What is the number one asset you look for in a dealer in purchasing a coin.....
BLUEJAYWAY
Posts: 10,113 ✭✭✭✭✭
...OTHER than price for said coin(s). For me: Personality. If that is lacking, I keep walking. Don't need a coin that bad. Other positive traits probably are:Knowledge,Availability,Location, Referrals, Shirts w/o mustard stains. 
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
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Comments
Integrity.
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
Accurate grading. Some in the numismatic hobby really love US history and the place of coins and currency in that. You learn who is fair and accurate and who is just in it for the money.
Knowledge and integrity is the winning combination. I think the other stuff flows from that.
If it is a dealer at a coin show that I’m not familiar with then what I look for is how nicely they treat me and others, do they look patient as I look at coins, do they give me space or try to figure out how much money I have, do they look offended when I do a cert verify, etc.
Then it’s about how they act when I negotiate a price with them.
Other than price those other attributes take time and conversation to gain an understanding of what another individual is like; you can get a quick sense of someone but not a true assessment of their character. And when dealing with on-line transactions you have no way to know anything about the other party thus price is the most important thing.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
It's ultimately less about the dealer and more about the specific coin I'm attempting to acquire. That said, if a dealer is unethical or unpleasant to work with, virtually no coin is worth the aggravation. Fortunately, the vast majority of coin dealers are honest, friendly, professional people in my experience.
Honesty, Integrity & Knowledge!
Honesty is the first thing I look for in a person that I deal with and if I find that the person is not honest, I will keep on looking for someone that will be honest!
Integrity, if the person I am dealing with can not keep their word, I will not deal with them for long!
I hope that if I am dealing with a person about a coin that I might not have a whole lot of knowledge about, I would hope that the dealer would be knowledgeable about it. If he does not know a lot about the coin that I might be interested in, that he just be honest and tell me that they don't know a lot about the coin and we can look into the coin and gain some knowledge about it together!
At'e Logo, Joe
I really value a dealer that understands my collecting goals and is therefore willing to advise against purchasing a specific item in his inventory if it’s not the best fit. I will ultimately buy many more coins from that dealer down the road.
The coin.
Honesty
Integrity
Fairness on both the buy and the sell side
My top 2 all time favorite dealers will always make a fair offer on anything I bring them. They take the good and the bad and they are fair offers. That to me is the most important thing and the reason I keep going back to them buying and selling.
I would have no problem with my heirs leaving my whole collection with either of these dealers for an extended period of time to get a fair offer after I pass away. I trust both of them completely. They have never given me a reason not to. I like straight shooters
The dealers base prices. If I’m looking for something that should run say, $200, and the coin has a $500 sticker I’m outta there because I know there’s going to be absolutely no way we’re likely to find common ground.
Honesty and integrity, yeah that’s great, but I endeavor to educate myself before making purchases so I have a good idea what I’m going to deal with regardless of said dealers attributes.
"Today the crumbs, tomorrow the
loaf. Perhaps someday the whole damn boulangerie." - fictional Jack Rackham
Integrity is number one
Then I gravitate towards dealers that have some collector in them.
For me it makes the experience that much better.
Personality & Ease to talk to.
Just like a woman who makes you feel comfortable by doing this, a dealer can "look" so much better by these traits.
"No pressure sale" feeling.
I know what I'm looking for in a coin I'm considering buying. If I am inquiring more about said coin it's because I am really considering making a deal. If dealer tries to over talk it(why?), I'm out.
If he has "no time for me" I'm gone. Too bad. I was ready to work a deal.
I may look like a nobody to some dealers but I have enough cash to throw down for the coin I am asking about. Your loss.
Next up gets my business.
Knowledge and integrity (all ready stated)
smooth talkers must do all right too, guy across town is the best at it and gets a lot of stuff that way (dirt cheap)
I try to gauge how excited / passionate they are about the hobby.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
Really nice coins
Latin American Collection
Not sure I can describe one quality but as Justice Potter said " I know it when I see it." When I talk to a dealer I usually know if he or she is what I'm looking for fairly quickly.
What I look for in buying v. consigning are very different.
I enjoy buying coins from people I like, and I do my best to show my appreciation, but I would buy a coin from the devil himself if it belongs in my collection.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Agree, and have bought several from Mr. Eureka......
Nailed it!
For most of us, this is a hobby which should bring some level of enjoyment.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
The question is overly simplified.
If I'm just looking for a single coin, I'd buy it from a truly despicable person for the right price. So in that sense, possession of the coin I'm looking for is probably important.
If I'm looking to build a long-term relationship, consign coins, looking for advice, submitting a want list, or just about anything else, integrity is miles ahead of whatever is in second place.
