How do dealers come up with their price codes?

notlogical · February 2, 2010 6:26AM

I thought it would be kind of cool to make one. Are they usually an alphabetic code with a numeric reference? I want one that's easy to remember without being too easy to figure out. Any suggestions?

bstat1020 · February 2, 2010 6:27AM

Charleston!

All you need is a 10 letter word!

UtahCoin · February 2, 2010 6:29AM

pathfinder

methodical

droopyd · February 2, 2010 6:33AM

For those of you who remember building Heathkits back in the day, they could use the resistor color code -- black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, white.

There's a great mnemonic for remembering this, by the way!

yellowkid · February 2, 2010 6:36AM

Mine is incredibly simple, and there is a reason for that.

doh · February 2, 2010 6:38AM

10 letter word...just make sure they're different letters

Or you can use an 11 letter word or phrase with one repeating letter to represent zero to make it a little harder to decipher.

notlogical · February 2, 2010 6:40AM

<< All you need is a 10 letter word! >>

Now that's logical!!!

Thanks

kranky · February 2, 2010 6:41AM

<< Charleston!

All you need is a 10 letter word! >>

...with no duplicate letters!

So you could use:
c=1, h=2... so for a cost of $250 your code would be HLN.
or c=0, h=1...
or do it backwards.
or add extra letters which have no meaning in the code to confuse people. Take HLN above and add meaningless letters to get to HDPLBNX.

Many, many variations.

airplanenut · February 2, 2010 6:41AM

I figured that if I mixed in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek characters, it would get complicated to crack. Judging by my asking a few people whom I know would understand the reasoning behind some of the code (whether or not they knew of it is a different story), I'm going to keep with my thoughts that it's hard to crack.

yellowkid · February 2, 2010 6:42AM

<< I figured that if I mixed in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek characters, it would get complicated to crack. Judging by my asking a few people whom I know would understand the reasoning behind some of the code (whether or not they knew of it is a different story), I'm going to keep with my thoughts that it's hard to crack. >>

I was going to use Hebrew and Greek characters.....

AUandAG · February 2, 2010 6:45AM

First initial and last name: blindstrom

bob

SilverBaron · February 2, 2010 6:46AM

One dealer I know uses Latin .....

Another that does not know that I cracked his code ..... BRICKOVENS
[ no, he is not bright enough to read this board ]

Barndog · February 2, 2010 6:47AM

you can use a ten letter word AND assign numbers to mix it up a bit if you really want to keep it difficult for others to decipher:

1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
F I S H M O N G E R
2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

So you could express the cost of $295 as either 1SRO or 2IEM

or mix it up even more and throw in nonsense letters that you just disregard, e.g. 1XSRO or 2ZIEM

guitarwes · February 2, 2010 6:48AM

dontbelazy

illini420 · February 2, 2010 6:48AM

or you dealers can just keep it all written down on a pad of paper and keep your darn stickers off of my slabs!!!!!

notlogical · February 2, 2010 6:49AM

<< I figured that if I mixed in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek characters, it would get complicated to crack. Judging by my asking a few people whom I know would understand the reasoning behind some of the code (whether or not they knew of it is a different story), I'm going to keep with my thoughts that it's hard to crack. >>

Man, I guess so!!

notlogical · February 2, 2010 6:50AM

I hope no one is giving away any secrets here.

StubbyMcNumbthumbs · February 2, 2010 6:51AM

Or 2 words - "BLACK RHINO".

I used to mark my coins that I purchased with how much I paid this way. If it was less than $100, I would add in another letter that wasn't in the code just to make it 3 letters.

$47 = CMH
$347 = ACH

I thought it was kinda fun to do this, but eventually didn't really see the need if I wasn't a dealer.
I just like codes breaking/making.

Barndog · February 2, 2010 6:56AM

<< Or 2 words - "BLACK RHINO".

I used to mark my coins that I purchased with how much I paid this way. If it was less than $100, I would add in another letter that wasn't in the code just to make it 3 letters.

$47 = CMH
$347 = ACH

I thought it was kinda fun to do this, but eventually didn't really see the need if I wasn't a dealer.
I just like codes breaking/making. >>

I would venture a guess that a lot of non-dealers use codes to keep actual prices paid a mystery to their wives

LanLord · February 2, 2010 6:59AM

I would fool everyone, I'd use numbers that stand for a word that everyone would would be searching the internet to figure out!

