<< <i> The first big coin show that I went to I asked a dealer about a buffalo nickel. This was and still is a well - known dealer. I was young maybe 20. He was talking to another guy about something other than coins while I waited to find out a price on the nickel. He was very rude to me and snippy and did not seem interested in selling it to me. Years later I was at a Baltimore show looking at a page of liberty seated coins,when, another collector come along and asked to see the coins in the page that i was looking at. The dealer's wife just grabs the page out of my hands and gives it to the other collector--Maybe a preferred customer-but there was no need to be rude and do something like this. SAME DEALER-Him and his wife are a bunch of snobs. Another time I steered a friend to his case and I sold a $700 coin for him. He was snobbish again when I told him that I sent the collector to him to buy that coin and offered me nothing for selling it. He could have threw me $5 even. I did not care if he did not want to give me anything,it was just his attitude.He did have the one 3 cent silver in his case that I would have bought from any other dealer.SAME DEALER-- STRIKE THREE--His attitude just turned me totally off and to this day I do not have the particular date, but I would not buy it from him no matter how cheap. I totally avoid this jerk now. This particular dealer sells nothing cheap and never comes down on anything. >>
I know that dude. Or one that fits his MO exactly
He sold me a bad coin when I was starting out. I never dealt with him again.
I went into NYC Tuesday to look at a secret auction across the street from Stacks, and it made it all the easier to pick up the decent bunch of midrange New England Museum coins from the NOLA sale.
Knowing that I would have to pay more for longer parking if I had to spend more time in NYC, but still I was lured by the invitation of a free lunch. Paul Nugget did not pay. He's still smarting over that sushi lunch in White Plains 11 years ago. Someone else stepped up to the plate and we went across 57th St. to Angelo's, Pistareen's favorite NYC dining spot for Margerita pizza.
Back to the office, for picking up my lots and getting my parking stamped. There I was told that the staff had much admiration for the negotiating stance I had taken with auction commissions, which had netted me .25 percent better than most other people because I could do the math and see win-win.. They said they'd done their own math and the 17.5% buyers fee would probably take of most of this visit. I glowed with triumph. I didn't know at the time that the $13 for the George Washington Bridge would deemed as other-than-company related due to the other commercial aspects of my trip. But, for an old friend (aggregate 150 years with the various principals), they'd fight to sell a $17 discount on my $33 parking fee to upper management. Again I glowed; having received the mega-score of a reduction of over 50% was astounding. It's amazing the kind of leverage you can get once you understand the 17.5% concept.
A bonus for all; the free food at the auctions is getting ever better too.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Geo. Orwell
<< <i>Years ago i was a Ron Swineys coins in Fort Worth texas. A man and his 2 kids came in, the man was looking at all the trays and the kids were running wild. The father said the older of the 2 kids liked coins and he called him over. He looked at a few but you could tell he was bored. Ron Swiney had a bowl of buffalo nickels and told the boy he could have a buffalo nickel. The little boy ( about 5 to 7 years old) studied the coins for a long minute or 2 and picked one. The father was going on and on about his son being a collector and many thanks. With in seconds the boy was back at the counter with gum in hand. He put that nickel in the gum ball machine. I still get a laugh when i think about that one. >>
The best dealers educate, communicate, assist you in achieving your goals, sell handpicked quality coins at reasonable prices - and will always buy them back if you need to sell a few years down the road.
Doug Winter is the best dealer I have purchased coins from and does all of the above. A lot of other dealers are right up there also, as Winter does have a specialized focus.
The worst dealers are out to gouge whoever they can and are unknowledgeable about the coins they sell. I have no problem buying from them by using caveat emptor and knowledge of my series. They can be cherrypicked.
Robert Scot: Engraving Liberty - biography of US Mint's first chief engraver
When I was a kid in the early 70's, I lived in Santa Barbara and there were 2 shops next door to each other, one was Ron Gillio's and the other was Bob Barnes's, and for a couple of summers I haunted both and in Ron's shop he was really into high end stuff and gold and there was nothing really I could even imagine that I could afford, I was a poor kid that liked coins, and he had these two abrasive/grizzled guys working for him and they knew I was a poor kid, but they let me hang around and listen and watch as long as I stayed out of the way and now and then they would hand me paper towels and windex and say get busy on the showcases, and if I was around at lunch time they would send me out for lunch they would buy and I would fly, they gave me used whitmans after they emtied them out and they also gave me some old Redbooks that came with collections they bought. To know those two old koots was to love em and I learned alot there. I'll never forget those guys.