I look for a dealer with a decent inventory with decent coins with decent prices.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I don't care what he looks like, his personality, condiment stains, how he dresses, whether he drives a Bentley or a Yugo. If he has the coin I'm looking for and I agree on the grade and we agree on a price, and he does not have a rep for dealing in stolen merch, we have a deal.
If you eliminate odd personalities, the field will be mighty thin.
Just my eversohumble opinion.
Cheers
Bob
Inventory. The coin is there or it is not.
This isn’t a direct answer with respect to purchasing a coin from a dealer. However, it can be extremely important for a dealer to have a good understanding of a client’s numismatic tastes, likes and dislikes.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Personality is the first word that comes to mind.
I look for a dealer who does not check for varieties.
BHNC #203
MrEureka said "but I would buy a coin from the devil himself if it belongs in my collection".
I had a national online dealer switch a coin on me (raw in a flip) at a Baltimore show in 2006. They often have coins I need, but I haven't bought a thing from them since. I don't name them as I have no evidence, but I know they did it...they dropped the flip on the floor in their booth and then picked up another and handed it back. 1919-S Buff in strong AU. I didn't look closely at the coin they handed back until later and it had magically transformed to a VF. The drop on the floor was the only time it had left my sight.
They are not a dealer that is often discussed on here, one of the old line buy as AU, sell as Gem places.
You said you have no evidence, but at the same time, that you “know they did it”. And then you provided your evidence. Which is it?😉
What were the odds that they would have had the same date and mintmark coin, in relatively similar condition, and close enough at hand to be able to switch coins so quickly? If you have a good answer for that, there’s your evidence. But if not, you can’t know they did it or even have a reasonable basis for thinking they did it.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Total silence
My Saint Set
Number one...do they have what I am looking for. Second, price. Third - either a deal or I am gone. Cheers, RickO
FB.
Knowledge and integrity
It's a lot harder to cherry pick a dealer with knowledge. Just sayin'.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I like follow though and look for integrity and the heart of a teacher.
I would give this advice to any dealer. Make each collector who you do regular business feel like they are your most important customer (they dont need to be but make them feel like it). When I find a coin I need, I will get it from most any dealer. But most coins I dont need. Those other coins get purchased from dealers who treat me the way most people want to be treated.
Quality. Too many dealers try to pass off cleaned and /or altered coins to the public as good. If I see too many of them in the case, I'm inclined to believe that the dealer isn't being a good actor.
My Sig line covers it. 😆
That dealer I desire, is the one that doesn't mind me asking to check out many items. Knowing he/she is not losing their patience or starting to get angry when going through their inventory. Now I'm not talking spending over an hour or so. I'm talking about 30 minutes or so. Esp. If it is slow for them that day. I go to this one shop where she actually allows me to check behind the counters! She trusts me obviously. Sometimes, I'm in her store for more than an hour. She doesn't mind at all. I think she enjoys the company or she feels safer while I'm there? This is what I love in any dealer. Not the fact to allow me behind there cases, but to have more patience and the courtesy for a customer. I have spent 100's of dollars there. Where the woman trusts me.
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.I agree. I don't care how much you paid for it. I don't want to hear that you're losing money at that price. I don't care if you dragged your butt a thousand miles across broken glass to buy it. Just give me your price and I'll say yes or no.
Either they have the coin at an agreeable price or not.
My skill set and focus has improved enough to avoid most problem coins.
I don't need a background check on the dealer.
Though mostly reserved, I appreciate occasional friendly banter at a slow table.
Weakest part of my game is getting to know dealers and remembering their names,
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
While understandably, many potential buyers don't care what a seller paid for a coin, such information can be quite useful. That is especially true in the case of certain, more esoteric items, coins for which there are no recent published comps and fast moving markets.
Of course, the knowledge level and veracity of the seller are extremely important. Even if you choose not to purchase the coin, you can still benefit form the information.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Deleted didn’t seem positive.
To an extent. For instance, if there is a REAL provenance to the coin, I would certainly want that info. But I really am not interested in the sellers life story.
Kind of like that London Olympics medal you purchased from me many years ago. It could be traced right to the recipient. I provided photos and news coverage, etc. THAT'S valuable info, not just hearsay or a story.
Cheers
Bob
Bob, I didn’t say anything about a life story or a story of any type.
And I’m sorry to say, I don’t remember purchasing a London Olympics medal - that doesn’t sound like something I would have purchased.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
In person, I agree with Mr. Eureka.....it could be the devil as long as I can walk away with the coin at my price.
Through the mail or on line? Then the #1 priority is how far from bankruptcy or being shutdown by the FEDs are they? Been hit by that more than once in the past.
Usually how much can they bench press is what I’m looking for
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
No GPS ankle monitor.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]