What is your deal breaker in buying a coin
robbylu52
Posts: 287 ✭✭✭
I first look at luster. If it is not very powerful and fresh looking to the surface I pass. White coin needs to look like it popped out of a roll. Lightly toned needs to have vibrant luster coming out blazing from under the toning.
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sketchy seller
Mostly if I like the coin, I buy it. Dealer attitude has prevented me from purchasing coins. Of course cost could always be a factor.
If the coin is otherwise in nice condition, a fingerprint.
USAF (Ret) 1974 - 1994 - The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Remembering RickO, a brother in arms.
I agree "Dealer attitude has prevented me from purchasing coins"
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Over priced coins. I'm buried in enough coins already.
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
The deal breaker for me is too many marks and poor eye appeal, from my perspective, of course. Marks include nicks, rim issues, finger prints and other distractions.
Another factor is gross over pricing. I am willing to pay a dealer a profit. Having been on both sides of the table, I appreciate the dealer's position. Yet there are dealers who ask prices that are multiples of the published prices. Sure, there are instances when the prices guides are wrong, but that is the exception, not the rule. When I have had a fair amount of experience in the market, and a dealer is pricing his material way higher than anyone else, I'm out.
I didn't know how some of those guys stay in business, but they do.
Bottom number in my checkbook is less that the price of the coin.
Backorder or Sold Out at the Mint.
Money.
Price, dealer attitude/conduct... Anything else with the coin and I would not be interested to start with. Cheers, RickO
You have to pay up for nice coins, but to a point..
Price and distracting issues would top the list.
Can only think of two or three ebay coin Doctor dealers I avoid.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
I have a specific look that I like, and I have set myself a specific price range that I stay in (usually).
White/dipped appearance is always a no-go for me.
Dave
Cheek scratches/hits.
Deal breakers for me kind of vary but generally involve one or more of the following:
Disease.
The coins are very important historically but I'm not a medical professional.
Over priced coins.
It seems to me that certain sellers are looking to retire right after they sell (if they can) and live happily ever after on the buyer's dime.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
Fingerprints, spots, rim nicks/dings, poor luster and a dealer who is rude, overpriced and unwilling to negotiate.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
1 Fingerprints
2 A harsh cleaning
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Cheapskate dealers at coin shows. If I buy something and it is $20.03 and I have only 2 twenties, some dealers will insist on the three cents. If my purchase is a few cents under the amount I give, I always say keep the change.
Lack of eye appeal (to me).
Obviously cleaned, and not done very well.
Too many marks, scratches, spots, etc. (now that I've become more selective)
Overpriced.
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
Fingerprints, distracting spotting, ugly mottled brown or black toning.
Price: if the dealer wants moon money, sell the coin on the moon.
Dealer: if the dealer isn't interested taking my money, I'm happy to walk. Why is it so hard to take my money one might ask? I don't know. Don't play games with me - name your price and stick with it. I've have passed on a couple of pop 1 coins in the 5 figure range simply because the dealers couldn't stop trying to play the game of squeezing every dime out of me. It's only a coin....
Grade: Eye appeal and technical grade. I don't do cleaned surfaces, AT, or altered surfaces. Yes, I'm selective. But if the coin is all there, so is my money.
Harsh cleaning- scrubbed hairlines turn me off. I coin can have some damage yet if it also sparkles with personality I'm good.
peacockcoins
My wife hiding the checkbook.
Scratches kinda do it for me.
Rim bumps - especially on larger coins.
Worse than a scratch in my book.
Rim dings are a huge turn-off for me.
Cleaning obviously. Market acceptable is NOT a term I'm fond of.
There are two dealers I won't give a penny to.
It must straight grade. Then I go from there.
Must have attractive eye appeal to me. Other factors, many already mentioned, can undermine this standard.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Rim dings. Like an older car: I can accept a few scratches and a bit of rust but not dented fenders.
Smitten with DBLCs.
Interesting to read everyone's responses. I had to think on this one, but I'd say "spots" or "spotting" is my #1 deal killer. Whether it's an UNC or a G4, I don't want to see a spot on my coin if I have any say in it. Leave the spots for the Leopards, they are very distracting to me on coins.
A "No Returns Policy" on internet sales.
Attitude - during in-person sales/shows.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
High buyer fees
Sales Tax
Rim dings and harsh cleaning. Also hits on Liberty's breasts or face disturb me. Ouch!
Dipped out over graded coins. Dealers that demonstrate a salesman approach and don’t know how to interact with collectors.
Brightened, scrubbed, dipped, over graded, (way) overpriced, heavily bag marked or scratches in focal areas (please, no mustaches for Ms. Liberty).
Ugly coins. I’d rather a highly priced gem than a modestly priced ugly coin.
Latin American Collection
My deal breaker is lack of originality
I'm at a show or a brick & mortar shop, inquire about an item with a price marked on it, decide I want to buy it at the marked price without haggling, and then the seller raises the price. Goodbye (permanently).
Weak strikes. I’ll give up a bit of luster to get a full strike, especially with Peace dollars. Even more important now that prices of these are going crazy.
I've been looking at a lot of early copper lately. Depending on the series... and die state... a mushy strike isn't so much of an issue with these coins. Excessive "spots" have sort of filtered up as one of my deal breakers. In fact, I think they might have surpassed "excessive contact marks". Combine that with "color" and those are my top three deal breakers for early copper.
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
I'd get that with junk box dealers 30-40 years ago. I found a VG 1830's cap bust dime in a junk box at a Chicago Loop coin shop for a fraction of its book value and the dealer wouldn't allow me to purchase it. Then the creep offered bullion value for a complete set of Mercury dimes (with the 16-D) to a woman who had recently inherited the collection. I looked at it and pointed out to her that the 16D alone was worth several times what the dealer was offering and she walked out. Then I got tossed out of the store by the dealer in a mini-scene.
I never went back. Popular Chicago dealer at that time, too.
I've had the same thing happen with junk boxes at shows. Dealer wanted to raise prices on coins out of a junk box. Then why did he put it in a junk box?
Foe me it's these things:
Blast white mid-grade circulated coins.
MS-65 and up coins that are dull or just plain unattractive.
Dealers who go off on unsolicited rants about the big bad gubmint, taxes, the gold standard, or automatically downgrades any coins that you have to show while at their table.
PVC residue.
Coins in Genuine holders priced by a dealer as a very optimistic straight grade and then some.
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
With my set, I will occasionally settle for problem coins, but one problem I won't settle for is a coin that is whizzed. Coins have been cleaned for all kinds of reasons, but whizzing is an intentional act of deception.
Being asked to buy another product when the seller has not shipped me the last. This did happen to me last year, lost lot of $ that day with the first order 😭
Had a recent experience where a dealer posted a price of $550 and I bought the coin for $325. Don’t like that it wasn’t priced fairly to begin with. Don’t know if that’s his practice with most of his coins looking to catch the unaware
Problems that turn me off. I was looking at an MS66 Peace dollar yesterday that was PCGS old holder and cac but the coin had tiny black spots that turned me off. I'm in it as a hobby to enjoy it not to deal with people who are mainly in it for profits. Numismatics are a good hobby but needs to have real gentlemen and good women too to make it work.
Liberty's nose...
First place I look
My Saint Set
A coin that is NOT pleasing, original looking, and problem free for the grade
I will never knowingly, over pay for a coin. I like to get my money’s worth. If the price is too high, forget it.
As far as the seller goes, I pretty much don’t care if they are friendly or not. If they got what I want, at the right price, I’ll take it.