table and do not look too long

as this is a grave offence even worse than if the dealer raped you on a coin deal

such is the coin game

eyoung429

Nope, gotta get that special coin......nope, wait .... it's that one I want....ohhhhhwait that's shiney.........what was the question again????

nwcs

No, I'm too impulsive to just look and not buy.

FatMan

Yes. Look all you want. Ask to see anything that interests you whether you are going to buy or not. Just don't take up their time if they are busy.

Myqqy

I feel comfortable looking at dealers stuff without buying, but going through an entire show without buying anything would be tough for me.....

AACoinCo

I like a customer who comes up and is honest and tells me he/she is interested in learning and looking. I will often take extra time to show them some neat stuff and point out coins i like and explain why i like them. And of course i recomend books for them to read to also help educate them. I think all dealers would or should take the time if poosible but there are busy times when we can't take the extra time that we like.

FatMan

<< <i>I like a customer who comes up and is honest and tells me he/she is interested in learning and looking. I will often take extra time to show them some neat stuff and point out coins i like and explain why i like them. And of course i recomend books for them to read to also help educate them. I think all dealers would or should take the time if poosible but there are busy times when we can't take the extra time that we like. >>

coinmickey

I like a customer who comes up and is honest and tells me he/she is interested in learning and looking. I will often take extra time to show them some neat stuff and point out coins i like and explain why i like them. And of course i recomend books for them to read to also help educate them. I think all dealers would or should take the time if poosible but there are busy times when we can't take the extra time that we like.

There should be more dealers like you. I applaud you, sir!! Well said....

KISHU1

Of course, thats the best way. Look and ask and touch! The more experience the better. As an ad in NY says an educated consumer is our best customer

Shamika

Actually, I really enjoy just looking. You don't have to worry about beating another collector to a great find.

CarlWohlforth

It is easy to walk around a show and buy nothing. You will, for sure, learn something just by looking at what is going on. You can see which coins attract attention. What is selling. Which tables are crowded. Which dealers talk bs and which don't. If you want to have them get a coin out for you ask.

Hey, it is no big deal. It is like going to a mall. The dealers want your money, you want a good deal.

RYK

Absolutley!

Coinosaurus

For all the dough I spend on coins, I have no problem taking the occasional show "off". Dealers figure out who the tire kickers are in the long run, though. It is best to not consistently waste someone's time.

ziggy29

You don't have to take a lot of a busy dealer's time to just hang out nearby and learn how the business is done and how the game is played. Most dealers I've known at shows are OK about talking to "lookers" if they aren't busy. But if they are busy, it's pretty understandable that they'd rather devote their time to the "whales."

I remember a coin show I went to when I was about 10 (that would be around 1975-76 or so). I was filling a penny board with a few weeks of saved-up allowance money and I was interested in a 1912-P Lincoln, which (as I recall) was an original, problem-free VG. I remember my dad going around the bourse, examining coins and making counteroffers. So not knowing how the real world was at the time, I looked at the 50 cent price on the holder and said "How about 40 cents for this one?" Sounds ridiculous to us today, right? But what about in the eyes of a kid 30 years ago?

Because I saw my dad do it regularly with more valuable coins, I just assumed that's how it had to be. The dealer had a couple other bigger fishes around, but he asked me what I liked about that coin. Although I didn't know words like "original" and "problem-free" at the time, I recall saying I thought this was just what a nice, well-worn 60+ year old cent should look like. As I recall, he smiled and pulled out a bunch of other well-worn cents, including a few I needed for my collection. In total, the "price" on the holders wound up being something like $6.50 for what I bought, but I got them all for a little over $4. In the process, he steered me away from a couple of cleaned ones I was looking at.

About a decade later, I bought a couple of coins well into three figures from him. And believe me, that early experience with him stuck with me when I saw him at that later show...only this time I had some *real* money to spend.

tmot99

Absolutely. I also look at coins that I can never afford. I do tell the dealers that. "I would love to own a _______, but I can't ever imagine being able to afford one. Mind if I take a look at it?" I can't remember anyone ever saying no. Again as others have mentioned, if the table is busy, come back another time.

TheRaven

I will look and look again at shows.....

Never found this to be a problem.....

DaveG

I've gone to many a show and left empty-handed, so I guess I was just there looking and learning!

