Vacation Find
Rob85635
Posts: 1,230 ✭✭✭
My wife and I had to go to a wedding in Washington State this last week. While at the rehearsal luncheon there was a yard sale two houses down and across the street. I enjoy the occasional yard sale and used to do it a lot but find that lately most are a bust for coins, PMs, etc., this was an exception.
While perusing a carboard box of mostly costume jewelry I came across three chains, two necklaces and a bracelet. There was a matching silver necklace bracelet and jewelry stamped "925" on one side of the clasp and "Italy" on the other. The chain was broken and stamped "14k" on one side and "Made in Italy" on the other. Total weight of both silver chains was exactly .500 ounce and the gold weighs .055 ounce. Price for each piece, $.25. I spent a dollar total and got my two year old daughter a costume gold colored chain with a flower attached. I actually brought my loupe with me on the trip, my eyes are horrible these days and if I had not had it I could not have made out the markings. Made the trip much more noteworthy. We are back in the sun at home, and glad to be back. Here is a pic of the three items.
While perusing a carboard box of mostly costume jewelry I came across three chains, two necklaces and a bracelet. There was a matching silver necklace bracelet and jewelry stamped "925" on one side of the clasp and "Italy" on the other. The chain was broken and stamped "14k" on one side and "Made in Italy" on the other. Total weight of both silver chains was exactly .500 ounce and the gold weighs .055 ounce. Price for each piece, $.25. I spent a dollar total and got my two year old daughter a costume gold colored chain with a flower attached. I actually brought my loupe with me on the trip, my eyes are horrible these days and if I had not had it I could not have made out the markings. Made the trip much more noteworthy. We are back in the sun at home, and glad to be back. Here is a pic of the three items.
Rob the Newbie
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Comments
I wonder what the result would have been had the OP corrected the seller, letting her know she was offering several hundred dollars worth of precious metal go for a few cents?
Just thinking out loud, it's one thing to cherry pick a (professional) dealer. After all, it is his job to know what it is he's selling.
It's another I think to take advantage at a yard sale.
Here's hoping the newlywed couple you offered your hearty well wishes too for a long and fruitful marriage don't run into an opportunist at their own yard sale twenty years down the road.
...I wonder what the result would have been had the OP corrected the seller, letting her know she was offering several hundred dollars worth of precious metal go for a few cents?...
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Full melt is less than $65 on that lot.
Garage-sale etiquette is not very strict and the buyer is under
no obligation to "be helpful."
While I and others might have taken pity on the seller, there
is no ethical requirement to do so.
Free-will allows for the "do unto others card" to be played or
not played, but the OP's action in the subject instance is FAR
from sinful or dishonest.
Secondly, the few times I've picked up coins for less than I know I can sell them I consider myself playing dealer, whos job it is to buy items for less than they are worth, and sell them at a mark up. A dealer would do this every day whereas the rest of us only get a good deal once in a blue moon.
I apologize to the OP as my first post was out of line.
I'll buy you and the wife a very nice dinner some day!
bob
<< <i>Upon reflection and on hindsight, I now agree with the last two posters. Not unethical, per se. (I had calculated, incorrectly, and thought the value was several hundred dollars.) >>
No need to apologize, you are certainly entitled to your opinion of my actions and that of the seller of the items at that yard sale. After the rain stopped an hour or so later they still were open so I took my daughter over (she is two) and let her check out the toys. I bought her a Thomas the Train toy that propels itself forward when the head is pushed down. After playing with it in the hotel on and off for less than an hour it broke. When pushed down the head goes about half way up and emits an audible "pop" and stops. I spent $0.50 on that toy. Should I have gone back and asked for my money back? I think not.
Two weeks ago I went to an auction and bid on a lot of small gold colored charms that I was hoping might contain a few charms worth anything. The lots were sealed in plastic and were sold as gold colored with no guarantee express or implied. I bid and won the tiny bag of charms and paid just over $11. Upon opening the bag I found they were gold colored charms with a base of some kind of very cheap metal. Value maybe a few bucks.
A month or so ago I contacted a seller on craigslist about a silver necklace she was selling. She advised it was stamped ".925" and sent me a picture. She wanted $20 for it so I wrote back and agreed that I would buy it. When I got there the necklace was indeed stamped and was as she said, however, the picture did not show that it was actually very thin and the silver heart on it was hollow. I did not say one word, gave her the twenty and went home. Melt value on that is just over $13.
My point is that you win some and you lose some. I did not try to decieve anyone, they even saw me use my loupe to look at about 8 different items they had for sale. They told me they were a quarter each when I asked. They could have said anything, could have asked me what I was seeing and I would have told them but they just wanted what they wanted.
I do see your point, and I understand that everyone has a different "threshhold" if you will, about finding deals. I recently had someone at work say they were thinking of selling some morgans they had and what would I pay. I told them (at that time) they were worth about 22x face value for melt, but I could only pay 10x for them because I didn't have enough to buy them all. I even told them that they might be worth significantly more if they were of Numismatic value but they made it sound like they were well worn and possibly cleaned. I told them to check all the pawn shops in town because they could probably get more than 10x.
I pride myself on being honest but I do try to be thrifty when I can. Your point is understood though.