@PerryHall said:
At a coin show when I was much younger, I asked to see a coin in a dealers display case. He said, "You can't afford it." I laughed at him and then moved on.
Same thing happened to me as a young collector. I didn't laugh but I was very disappointed. The coin was
a J-228. Sol Kaplan (RIP) knew I couldn't afford it.
Dealers who do this are very shortsighted. Yes, a young collector might not be able to afford a piece now, but later they might be able to buy it.
I forgot another time I had that line dropped on me when I was past 60. I asked to see a high grade $50 gold slug. The woman manning the show booth told me I couldn’t afford it. Unfortunately for her she had no idea what the balance was in my bank account. Her assertion was inaccurate.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
I've only been to a couple coin shows, and didn't enjoy them at all. Turns out I don't like being watched as I look at coins, and even less do I enjoy their (sometimes audible) disappointment when i don't buy anything. I guess here in the internet age I don't see the point. What's the odds this one show will have that "perfect coin" better than any in the universe of online auctions?
@PerryHall said:
At a coin show when I was much younger, I asked to see a coin in a dealers display case. He said, "You can't afford it." I laughed at him and then moved on.
Same thing happened to me as a young collector. I didn't laugh but I was very disappointed. The coin was
a J-228. Sol Kaplan (RIP) knew I couldn't afford it.
Dealers who do this are very shortsighted. Yes, a young collector might not be able to afford a piece now, but later they might be able to buy it.
I forgot another time I had that line dropped on me when I was past 60. I asked to see a high grade $50 gold slug. The woman manning the show booth told me I couldn’t afford it. Unfortunately for her she had no idea what the balance was in my bank account. Her assertion was inaccurate.
For sure. I’ve never had that happen to me, but I can see how it might happen. You can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s impossible to know how well-heeled someone really is, simply by looking at them.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
@mr1931S said:
The time show security followed me into the bathroom. Apparently, a sports card dealer had a sheet of cards lifted by someone and I was a suspect. I exited the bathroom and the panicked dealer was outside the door and asked me if she could go through my folder that I would carry around to coin and card shows in those days, the 1980's. I complied with her request. Needless to say, she discovered that I hadn't stolen her sheet of cards. I was nowhere near the card tables so I suspect that someone who looked kind of like me was the card thief.
@PerryHall said:
At a coin show when I was much younger, I asked to see a coin in a dealers display case. He said, "You can't afford it." I laughed at him and then moved on.
Same thing happened to me as a young collector. I didn't laugh but I was very disappointed. The coin was
a J-228. Sol Kaplan (RIP) knew I couldn't afford it.
Dealers who do this are very shortsighted. Yes, a young collector might not be able to afford a piece now, but later they might be able to buy it.
I forgot another time I had that line dropped on me when I was past 60. I asked to see a high grade $50 gold slug. The woman manning the show booth told me I couldn’t afford it. Unfortunately for her she had no idea what the balance was in my bank account. Her assertion was inaccurate.
For sure. I’ve never had that happen to me, but I can see how it might happen. You can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s impossible to know how well-heeled someone really is, simply by looking at them.
Which is why using that phrase is one of dumbest things a dealer can do.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
At every show I go to, it’s being ignored by dealers when someone they comes up after me and the dealer starts talking to them. I end up walking away a couple minutes. Now when it happens, I walk away immediately, note who the dealer is and not return.
Just a pet peeve really. I went to a small show in Western Iowa. Tight show with very narrow aisles. An oversized gent was spread across both glass cases of a dealer I wanted to talk to. Could even get behind hm to keep shopping.
This dealer was always a pleasure to deal with and normally had a few nice pieces with him. Waited about ten minutes watching my poor dealer friend getting more and more ticked that guy wouldn't move along. Anyway 30 minutes later with me on a time constraint I thought he must be gone. Nope still there trying to buy stuff at less than gray sheet. Talked to my friend later. He bought nothing!
One time I got to a show at opening and after walking the floor for hours I was hot, tired and hungry. So I got in-line at the concession stand and waited 15 minutes to place my order. I paid for my food and sat down at the nearest table and started to enjoy my feast when,,,,,,, you guessed it> PLOP, a big blob of mustard landed right on my snow white dress shirt.
On the bright side for the rest of the show I was offered "Dealer" wholesale discount pricing do to my obvious dealer credentials .
Milwaukee, 1979. Had an ANACS free opinion table. Went over to chat up then-Governor Kurt Krueger. While standing in front of his table some (bleeping) moron discharged a .45 automatic in front of the table behind me and one over, so like 10-15 feet from me. Turned around and saw him standing there with the smoking gun in his hand and the dumbest look you ever saw on a man's face.
Turned out that he was friends with the dealer at that table. The dealer wanted to show his friend his new gun, so he took it out, dripped the clip and forgot about the one in the chamber. According to somebody facing that way the idiot spun the weapon on his finger and pulled the trigger.
Fortunately it was pointed down, not at me The bullet went through the wooden table, hit the concrete floor and came back up through the wooden table, May have bounced off the ceiling,, spent.
Milwaukee police working security came over and arrested them both.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
Generally they've been good, especially the major shows. I've questioned some of the dishonest grading by a couple of the show regulars and I was "persona non grata" for a while, though the honest ones were glad to welcome me. If gullible customers a) think that because a dealer is a frequent attendee he is reliable, and then b) buys problem or significantly over-graded coins from them there should be some recourse rather than just the "tuition" of the mistake. Many are "cash only" and "all sales final".