Next door over was Bob Barnes shop and that was an actual Mom & Pop shop and Bob and his wife were good people too!, they also knew I was a poor kid and they went out of there way to educate me about coins, they also used to give me used whitmans, one summer I put together a V Nickel set in AG to fine, all from Bobs 10cent Junk Box, I completed the set except for the 85 and 86 out of that junk box, and looking back I know damn well that Bob seeded that box for me.
Steve
Lived in Goleta and had similar experiences in the mid 60's to early 70's. Used to ride my bike down and back several miles. Bob was a great guy and my experiences were very similar with him. As to Ron, I did go in a few times but didn't feel all that welcome as a fellow "poor kid" so I only went in a few times just briefly. Can't say I was treated badly but never acknowledged. I might as well have been a picture on the wall there.
Bob and his wife though were very kind and encouraging. I will always remember that!
I was a semi-regular at a local shop, and had just bought some Franklins, Washingtons, and Roosevelts from the 1950s that were stored in old holders. Most coins took on some nice toning. He had just bought them that morning and sold them to me at a very reasonable price. I still have some of them and will end up ahead on the deal when I sell the others.
Originally posted by: OldEastside There's Good Guys too !!!!
Steve
Come on man, ya can't just casually ressurect a nearly three year old thread like it's nothing!..........or can you? More reasons to fix our search feature.
I have a great relationship with several dealers, in particular Northern Nevada Coin. Allen has worked with me on lots of transactions, and has become a close friend. It is exactly the type of relationship that they tell you to build in the collector guides. I am always amazed what he turns up.
At 180 degrees out from Allen is a telemarketer from New York who found me a few months ago. This NY dealer called me and told me he had made several acquisitions that I would be interested in. I asked what he had, and then he asked what I collected. I asked what he had from Carson City, and he didn't have anything. So he wanted me to give him a want list. I told him that I was looking for an 1873 cc no arrows dime, and gave him a number that sounded high, that I was willing to pay. Of course this number is a tiny fraction of what this coin last sold for. He then told me that I must want it bad, and that we would contact Stack's, Heritage, and some other dealers to quickly locate it for me. What I failed to tell him was that the coin is unique and probably worth north of $2M. He was a real pain, so I hope that it kept him busy enough to never call me back.
I'll post my most recent positive. I was perusing Glenn Holsonbake's site the other day. I had my eye on this particular coin for a few days, and I decided to just add it to the cart and checkout. I went through the whole dance, and I get an email the next day from Glenn. He had the coin with him at the New Orleans show and said he was shipping it from the show. I thought that was pretty cool.
I once purchased a coin from Glenn's site and he personally delivered it to my home. It was a nice coin but not a super high dollar item (less than 1k). Very nice personal touch.
Originally posted by: LogPotato I'll post my most recent positive. I was perusing Glenn Holsonbake's site the other day. I had my eye on this particular coin for a few days, and I decided to just add it to the cart and checkout. I went through the whole dance, and I get an email the next day from Glenn. He had the coin with him at the New Orleans show and said he was shipping it from the show. I thought that was pretty cool.
You cant ask for better service than that. One of the reasons I followed him around the coin circuit to shows Hither and Yon. Also to help him co-teach the course, The Coinage of Charles Barber at the ANA Summer Seminars in 2012 and 2013.
I wish him well in his new B&M venture.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
well the local coin shop here in town is owned by a collector who knows his coins well, he buys from the public, auctions and other dealers and his prices are reasonable
I buy from him cause of the selection he has and the way he treats his customers
the responses here about coin dealers giving away free coins to kids is the reason so many collectors go to ebay looking to relive their youth. explains all the BS low ball offers
regardless of how many posts I have, I don't consider myself an "expert" at anything
Harry Laibstain has been selling some pretty Walkers on ebay recently and I am building a set. He had a pretty 43 D for sale. But he had listed it in the title as a 34 D by accident. I wanted a 43 D and bought it. He sent a note after the sale asking if I knew about the error. I said yes and I knew what I was buying. So he sent me a nice gift certificate for the mistake. When I got it, I put it through the shredder. It was a nice gesture, but nobody needs to take a hit for an honest mistake. It just confirms I am buying from the right dealer.
