My report for the day coin shopping in Portland Oregon (May 27).
p8nt
Posts: 2,947 ✭✭✭
This morning I woke up early to go meet Glenn (Ponyexpress8) for breakfast at Shari's. We both showed up at 9 am and ordered breakfast, which was then followed by an hour or so of show-and-tell and chatting. We hopped in the designated car driven by our chauffeur Jeff and headed off. We headed up north first and were in Vancouver Washington where we had hoped to go to Hazel Dell Rare Coins and Vancouver Rare Coins. Much to our disappointment, Hazel Dell RC was now a medical office, and Vancouver RC was closed. (Just as an aside, I cannot for the life of me understand why a retail shop would be closed on the weekends! I saw several shops today with M-F hours, but were closed on the weekends! Talk about bad business move if you ask me...) We joked about stopping by and seeing our buddies at Bluemoon but decided not to 
We then headed back into Portland in hopes of hitting some other shops. The first stop was Columbia Coin Co., which we also discovered was closed. What a bummer. After the third strikeout we got smart and started calling ahead to check and see if shops were open, and at least we saved ourselves some time from thereon. We spent a little time figuring out the new game plan and deciding where to go.
We decided to head over to Bradley's Coins Inc. which I have been told was a nice shop. Once there, we were treated nicely and everything and spent a bit of time looking around and chatting with the gentlemen in the store. I saw a certificate on the wall showing ANA certified dealer and thought I was in a cool place. That was until an elderly couple walked in and was wanting to sell some coins. The man behind the counter un-tubed a roll of obviously nice BU Morgans and put his big fingers all over Liberty's face with no concern whatsoever for the coin. He then said "We usually sell these for about $15 (which was total BS as I was looking at the Morgans in the display and his common-date raw MS63's were marked $38!!) and we normally pay $9 for them. But since these are nice, I will give you $12 for them." I could tell a few feet away that these were nice coins! That was totally disgusting and I wished there was some way to save the old couple, but I kept my mouth shut
(I usually carry one or two coins with me that I like to offer up for sale just so I can see what the dealer does. You can tell a lot by the offer a dealer makes.) I then casually offered to sell a few coins I had with me to the gentleman and the response was just about as bad as what he did to the old couple. He asked me what I paid for them (which also bugs me-- dealers should be buying a coin, and not care what I paid for the coin) so I reluctantly told him. He responded "Why did you pay so much for them?" and I told him that I had bought the eye appeal and originality (these were NGC slabbed coins with *'s for the eye appeal). He said "You mean you actually bought the eye appeal and toning rather than the coins?! I'm sorry but I cant unbury you from these." I paid for my toned Ike dollar and left. His ethics may not have been very good, but he was courteous at the least.
The next stop was the new shop on Macadam, Westside Coin & Currency. The shop was very tidy (unlike Bradley's which was a mess!) and was a pleasing sight. The gentleman, Stuart (I think it was Stuart and not Craig), was extremely nice and was willing to chat. Finding his shop made the whole day worthwhile. I cant say one thing bad about him or the shop. Everything was just so perfect. Glenn and I perused a bit and exchanged information and the likes with Stuart. I didn't buy any coins there but I did get a new loupe, which I needed badly. Stuart was extremely friendly and had no problem pulling whole trays out for us to look through and he even took the time to show and explain to me about some old currency. The quality of the coins he had at the shop was fantastic as well and I would definately recommend that shop to anyone! After Westside we headed to Berry's Southeast Coin & Jewelry. The shop is a coin/key store and isnt much, but at least the guy was pretty nice. We looked at the coins and were only there a short while. I did pick up a beautiful set of rainbow toned silver centavos so that was pretty cool. After that we headed to the new Division Coin & Currency shop.. only to find it was closed. That was personally my second time going by the store and was disappointing to find it closed for a second time. Anyways we went back into Portland to the Coin Cottage. The shop was well-kept and the gentlemen inside were very friendly and willing to chat. The owner was not there, but there were two men at the shop that were somehow related to the owner. They were great guys and had us behind the counter looking at varieties in a microscope and in the back room quickly enough. They were very helpful and just seemed like all-around good guys. They were willing to bring out multiple trays of coins for Glenn and I to look at and were just cool people. The old gentleman behind the counter asked me if I knew how to clean coins and I told him no, I didnt. (I was playing the dumb little tag-along kid). The old man gets a can of lighter fluid, puts some lighter fluid on a rag and starts scrubbing the heck out of a little Mercury dime with this cloth. After he was done scrubbing, he showed it to me and said "See. Now it looks just like normal." Glenn and I were shooting each other glances and stuff the whole time just taking it in and trying not to burst out laughing. The old man was really nice, he just didnt know what he was doing. Glenn and I each picked out some nice coins and were in the process of purchasing them. This old man was about to commit another numismatic crime. He was ringing up a Peace dollar Glenn was purchasing and told us about how he always put on cotton gloves to keep to protect a coin. He dropped the coin in a flip and handed it to Glenn and we both knew immediately what had happened. The old man had put it in a PVC flip!
