How many dealers do you buy from?

abitofthisabitofthat

Today I was updating my inventory listing of my collection. A recent thread on stolen coins got me thinking that I should have a log of cert numbers. As I was going through this process, I noticed how many different dealers the coins had come from.

The collection that I am currently working on will, if it is ever finished, be 350 coins. It is about 20% complete with about 75 coins. I have been working on this particular collection for about four years now, and I am sure that it will take at least a decade or so, at a minimum.

Of the 75 coins, they were purchased from 26 different dealers. Most of these were only one coin - an accident of bumping into the right coin at a show - sometimes in very surprising places. The highest was 17 coins from a single dealer, and there was one other in double digits.

So - for everyone else - is this typical of your collecting habits? Have you bought the majority from a particular dealer that you work with? Do you scour bourses on your own, hunting for the right coin? Enquiring minds want to know.

BECOKA

Considering the rarity of what I collect I cannot be too picky on dealers and my list has grown considerably over the last few years. I have 22 of the 34 coins I need and a handful of what is left may never be found at any price.

BillJones

When I go to a show, like Baltimore, there are certain dealers I look up right away. After I've seen what they have, I spend time on the bourse looking for material in general. I'll buy most anything from anybody, but there are a few dealers whom I have found to be a waste of time. Their prices are always too high given the quality of what they are offering, and there are a few guys who seem dedicated to “beat you” if they can fool you. I really don’t care to subsidize their behavior.

Over the years I’ve done a lot of repeat business with maybe seven or eight dealers. A couple of those dealers only sell tokens and medals. As for the rest, the number is probably up to 20 or so.

MikeInFL

"How many dealers do you buy from?"

Very few. More than 75% of the coins I have purchased in the last two years have come from three dealers.

MrHalfDime

I keep very detailed records in my database of all of my half dime purchases, and have done so since 1982. Of course, one of the many details that I keep track of are the dealer's names from whom I made a purchase. Of the 1,865 half dimes presently in my reference collection, they were purchased from a total of 412 different dealers. Many of these were single purchases from individual dealers, but 253 were bought from one favorite dealer. There are many good reasons for keeping such detailed information, one of them being the ability to quickly bring up a report showing the history of purchases from an individual dealer on your laptop when negotiating on a potential new purchase.

Justacommeman

I use two dealers plus two mentors. I attend a few large shows also.......no ebay and no sight unseen auctions... building my collection is a little slower and a little more expensive on a coin to coin basis this way.....however, I feel like I've made fewer mistakes ,so in the end it just maybe cheaper plus hopefully all my coins are PQ........MJ

Bear

The bulk of my coins come from Legend, Larry Whitlow and Pinnacle.

In addition I buy from two auction houses, Goldberg and Heritage.

There are many fine dealers, but for the kind of coins I collect and the

certain look I require, I have found the dealers I am comfortable with.

JCMhouston

In my main collecting areas I would say 80% of my coins come from one of three specialist dealers, plus a couple of auction houses. There are probably 6-8 other dealers I occassionally find something at.

ambro51

Since Gold Dollars are so 'thin on the ground' I buy the coin (and slab) not the dealer. BUT, I have purchased quite a few from NFC.

pennyannie

3 on a regular basis and others when i see something i want. I have a bigger list of dealers i will not deal with. Nothing really wrong with most of them on the "do not do business with list" It is that i can not deal at prices i like or similiar.

Certificate numbers will be good for insurance but not theft. They can just crack them. Best crack them now and carve you drivers liscense number on the reverse.

MidLifeCrisis

Very few...three or four.

I like and respect several more...they just don't have what I collect.

Elcontador

Three or four plus Heritage. I'm open to doing business with pretty much anyone, but they either don't have the material, or have the material and think I'm dumb enough to pay a fortune for it.

Unknown

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