RYK · February 2, 2010 7:04AM

This is one I learned as a boy:

C-O-I-N-W-E-R-L-D = 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 with "X" representing 0

ColonialCoinUnion · February 2, 2010 7:05AM

The goal is to use a code so complicated that you yourself cannot figure it out.

PerryHall · February 2, 2010 7:15AM

I cracked one dealer's code---BRICK MASON.

RYK · February 2, 2010 7:23AM

<< The goal is to use a code so complicated that you yourself cannot figure it out. >>

I especially like the ones that use Greek letters. I am sure that they have no idea what they paid for the coins.

If you buy enough coins from a dealer, especially over a broad price range, you can often crack the code. Of course, if you are that good a customer, they will often tell you what they paid, but that's no fun!

ColonialCoinUnion · February 2, 2010 7:31AM

<< 

<< The goal is to use a code so complicated that you yourself cannot figure it out. >>

I especially like the ones that use Greek letters. I am sure that they have no idea what they paid for the coins.

If you buy enough coins from a dealer, especially over a broad price range, you can often crack the code. Of course, if you are that good a customer, they will often tell you what they paid, but that's no fun! >>

I used to write my planned bids in the catalog in Japanese, which I would then decipher immediately after the lot in question was hammered down to someone else for 20% less than my max.

kranky · February 2, 2010 7:56AM

<< 

<< The goal is to use a code so complicated that you yourself cannot figure it out. >>

I especially like the ones that use Greek letters. I am sure that they have no idea what they paid for the coins. >>

There's a nearby dealer who uses Greek letters, and he's from Greece. I'm sure he knows!

ricman · February 2, 2010 9:29AM

As others have suggested, I have used a 10-letter word that I first learned nearly 40 years ago when we marked the cost of our drugs (in the DRUGSTORE !!) on each container entering the inventory of the store. It's a system I could not forget even if I wanted to do so.

WoodenJefferson · February 2, 2010 11:43AM

You could get you a bombe like the one at the National Cryptologic Museum, but moving this about the bourse might be a problem.

WTCG · February 2, 2010 11:49AM

<< Charleston!

All you need is a 10 letter word! >>

Not original enough. I know of three separate dealers who use that code.

coindeuce · February 2, 2010 12:17PM

R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N

MsMorrisine · February 2, 2010 12:29PM

and a different word for each power of ten

MsMorrisine · February 2, 2010 12:32PM

<< 

<< The goal is to use a code so complicated that you yourself cannot figure it out. >>

I especially like the ones that use Greek letters. I am sure that they have no idea what they paid for the coins.

If you buy enough coins from a dealer, especially over a broad price range, you can often crack the code. Of course, if you are that good a customer, they will often tell you what they paid, but that's no fun! >>

if you have the 10 letters, it is possible to use tools already online to find the word.

edit: as I think about it, if a cell phone app is not already available then it would be easy to make.

fivecents · February 2, 2010 12:38PM

wherbsmy$?
12345678910

pruebas · February 2, 2010 2:07PM

A dealer I know, who knows Russian, writes his code in the Cyrillic alphabet.
I like the idea of non-Roman characters--like others have said, it adds an extra dimension of complexity.

robkool · February 2, 2010 3:07PM

KOOL + LOOK

bstat1020 · February 3, 2010 6:13AM

<< 

<< Charleston!

All you need is a 10 letter word! >>

Not original enough. I know of three separate dealers who use that code. >>

That is not my code, but an example for the OP.

messydesk · February 3, 2010 6:32AM

1000 * log(cost) written as 4 digits, first two swapped.

Example: $2 = 3001, $50 = 6199, $200 = 3201, $750 = 8275

Could also write using Tengwar.

If someone breaks either, he deserves to have broken it. Doesn't mean I'd change my selling price, though.

Cameonut · February 3, 2010 7:42AM

QUICK TRADE

RWB · February 3, 2010 7:46AM

Select your favorite 10-word phrase from Virgil. Then use the 3rd letter of each word to represent a number from 0-9. Work only in whole dollars (or, if you're "Laura" only in whole thousands of dollars).

