Oh to be an east coast dealer or collector...... My theories.... ????
topstuf
Posts: 14,803 ✭✭✭✭✭
I can't even imagine the scenario of a coin customer coming in with an actual RARE coin that they had in an attic, family, drawer, or box for decades.
God, it must be grand!
I dealt on the west coast.
My ....theory, supposition, premise, suspicion is that we out West seldom see or saw any colonials or rare early type for the simple reason that the people who emigrated TO California were, by and large, pretty darned poor.
OLD west coast money was in agricultural pursuits, and as a relative of a legacy rancher out here, I do know that the group has little interest in ANY ...collecting. Lots of cows to feed, crops to harvest, etc.
The immigrants were lucky to have gas money to GET here. Hence, no classic coins came with 'em. 
I know that I got all excited if I saw even a GOLD coin ...of ANY era... come in the shop.
It ran more to emergency sales of accumulated dreck and bullion silver coins... IF THAT!
What a true joy it must be to see FRESH ..... REAL... OLD.... historic coins at retail shops. Even if only occasionally.
Ahhh yessss..... 
Okay, I'm through whining.
But damn, I think the east coast must be a great experience for a collector.
OR a dealer.
Comments
History . . . . . . . . . is history.
Cannot change that.
I believe there is truth in what you write . . . . .
Drunner
I don't know.
Family moved here in 1630 and every "coin" that I have I worked for and bought myself.
You would think after almost 400 years on the East coast, Someone would have given me a nice coin
Although @topstuf I think you are correct that your written idea does happen.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
If it makes you feel any better, a leading California dealer made it point to visit my east coast state quite often over the past 30-40 years. One of my local coins shops routinely put away their best stuff for this dealer's many visits. No doubt others did as well. I figure a ton of great old time stuff worth a small fortune left the state to never come back. You'd have a better chance of running into this stuff in CA than I would here on the upper right coast.
Not all of it stayed in the east...
sfgate.com/news/article/Gold-Country-couple-discover-10-million-in-5266314.php
@TequilaDave
Looks nice
Is that a lot of gold in tin ?
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
You don't remember this story from a few years back? A couple in CA found these cans filled with $20 gold pieces and the government tried their hardest to call it stolen booty but thanks to a single later dated coin, it stayed with the finders. Click the link below the image
@TequilaDave
Yes, thanks for jogging my memory
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Very few Pine Tree Shillings were used by the 49'ers
(NOT the football team !)
Most of the rare stuff that has been presented to me in this fairly affluent area (lakefront property is the most expensive in the Union for fresh water lakes, averaging $2.5M +) has been presented by neophyte heirs. The AU 1807 Bust Left $5 that I mentioned here recently came out of a pickle jar full of drecky other coins.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
And yet - 1870 3 cent silver business strikes (mintage 3,000, Philly only)
Four of them in XF (well, 3 clean, 1 XF details) show up in Toledo, OR in a six month period.
Not everything stayed east.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Yep.
Just like metal detecting.
East coast will give you better "digs" than west coast. You'll have colonials and old silver up north, and gold and old silver down south.
On the west coast, I got a couple of statehood quarters and clad dimes & zincolns.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
I remember this! It was found in Northern CA. I live close by and found this so exciting! Lol
Living in my area, which was settled in the 1600's, I am still hoping to find some colonial treasure.... Cheers, RickO
I live in California and was excited to get a 1912 cent in change.
United States Cent 1912
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
Probably a lot of undiscovered stuff back east. Attics, basements.........
My War Nickels https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/nickels/jefferson-nickels-specialty-sets/jefferson-nickels-fs-basic-war-set-circulation-strikes-1942-1945/publishedset/94452
From personal experience...............a lot of the
Probably a lot of undiscovered stuff back east. Attics, basements.........
gets thrown into the dumpster........I know for a fact.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
>
Historically there is substance to your supposition. I cite the case of the 1861 San Francisco minted $20 Paquet Reverses. Despite thousands leaving the mint before the cease order was received, there yet remains to this day not a single mint state example. This is strong evidence that West Coasters were not into coin collecting back in the mid to late 1800s,
For those who missed it, here is a link to my thread on the subject of the $20 Paquet Reverses from earlier this year. Included in the postings is the history behind those that escaped from the San Francisco mint and their eventual "discovery" by collectors many decades later. In the first post is pictured my survivor.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/975923/the-exciting-1861-paquet-reverse-twenty-dollar-liberties-again-in-the-news
But the weather is nicer on the west coast.
Topstuf-do you think there are be more circulated 19th century S mint Seated coins still to be found on the West Coast?
Not extremely valuable or exciting, but my dealer friend here in FL who maintains a residence up in CT and has numerous connections up there brought a nice grouping of these Canadian (mostly blacksmith-type) tokens to our local show here a few years back. I picked these out of the pile, and despite the lack of detail, I believe quite a few were mint state as there is original luster on them (that the photos don't show well). Apparently someone found a boxful of the things in an attic in an old house up there a couple years ago.
@Walkerguy21D...... Wow.. impressive... While not high priced rarities, those old blacksmith coins are unique. I would love to find a couple of them..... I have not seen them even in the antique shops around here... Cheers, RickO
I still imagine that someone will turn up a MINT STATE 1793 "Strawberry Leaf" large cent.
But the sun comes up 3 hours earlier on the east coast.