All 3 of us, Glenn, myself, and the chauffeur hopped in the car and and shared some good times. We chatted about everything we had seen that day, and who to go back and see, and whatnots. There was even some re-enactments of the little old man We all went out to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and had a great end to a fun day. We dropped Glenn off at his car at about 6 pm and headed home. I have to say I learned a lot today. I had never been to any of the shops before, and I enjoyed it. It was a great experience and would definately be willing to hang out and do it again. There were some disappointing moments, but the good times with the little old man and the new people I met today made the whole day worthwhile. Thanks Glenn! It was a blast and definately nice to meet you!
We then headed back into Portland in hopes of hitting some other shops. The first stop was Columbia Coin Co., which we also discovered was closed. What a bummer. After the third strikeout we got smart and started calling ahead to check and see if shops were open, and at least we saved ourselves some time from thereon. We spent a little time figuring out the new game plan and deciding where to go. We decided to head over to Bradley's Coins Inc. which I have been told was a nice shop. Once there, we were treated nicely and everything and spent a bit of time looking around and chatting with the gentlemen in the store. I saw a certificate on the wall showing ANA certified dealer and thought I was in a cool place. That was until an elderly couple walked in and was wanting to sell some coins. The man behind the counter un-tubed a roll of obviously nice BU Morgans and put his big fingers all over Liberty's face with no concern whatsoever for the coin. He then said "We usually sell these for about $15 (which was total BS as I was looking at the Morgans in the display and his common-date raw MS63's were marked $38!!) and we normally pay $9 for them. But since these are nice, I will give you $12 for them." I could tell a few feet away that these were nice coins! That was totally disgusting and I wished there was some way to save the old couple, but I kept my mouth shut
(I usually carry one or two coins with me that I like to offer up for sale just so I can see what the dealer does. You can tell a lot by the offer a dealer makes.) I then casually offered to sell a few coins I had with me to the gentleman and the response was just about as bad as what he did to the old couple. He asked me what I paid for them (which also bugs me-- dealers should be buying a coin, and not care what I paid for the coin) so I reluctantly told him. He responded "Why did you pay so much for them?" and I told him that I had bought the eye appeal and originality (these were NGC slabbed coins with *'s for the eye appeal). He said "You mean you actually bought the eye appeal and toning rather than the coins?! I'm sorry but I cant unbury you from these." I paid for my toned Ike dollar and left. His ethics may not have been very good, but he was courteous at the least.The next stop was the new shop on Macadam, Westside Coin & Currency. The shop was very tidy (unlike Bradley's which was a mess!) and was a pleasing sight. The gentleman, Stuart (I think it was Stuart and not Craig), was extremely nice and was willing to chat. Finding his shop made the whole day worthwhile. I cant say one thing bad about him or the shop. Everything was just so perfect. Glenn and I perused a bit and exchanged information and the likes with Stuart. I didn't buy any coins there but I did get a new loupe, which I needed badly. Stuart was extremely friendly and had no problem pulling whole trays out for us to look through and he even took the time to show and explain to me about some old currency. The quality of the coins he had at the shop was fantastic as well and I would definately recommend that shop to anyone! After Westside we headed to Berry's Southeast Coin & Jewelry. The shop is a coin/key store and isnt much, but at least the guy was pretty nice. We looked at the coins and were only there a short while. I did pick up a beautiful set of rainbow toned silver centavos so that was pretty cool. After that we headed to the new Division Coin & Currency shop.. only to find it was closed. That was personally my second time going by the store and was disappointing to find it closed for a second time. Anyways we went back into Portland to the Coin Cottage. The shop was well-kept and the gentlemen inside were very friendly and willing to chat. The owner was not there, but there were two men at the shop that were somehow related to the owner. They were great guys and had us behind the counter looking at varieties in a microscope and in the back room quickly enough. They were very helpful and just seemed like all-around good guys. They were willing to bring out multiple trays of coins for Glenn and I to look at and were just cool people. The old gentleman behind the counter asked me if I knew how to clean coins and I told him no, I didnt. (I was playing the dumb little tag-along kid). The old man gets a can of lighter fluid, puts some lighter fluid on a rag and starts scrubbing the heck out of a little Mercury dime with this cloth. After he was done scrubbing, he showed it to me and said "See. Now it looks just like normal." Glenn and I were shooting each other glances and stuff the whole time just taking it in and trying not to burst out laughing. The old man was really nice, he just didnt know what he was doing. Glenn and I each picked out some nice coins and were in the process of purchasing them. This old man was about to commit another numismatic crime. He was ringing up a Peace dollar Glenn was purchasing and told us about how he always put on cotton gloves to keep to protect a coin. He dropped the coin in a flip and handed it to Glenn and we both knew immediately what had happened. The old man had put it in a PVC flip!