I haven't found a dealer yet who isn't happy to show off his really cool material, even if I tell him that I just want to admire the item.

I even got to hold a small (about ten ounces) gold ingot from the Central America once - it was in a thick "slab" of lucite, but it was still cool!

LastExitInNY

Are there any big shows in NYC by any chance? Anybody?

WTCG

<< <i>Suppose you wanted to attend a show in order to see what's out there. Seeing coins in person is better than looking at scans. Do dealers get annoyed if you just want to look at coins, but don't want to buy anything?

Dan >>



Most dealers will not be upset at you for looking. In fact, the majority of dealers will show you coins from their inventories as a courtesy. Just make sure you don't interfere with the dealers if they are in fact conducting business and don't haggle over prices for coins that you do not plan on purchasing.

Trime

I have attended many shows and in contrast with many other collectors, I do not like the environment. When I go I look carefully at the new or out of date books, look at the coins for auction and talk to the half dozen selected dealers that I anticipate will have new merchandice and the willingness to show me their choice aquisitions even in this hectic venue. I do not like to stall brouse for all the reasons stated in this thread. Why should I have to apologize for not buying a coin.
In contrast I enjoy my annual pilgramage to Colorado Springs for the ANA Course where the causual atmosphere and the friendly discussions with otherwise stressed out dealers become a different breed.

FatMan

If you want to browse, go to the show after 2:00pm. Retail traffic slows in the late afternoon and the dealers get real bored. But don't just stand there and stare. Ask questions and most will will talk your ears off and show you their neat stuff. They like to show off.

razorface1027

Do you feel comfortable going to a show just to look and learn?

For me, "Looking and learning" starts here @ the forum. If I attended shows BUYING would be my goal. Of course, if I didn't BUY, I'd go home depressed for about the next week or so.




Tom

fcloud

Yes. If the table doesn't have any customers I will discuss coins with the dealers. Most don't seem to mind. If a customer comes along, I will move along as to not get in the way of a dealer making a sale. To me this is a common curtesty. If I can tell the dealer doesn't want to waste his or her time, I simply thank them and move on.

mhammerman

Interesting question because it is an issue for lookers like me. We have a show here next week so I'm geared up for some lookin' but not too many bullets left after my last purchase. Usually walk up to a table with something of interest, make eye contact and begin brousing.

To me it's like this: I have been on both sides of the cases and when you are on the inside of the booth you are essentially inviting all comers, whomever they may be. They might be rippers, bozos, lookers, maybe even buyers, any type of person that you can imagine. They don't do a character check at the door, they just collect the tickets/buks. So, I don't want to be a pain to anyone in the booth and this is a gentlemen's hobby so to me, good personal decorum always plays well when looking at someone's cases.

I will only bother a dealer when there is something of interest to me in his case or on the table. Might be one of those chinese ingots or gold coins or maybe just polite gaze across some busties or drool on a small eagle (rarely seen). I like to look close at any of my series that are on display or for sale. I might even ask to see one or two, knowing that I could pull the trigger. I don't make it a habit of handling coins I can't afford, just to hold it...good arguments for both sides of this issue but I don't.

The shows are good, get out amongst 'em so to speak. Look at what's available, visit with folks you know, meet a couple of new folk maybe, generally go around and get some on 'ya. Test your grading skills in the marketplace. It is a good thing for collectors...yeah!

RedTiger

Nothing wrong with window shopping. I highly recommend it for beginners, because beginners don't have any sense of what a good price is, or what a nice coin for the grade looks like. Be polite and don't take up valuable time and table space if a dealer is busy. If it is slow, browsing and chatting are fine. Keep you eyes and ears open and there is a lot to learn. If it is a bigger show, a person can register up to look at auction lots and see more coins. Online images are fine, but there is nothing like having the coin in hand.

WTCG

<< <i>Do you feel comfortable going to a show just to look and learn?

For me, "Looking and learning" starts here @ the forum. If I attended shows BUYING would be my goal. Of course, if I didn't BUY, I'd go home depressed for about the next week or so.




Tom >>



You can aquire incomparable knowledege when you attend a major coin show and see some genuinely rare coins and have the opportunity to meet many of the well known dealers and researchers. By attending a show like FUN, you can learn more there in one hour than you can reading these message boards for ten years.