I was told not long ago not to share bad experiences with dealers on this PCGS forum. When I saw this topic, it reminded me of all the bad experiences with dealers that I have had. Some were recent and many were years ago. Most all of them are still in business. I wrote the bad experiences down as well as the good. I discovered that the good actually outweighed the bad. My favorites in no particular order:
Hallenbeck in Colorado Springs. A pleasure to go in this shop. Harlan Berk in Chicago. A pleasure to do business with. David Kahn. Nice coins. Brian Greer. Just don't ever try to ask for a price break. U.S. Coin and Jewelry in Houston. Cecil at Coin's and Cards in Butte, Montana Ardie's Coins in Billings, Montana (just ask for Ardie)
Deceased Dealers who I enjoyed doing business with:
Loren Allgood in St. George, Utah. A peach of a fellow. Dwight Brockman in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A very nice guy. J.H. Cline Irv's Coins (Ray Irving) Spokane, Washington
Most Ornery Dealers: (I can't say) Most Dishonest Dealers: (I can't say) Biggest Jerk Dealers: (I can think of many but I can't say)
Hey everyone, would be great if you shared your feedback at the dealer review website... trustedpmdealers.com, for example. Share your experience with other customers.
Comments
<< <i>
The first big coin show that I went to I asked a dealer about a buffalo nickel. This was and still is a well - known dealer. I was young maybe 20. He was talking to another guy about something other than coins while I waited to find out a price on the nickel. He was very rude to me and snippy and did not seem interested in selling it to me. Years later I was at a Baltimore show looking at a page of liberty seated coins,when, another collector come along and asked to see the coins in the page that i was looking at. The dealer's wife just grabs the page out of my hands and gives it to the other collector--Maybe a preferred customer-but there was no need to be rude and do something like this. SAME DEALER-Him and his wife are a bunch of snobs. Another time I steered a friend to his case and I sold a $700 coin for him. He was snobbish again when I told him that I sent the collector to him to buy that coin and offered me nothing for selling it. He could have threw me $5 even. I did not care if he did not want to give me anything,it was just his attitude.He did have the one 3 cent silver in his case that I would have bought from any other dealer.SAME DEALER-- STRIKE THREE--His attitude just turned me totally off and to this day I do not have the particular date, but I would not buy it from him no matter how cheap. I totally avoid this jerk now. This particular dealer sells nothing cheap and never comes down on anything.
>>
I know that dude. Or one that fits his MO exactly
He sold me a bad coin when I was starting out. I never dealt with him again.
Knowing that I would have to pay more for longer parking if I had to spend more time in NYC, but still I was lured by the invitation of a free lunch. Paul Nugget did not pay. He's still smarting over that sushi lunch in White Plains 11 years ago. Someone else stepped up to the plate and we went across 57th St. to Angelo's, Pistareen's favorite NYC dining spot for Margerita pizza.
Back to the office, for picking up my lots and getting my parking stamped. There I was told that the staff had much admiration for the negotiating stance I had taken with auction commissions, which had netted me .25 percent better than most other people because I could do the math and see win-win.. They said they'd done their own math and the 17.5% buyers fee would probably take of most of this visit. I glowed with triumph. I didn't know at the time that the $13 for the George Washington Bridge would deemed as other-than-company related due to the other commercial aspects of my trip. But, for an old friend (aggregate 150 years with the various principals), they'd fight to sell a $17 discount on my $33 parking fee to upper management. Again I glowed; having received the mega-score of a reduction of over 50% was astounding. It's amazing the kind of leverage you can get once you understand the 17.5% concept.
A bonus for all; the free food at the auctions is getting ever better too.
<< <i>Years ago i was a Ron Swineys coins in Fort Worth texas. A man and his 2 kids came in, the man was looking at all the trays and the kids were running wild. The father said the older of the 2 kids liked coins and he called him over. He looked at a few but you could tell he was bored. Ron Swiney had a bowl of buffalo nickels and told the boy he could have a buffalo nickel. The little boy ( about 5 to 7 years old) studied the coins for a long minute or 2 and picked one. The father was going on and on about his son being a collector and many thanks. With in seconds the boy was back at the counter with gum in hand. He put that nickel in the gum ball machine. I still get a laugh when i think about that one. >>
Love it!
<< <i>
<< <i>Andy mailed me a coin he knew I needed...not terribly expensive (3 digits), and said "keep it...it's on the house".
Lance. >>
It's hard to beat service like that. >>
It's impossible to beat service like that.
Doug Winter is the best dealer I have purchased coins from and does all of the above. A lot of other dealers are right up there also, as Winter does have a specialized focus.