All 3 of us, Glenn, myself, and the chauffeur hopped in the car and and shared some good times. We chatted about everything we had seen that day, and who to go back and see, and whatnots. There was even some re-enactments of the little old man
We all went out to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and had a great end to a fun day. We dropped Glenn off at his car at about 6 pm and headed home. I have to say I learned a lot today. I had never been to any of the shops before, and I enjoyed it. It was a great experience and would definately be willing to hang out and do it again. There were some disappointing moments, but the good times with the little old man and the new people I met today made the whole day worthwhile. Thanks Glenn! It was a blast and definately nice to meet you! 0
Comments
I find it funny how some shop owners know less about coins that their own customers...
Hayden
I don't remember this one when I lived in the Portland area in 2001...
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
<< <i>Westside Coin & Currency, where exactly is this shop?
I don't remember this one when I lived in the Portland area in 2001... >>
It just opened up a little bit ago. Stuart said the shop was opened about 8 months ago. The information is:
Westside Coin & Currency
7037 SW Macadam Ave
Portland, OR 97219
(503)452-3689
Actually "Macadam" Ave.
Cartwheel
Cartwheel's Showcase Coins
<< <i>Dude! This is how reports are meant to be made!!! Speaking for the everyman. ( Well. I guess I wouldn't be taking a chauffer on the trip.) >>
Thanks. The chauffer was just my dad
<< <i>7037 SW Acadam Ave
Actually "Macadam" Ave.
Thanks. Fixed
I acually read the whole thing and glad I did. I grew up in the Portland area and am glad to see that there are still a few shops to vistit next time I come home.
Geez. Am I old.
<< <i>At Bradley's Coin, was it the tall balding guy who helped you, or the dark haired senior citizen with the glasses? >>
Well there was an old man that welcomed us when we came in. He initially took the coins out of the cases for us. Then in a period of like 15 minutes like 10 more people came and went and just kept disappearing upstairs. The old man that welcomed us stayed up on the upper level at the desk the after that the whole time. Then out of nowhere this guy popped up and started helping us. I think it was the tall guy that was doing the buying, but I dont remember if he was bald or not. I only remember him bending over and seeing his underwear. And if that wasnt bad enough, I noticed it was full of holes and practically ripping away from the elastic waistband
Hopefully we can do a show next time. Ben that was a great report and covered everything really well and there is not much I can add to it other than I slept a lot last night after the drive up after work Friday and not much sleep that night. Visiting family now and heading back to Sacramento Monday. There is something to be said for flying, LOL.
Westside is definitlely a nice shop and one I would recommend as is Coin Cottage, although getting to know the owner would be a good idea. Watch out for those bright lighter fluid ones. Fortunately I don't think there have been many treated like this.
Good luck Ben in building a relationship with the local dealers. At least you have a couple new options now and with summer coming I suspect you will have some time to work on that with those two. I can't agree with Ben more, why would any retailer not have saturday hours. I realize thier are shows and all, but Monday through Friday hours sure cut out a lot of possible customers. The saturday hours don't have to be long but a 10 - 3 or 10 - 4 sure makes sense to me. That part was a bit disappointing but otherwise a great day out. Thanks Ben and Jeff for a great time.
Website-Americana Rare Coin Inc
My brother used to live in Vancouver, Wa, and we used to spend a lot of time driving around to many of the places you mentioned. As I recall, there was also a decent store up in Battle Creek, Wa.
Dave
Thanks for a gret repoert and I know ya had fun.
Its too bad you could not get into Columbia Coin or Vancouver Rare Coin. Those two have been closed on Saturdays forever. Columbia just because I guess they think 5 days is enough. Steve at Vancouver does a bunch of the local Washington and Oregon shows so that is the main reason he is closed.
The new shop on Macadam sounds interesting. Next time down a check out will be made.
Great report and it sounds like you had some fun....
Ken
<< <i>You did not stop at Alpine or Beaverton Rare Coin ? >>
Alpine is closed until May 31st. Even if it was open though, I probably wouldnt have gone. I have been there enough.
Beaverton Rare Coin.. hmm.. that didnt come up in the search engine. Got any information on it?
As you have probably noticed not much new stuff shows up at the shops. I monthly trip around the city is probably the best thing to do. Weekly is mostly a waste.
Opps....there is one more shop that I almost forgot. It is located in the little berg between Hillsboro and Forest Grove. Its right on the main drag on your right as you come into the small town. The owner is actually a forum member here but I have not seen a post from him for ages. At one time he had one of the Top 5 Buffalo Nickel sets here at PCGS. If nothing else you could get some great knowledge from him. I think he keeps his good coins hidden.
Ken