ArizonaJack · February 3, 2010 8:16AM

Mine also includes the date of purchase. Think outside the box.

tydye · February 3, 2010 8:28AM

While not a dealer about 10 years ago I devised a code to keep track of price paid and date purchased incase I ever wanted to resell any of them. Now 10 years later I have no idea what the numbers and letters mean. Now I just write price, date and from who but not in code.

leothelyon · February 3, 2010 8:46AM

Try designating the first letters or numbers as the round up value, say coin was $167 but you would note $170 minus 3, using the last letter or number to substract, if you're worried about it. The last digits to all values are pointless and a waste of time. Just round them up. Whatever is listed on the back of the holder of the coin, it's only a reminder to the seller the amount of money he has invested in it. It's seldom used to keep information from anyone. Many coins values fluxuate weekly. Just be sure to come up with a system you'll remember. It's comical watching a dealer refer to his own cheat sheet while dealing with a custumer. He looks at the coin and doesn't know what he's got into it and out comes the sheet, usually some price sheet with his code printed at the top of the page. And if he's wearing bifocals, it gets even more hilarious.

Leo

seemyauction · February 3, 2010 9:16AM

You could realy flip everyone out and use binary code

0000=0
0001=1
0010=2
0011=3
0100=4
0101=5
0110=6
0111=7
1000=8
1001=9

DrPete · May 21, 2013 4:00AM

Found this to be an interesting thread. I remember working with a dealer when I was in my teens and he used DON SURFACE and I invented JOE STINKLY as codes. For my coin purchases in 2 x 2's at small shows, I just lightly write in pencil the month/year and price on the back. I found that to be the most useful. I can always erase it if I want to.

roadrunner · May 21, 2013 4:20AM

When I first used a code I was still very deep into 1960's Mopar muscle cars. My code came from that.

OLD HEMI GTX
123 4567 890

And an extra S to also mark zeroes as X was pretty common. Would toss in bogus leading or lagging letters not in the code to confuse (ie BOOM would be $116).
If there was any confusion, it was usually me making a mistake....lol.

I know one dealer who marks the code with the actual numbers in order. Puts letters in front and behind. And people still ask how much the coin is.

mrearlygold · May 21, 2013 4:48AM

Nobody's playing tic tac toe?

CoinZip · May 21, 2013 5:05AM

I just type it in and hit print.....

DrPete · May 21, 2013 5:17AM

I remember another dealer in Independence MO that made it no secret his code was the number in reverse order sandwiched between the same two starting and ending letters. He told everyone, every time, how to read his code. But that was for his retail. I found this to be eccentric, but got used to it. He rarely had anything I was interested in.

DoubleEagle59 · May 21, 2013 7:41AM

Diamond dealers too had their code or their cost on the inside of the diamond paper.

It was always fun and very easy to decipher as all it took was to see a sampling of their stock over time and most codes were broken.

ColonelJessup · May 21, 2013 8:56AM

Lots of dealers used to use COINS as the first or last word in their code. I guess it could be fitted somewhere in the middle.

Nulls are also useful. Any letter not included as part of the core of the code can be used as a null.

My first code was TRUECOINS (how idealistic I was starting out). Only 9 core letters, so 17 possibilities for nulls. Front or back.
Almost going broke in 1982 (there were many ways to do this in 1982) because I held stuff too wonderful to go down

, I changed my code to FASTMONEY. Sorry about my current one.

I've seen codes where the last character indicated how many preceding characters were valid and all codes were the same length.
And repeaters/duplicates something like X or D

So, using FASTMONEY as the base - blanks inserted for readability

BDX MDBX T = 0005500 4 digits from length signifier.

J was seemingly a null, but actually a substitute for signifying 5, useful in that

P MJBK T meant 5500 masking the repeating 5's. If you don't have and F in your core code, it's a great substitute for the first or second 5, but not in this particular instance

K JMBZ T and P MXLD T and P MDLX T are all also 5500

I haven't used FASTMONEY for 20+ years, I hope I haven't bungled the coding. I had to endure a long hot ride in the convertible this PM getting home from NYC and need a salt pill

Stacks bought lunch and I got a $17 discount on my parking. All just for paying 17.5% over hammer

It's the idea. Anything can look confusing at first, but code and decode ZDP MC A numbers and it'll be automatic.

Perhaps most gratifying for many here would be famed collector Lorin Parmelee's code, which referred to his opinion of the dealers of the time.

MENDACIOUS

;

Unknown · May 21, 2013 9:54AM

This content has been removed.

How do dealers come up with their price codes?

Comments

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

Leave a Comment

Categories