Every coin shop has one

Flyfishguy

Every coin shop has one (We are special, we have two!). I will call him Fred. Fred is the kind of person that comes in and will spend 2 hours, monopolize your time, spend $5 and whine about how much everything costs. Fred is the kind of person that will go through the token box (10 for a dollar) and want a better deal if he buys 20. He is also the kind of person that if he found a rare $1000 world coin marked $2, he would whine and try to get it for a dollar. He is just that kind of person.

Fred also complains about price, always says he can get it for a lot less on eBay. Fred professes to be an expert on coins, while the reality is he knows VERY little. Fred also thinks he can grade coins and PCGS is wrong most of the time. So Fred comes in yesterday with a slabbed $5 Indian with the grade covered. Wants my opinion of the grade. So I play along. He has the slab covered completely except for the coin, so you cannot really tell whose slab it is in. Now I will be the first to admit, that grading gold Indians is not my strongest suite. So I look at the coin. A bit of flatness on the breast, same on the headband, plus broken luster at the same spots. So I tell him this and say I would buy it as a nice AU coin. He smirks, tells me how wrong I am, and then pulls off the paper to show MS65, in an ANC slab. He got it on eBay for "only 62 money!" I finally said, "Fred, it is NOT a 65 coin! At best it's a nice AU58, so you way over paid"

He still thinks:
1. He got a screaming deal.
2. He's an expert on grading.
3. Coin dealers are not allowed to make any profit.
4. Coin dealers are stupid.
5. eBay is the best place to get deals.
6. He should be able to buy silver at yesterdays spot (if it was lower).
7. PCGS has NEVER once graded one of his coins properly.
8. All grading services are equal.
9. it's OK to spend hours in your shop taking up your time, not allowing you to work or help others.

And the biggie

10. If he opened a coin shop, he would put us out of business.

sonofagunk

I would start stocking ANC slabbed coins for him to buy

longtimecollector

Have you ever met "Stinky Joe" ???

pharmer

I figured you liked it, and that's why you opened a shop. You obviously knew about the type beforehand.

Longacre

Funny post. I once went to a local shop for the first time. The owner didn't know me, but "Fred" walked in a few minutes after I did. The dealer handed Fred an enormous box of cheap 2x2s and told him to go through it at the little table by the window. The dealer then whispered to me that "Fred talks to himself", and sure enough, Fred started laughing out loud (very loudly) at how the coins were graded, saying "no, no, NO!" when he picked up some 2x2s, etc. It was pretty unconfortable and I didn't stay in the shop long. I have not been there since.

mrearlygold

<< <i>I would start stocking ANC slabbed coins for him to buy >>

Dockwalliper

I bet you have a great time when both Freds show up at the same time.

D

I didn't know I told you my real name.

-D

StrikeOutXXX

<< <i>I would start stocking ANC slabbed coins for him to buy >>



Yup, I would have a special Fred case/box/whatever. Buy all the 3rd world MS65's at AU prices and sell to Fred for MS62 prices - one way to make a positive out of a negative.

I've seen the same thing sort of. Due to lack of an actual coin shop, as close as I get is antique stores. One store is a converted pole bar, with the back 1/8 of the shop converted into a little coffee shop/diner type setting. They get a couple antique tour busses a day, so they set it up for those done shopping to have a coffee or snack. The owners have a few locals that come and sit there all day though and complain about antique prices and how they can get the things cheaper at Big Lots

Bear

Ignorant, obnoxious and cheap customers,

are the bane of all bussinesses.

rec78

You are lucky if you only have one Fred. Most shops i go to have one there every time i go in-and many different ones at that.

shmort6552

If you don't like the ANC slabs, get the Cadillac. Stock some SGS slabs and he can buy all the MS70's he wants!!!

DeusExMachina

I've been in shops with multiple "Freds".

They also say things like: "You collect that series???," "You'll never find that coin," moan, complain, etc.

I don't go to coin shops anymore....

WoodenJefferson

A typical looking "Fred"

MadMarty

<< <i>Have you ever met "Stinky Joe" ??? >>




OMG!!! Just hope he never comes to your table on a hot day at a show!!!

circulated

In general, unfourtunately, more negative stuff can be said about the coin shop than "Fred".

PerryHall

<< <i>In general, unfourtunately, more negative stuff can be said about the coin shop than "Fred". >>



True. I've seen Fred's and Stinky Joe's on both sides of the counter.