The worst dealers are out to gouge whoever they can and are unknowledgeable about the coins they sell. I have no problem buying from them by using caveat emptor and knowledge of my series. They can be cherrypicked.
one was Ron Gillio's and the other was Bob Barnes's, and for a couple of summers I haunted both and in Ron's
shop he was really into high end stuff and gold and there was nothing really I could even imagine that I could
afford, I was a poor kid that liked coins, and he had these two abrasive/grizzled guys working for him and they
knew I was a poor kid, but they let me hang around and listen and watch as long as I stayed out of the way
and now and then they would hand me paper towels and windex and say get busy on the showcases, and if
I was around at lunch time they would send me out for lunch they would buy and I would fly, they gave me
used whitmans after they emtied them out and they also gave me some old Redbooks that came with collections
they bought. To know those two old koots was to love em and I learned alot there. I'll never forget those guys.
Next door over was Bob Barnes shop and that was an actual Mom & Pop shop and Bob and his wife were good
people too!, they also knew I was a poor kid and they went out of there way to educate me about coins, they also
used to give me used whitmans, one summer I put together a V Nickel set in AG to fine, all from Bobs 10cent Junk
Box, I completed the set except for the 85 and 86 out of that junk box, and looking back I know damn well that
Bob seeded that box for me.
Steve
Lived in Goleta and had similar experiences in the mid 60's to early 70's. Used to ride my bike down and back several miles. Bob was a great guy and my experiences were very similar with him. As to Ron, I did go in a few times but didn't feel all that welcome as a fellow "poor kid" so I only went in a few times just briefly. Can't say I was treated badly but never acknowledged. I might as well have been a picture on the wall there.
Bob and his wife though were very kind and encouraging. I will always remember that!
Website-Americana Rare Coin Inc
Steve
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
There's Good Guys too !!!!
Steve
Come on man, ya can't just casually ressurect a nearly three year old thread like it's nothing!.....
At 180 degrees out from Allen is a telemarketer from New York who found me a few months ago. This NY dealer called me and told me he had made several acquisitions that I would be interested in. I asked what he had, and then he asked what I collected. I asked what he had from Carson City, and he didn't have anything. So he wanted me to give him a want list. I told him that I was looking for an 1873 cc no arrows dime, and gave him a number that sounded high, that I was willing to pay. Of course this number is a tiny fraction of what this coin last sold for. He then told me that I must want it bad, and that we would contact Stack's, Heritage, and some other dealers to quickly locate it for me. What I failed to tell him was that the coin is unique and probably worth north of $2M. He was a real pain, so I hope that it kept him busy enough to never call me back.
I'll post my most recent positive. I was perusing Glenn Holsonbake's site the other day. I had my eye on this particular coin for a few days, and I decided to just add it to the cart and checkout. I went through the whole dance, and I get an email the next day from Glenn. He had the coin with him at the New Orleans show and said he was shipping it from the show. I thought that was pretty cool.
I once purchased a coin from Glenn's site and he personally delivered it to my home. It was a nice coin but not a super high dollar item (less than 1k). Very nice personal touch.
I'll post my most recent positive. I was perusing Glenn Holsonbake's site the other day. I had my eye on this particular coin for a few days, and I decided to just add it to the cart and checkout. I went through the whole dance, and I get an email the next day from Glenn. He had the coin with him at the New Orleans show and said he was shipping it from the show. I thought that was pretty cool.
You cant ask for better service than that. One of the reasons I followed him around
the coin circuit to shows Hither and Yon. Also to help him co-teach the course, The
Coinage of Charles Barber at the ANA Summer Seminars in 2012 and 2013.
I wish him well in his new B&M venture.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
I buy from him cause of the selection he has and the way he treats his customers
1-12-26
Hallenbeck in Colorado Springs. A pleasure to go in this shop.
Harlan Berk in Chicago. A pleasure to do business with.
David Kahn. Nice coins.
Brian Greer. Just don't ever try to ask for a price break.
U.S. Coin and Jewelry in Houston.
Cecil at Coin's and Cards in Butte, Montana
Ardie's Coins in Billings, Montana (just ask for Ardie)
Deceased Dealers who I enjoyed doing business with:
Loren Allgood in St. George, Utah. A peach of a fellow.
Dwight Brockman in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A very nice guy.
J.H. Cline
Irv's Coins (Ray Irving) Spokane, Washington
Most Ornery Dealers: (I can't say)
Most Dishonest Dealers: (I can't say)
Biggest Jerk Dealers: (I can think of many but I can't say)