ArgentumRex

I don't know why, but this story reminded me of an incident at the last coin show I attended. I was at a dealer's table looking at a small pile of coins from his case. This disheveled, obnoxious man with longish yellowed greasy hair sat down next to me at the table and began grabbing coins out of my pile and talking them down. I tried to be polite, as I commented on his criticisms (He wouldn't let me NOT comment...very pushy), but when he actually started grabbing the coins out of my hand I got a bit annoyed, probably quite visibly annoyed to someone from the real world and not whatever weird planet this guy was from. The final straw was when he grabbed the two I had set aside for purchase, began knocking the coins (they were both first-rate) and demanded to know what I was paying. Still trying to be polite, I think I said something like "Probably too much...ha ha" or some other non-answer. The guy then says with a sly, half-toothless grin, "OH! You'll tell me what you're paying if you want to see what's in MY box," motioning to a small case inside the crumpled plastic grocery bags he was carrying. To which, I somewhat rudely replied, "I don't give a **** what's in your box....now LEAVE ME THE **** ALONE." This guy must have been a real veteran because even that didn't really shake him up, but he did comply, only managing a hushed "a-hole" under his breath. And that was that. Now I'm wishing I had kept my big mouth shut so I could have seen what was in his box. You just never know with these coin people.

Goober

Oh every shop has one, or two. BUT...the most amazing thing I'd ever seen was at a show in Houston.

A dealer had a stack of Morgans in 2x's and there was a placard that said Common Date BU Morgan's $xx.00. This younger guy, probably early 20's walks up and picks up the stack and hands the dealer $xx.00. The dealer politely tells the guy that they're $xx.00 each, per the sign. This younger guy starts going off saying, No...it says this..... I could tell the younger guy didn't have a great concept of English grammar so I proceeded to explain to him that the sign did indeed say $xx.00 each. He then pushes me back and tells me to get the F away from him "cuz this doesn't concern you!" At this point I put on my postal workers hat (no offense to the sane postal workers) and said quite a few not so nice things. During the whole entire tirade the dealer was asking for his coins back and the guy refused to turn them over. Finally security shows up and only upon threats of taking him down did he give up the coins. They then escorted him out and told him to stay out.

Security was some off duty HPD guys, and I had sincerely hoped they would have arrested him. I only lived in Houston for three years but it was undeniably the most bizarre thing I had seen at a coin show. (Except for the well known Dr. who walked out of the restrooms back on the floor with toilet paper stuck to his shoe...that was funny.)

Newcomp103

I guess when you live in the sticks... things are a bit different...our local coin shop seems more like the greasy spoon restaurants. There is more talk about politics, religion, the economy, what's wrong with the country or the sorry baseball team from the city of "Lanner"....(for all of you non southerners...that would be pronounced AT LAN TA!) Fred and stinky Joe talk about the days when it was either uncirculated or it wasn't, both claiming to have had a 55 double die cent that they "found"...but because of one reason or another...it's "done gone". And of course, someone's danco book is usually "fixin" to be completed!!! But even with all that, it's a fun day at the shop!

gyocomgd

This is a very entertaining thread.

StampAlarm

If I was a dealer I would keep a dumb bell club. Anybody here a member of FUN? Their Customer Of The Week/Phone Call Of The Week segments in the 1/4ly are a riot.



Jerry

Kimchee

Ahh these kids today with their gem and their BU and their cell phones and computers...<throws hands forward> to heck with all of them. They don't spit in their hands before shaking yours anymore... can't trust em as far as you can throw 'em.

(My imitation of a dismiss everything type)

Kimchee

Burks

"Fred" must really get around. The shop I frequent had a "Fred" come in complaining about how one week a $20 Liberty is $575 and the next it's $625. Then he proceeds to dig through the same box of 50% coins I'm digging through, complaining the whole time about "gold bullion &$#*", etc.

Not that I'm a big spender (bought $7.xx worth of coins that day) but man.....the guy walked out with less than $0.50 in coins after his moaning session.

JJM

....that story friggin made my day...haha.............

Swampboy

Fred knows if the shop loses money with every deal it can make it up with volume. He's smart that way.

Shamika

Wait, are you saying Fred agrees with the ANACS grade?

You should give him the pepsi challenge with a few PCGS slabs (covered-up of course) and see how he does? If yiou show him an AU55 coin and he says it's MS64, offer it to him for MS60 money since PCGS doesn't know how the heck to grade anyway. Fred should be happy with the great deal you just offered him. If you embarass him a few times in this way, I'll bet his visit will start dropping off.

BlindedByEgo

Thanks, Wes... Now THAT'S entertainment!

Oh, and if any of you haven't met the OP, he's about as nice and even-tempered a guy as you'll ever meet (coins or not).

Just kind of builds up 'til you have to vent it, huh, Wes?

bluespaceant

I was treated as a "Fred" when I went into a coin shop recently, despite the fact that I had never set foot inside the store before. I asked the shopkeeper if he had any junk or common date silver dollars for sale. He appeared to be extremely annoyed at the question. I suppose that question alone makes me a "Fred." He put a bucket of Morgans and Peace dollars on the counter and said he would sell them to me at a fixed price but that I could not choose which coins. He explained to me in a very condescending tone that I had to buy at least a hundred coins and that he would choose the coins himself. I let him count out a hundred of them on the counter then said "no thanks" and left.

WoodenJefferson

The only place to buy coins when I was growing up was at another town where my Uncle lived. It was a combination cigar-cigarette/coin/pocket watch type place that sold everything from snuff boxes to hanker chiefs. Outside there was a tall Wooden Indian and a long wooden bench where the local elderly men gathered to discuss the days business. In the 50's WWII was long over and the Korean Conflict and the oppression of Red Chinese Communism was defeated.

On long summer days, my Uncle used to join the other men on the wooden bench outside "Little Erv's" place, spit, smoke Lucky Strikes and talk about the Good'ole Days. I guess they were all Fred's, I don't think Erv ever sold any of those guys one coin, but they did buy his other wares. Most of the time Erv was sitting outside with them and the only thing keeping the coin case busy was a lone ceiling fan that silently rotating the strong smell of tobacco.

I would stare into the case for what seemed like hours. Trays of strange looking silver and gold coins...big copper cents thinking..."how did people carry around such big money back then?"

Things sure were different back then, people were happy to make ends meet and if there was any extra at the end of the month it was a time to celebrate.

I guess we all start out like Freds, some just never step out of the form and progress.

mirabela

Some of these stories are really funny to read. I understand they are considerably less funny to live through.

I am pretty fortunate in that the coin shops within an hour or so of me all have people in them who are pretty reasonable. They aren't all fabulous, but the none of the guys are jerks. I've never been there when a "Fred" showed up, and I try not to be one myself. I do sometimes take up a person's time looking for just the right coin -- sell me a single and I want to look at everything in your roll to get the best one -- but I try to pay what it is worth, too.

This hobby definitely attracts some people without a great deal of social grace, though.

DJC

Every shop and every business, in every industry, seems to be cursed with a "Fred" or two.

Teletrader1950

Fred is one reason a lot of dealers dislike having a junk box at shows as Fred will block the dealers cases looking at coins for a long time. Astute dealers will run Fred off after about 20 minutes.

GoldenEyeNumismatics

I had a guy at a show do a similar thing. I had a batch of about 300 large cents in a junk box marked as "Mixed Date and grade large cents, $10-$50." This guy comes up to me and asks how much per coin for the entire batch, and I say $15 each. So he sits down for 2 hours, and picks through every coin and takes out about 10 of the $40 and $50 coins, then says he would like to purchase them. I gave him a price for the batch (I think I said around $375). He said "No, no, no, you said $15 each." I responded to this by pulling out the crappiest coin in the batch and saying "Well, I'll gladly sell you this one for $15."

Some poeple just don't understand

JJM

<< <i>Every shop and every business, in every industry, seems to be cursed with a "Fred" or two. >>



Ain't that the truth !!!!

kiyote

After reading this, I just realized:

I'm my local coin shop's Fred!

nankraut

<< <i>This is a very entertaining thread. >>



Yes...one of the most entertaining posts I've seen in a long time. You made my day!!

Cladiator

<< <i>I let him count out a hundred of them on the counter then said "no thanks" and left. >>

dorancoins

<< <i>

<< <i>Have you ever met "Stinky Joe" ??? >>




OMG!!! Just hope he never comes to your table on a hot day at a show!!! >>



your Madness

TwoSides2aCoin

My name's not FRED




, it's Joe
edit to add:

topstuf

Fred is EASY to recognize.
He's even easier to ignore.

That's what I did. It's also why I added a pawn license so I could wholesale ALL coins I didn't want to keep.