This post was from a similar thread a few years ago.
My worst experience at a show was actually a stamp show.
When I was about 16 I went to a stamp show with two friends of mine.
I was sitting there looking at stamps when there was a tap on my shoulder from behind.
I turned around and a security guard said "get up !".
He marched the three of us all the way through the bourse area to the front of the show.
Then he demanded that we turn out our pockets, while everyone was watching.
Apparently, someone had accused us of "shoplifting".
Of course, we hadn't taken anything.
Shortly after that the guard and the false-reporter apologized.
I gave them a dirty look and proceeded back into the bourse to resume what I was doing.
Now that I am a lot older, if it happens again I will also add some "choice" words to my reaction.
This is half my lifetime ago ( that’s a long time) monthly show it was close to home so I went every month knew the regulars. A middle-aged guy with wife and maybe 12 year old son I had never seen before set up. The kid saw me put my magnifying glass in my pocket told his parents I stole a coin and I was walked out by security. I was livid. Of course I had no coin and they were particularly interested in the pocket with the glass.
I don't know that you can call it a "Coin show", but this is as close as I get. Years ago at a mall in Sioux Falls a coin dealer was set up in the mall. He had around 50 "Special" 1909-S Indian Head Cents for sale. What made them special was you could see where he spot welded the "s" on each coin. When I called him a crook and pointed out how fake his "Newly discovered variety" coins were he called security. They threw me out instead of him. James
Someday, when I've retired from ANACS, I will write a book about the worst/most outrageous experiences I've had. There are a LOT that are doozies.
You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
@cmerlo1 said:
Someday, when I've retired from ANACS, I will write a book about the worst/most outrageous experiences I've had. There are a LOT that are doozies.
I can only imagine! Can’t wait! Coin collectors are largely an eclectic bunch, in my experience.
I have been attending coin shows since 1998. I have never had a bad experience at any of them (except for over priced, low quality food offered to those who attend shows).
@seatedlib3991 said:
I don't know that you can call it a "Coin show", but this is as close as I get. Years ago at a mall in Sioux Falls a coin dealer was set up in the mall. He had around 50 "Special" 1909-S Indian Head Cents for sale. What made them special was you could see where he spot welded the "s" on each coin. When I called him a crook and pointed out how fake his "Newly discovered variety" coins were he called security. They threw me out instead of him. James
It's an honor to be tossed out of a crooked coin shop. I hope you were loud when you called them a crook. I delighted in sticking my head in the door every now and then and shouting, "Ripped off any widows lately?!" I caught the guy offering bullion value to an elderly woman for an authentic 1916D Mercury dime in a Whitman folder.
I haven't had any horrible experiences, but one very annoying one comes to mind. It was at a local coin some time in the late 2000's/early 2010's. There were a couple of dealers behind their table and they had an interesting selection of coins, slabbed and raw. I was working on my Dansco Morgan albums and saw a nice mid-grade raw and original looking 1893-O dollar. It's a better date and it was a hole in my album. I asked one of the dealers if I could look at it and he obliged, though it seemed to pain him to do that.
I pulled out my magnifier to give it a closer look and all of a sudden he started going all political on me, out of the blue. I hadn't said that much up to that point and nothing I was wearing had anything like that. Then when he asked a question about (blah-blah), I politely declined to answer. Then he continued on, which by now had turned into survivalism garbage and hoarding medals. At this point, I just put the coin back on the case and said I didn't need it. Then he went off some more about me being of a certain political persuasion, which made me leave at once. It was a bit surreal.
I saw that jerk and his sidekick at a few more shows, then they disappeared. That probably explained why their table sat mostly empty during show hours.
@cmerlo1 said:
Someday, when I've retired from ANACS, I will write a book about the worst/most outrageous experiences I've had. There are a LOT that are doozies.
Doing the Michigan State show Thanksgiving 1979 with a constant line at the table of people who wanted something looked at. Finally said "Sorry folks, Need to go to the bathroom." Some guy left the line and followed me in there.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
@cmerlo1 said:
Someday, when I've retired from ANACS, I will write a book about the worst/most outrageous experiences I've had. There are a LOT that are doozies.
Doing the Michigan State show Thanksgiving 1979 with a constant line at the table of people who wanted something looked at. Finally said "Sorry folks, Need to go to the bathroom." Some guy left the line and followed me in there.
I’ve had my share of rude or goofy dealers, guys who shouldn’t do business with the public, or perhaps at all. However, the most disappointing experiences I’ve had were years ago when I set up myself. Consistent flow of lookers, talkers, silly offers, highly skeptical persons seeking a valuation (of crap) - punctuated by a few very nice and knowledgeable collectors and dealers. On balance, I decided not worth it to deal with the public. Don’t have the needed patience.
I remember asking to look at a coin in Westchester when it was a big show in the White Plains convention center and the dealer told me I couldn't afford it, but I was prepared and pulled out a 1795 half dime in PCGS 63 and said, this is what I collect! He spread the word around the room that I had a stolen coin in my posession, but in the end I got a laugh out of it.
I don't know whether this is more bad or pathetic. At a Long Beach show, a dealer had Heraldic Eagle Dollar that I liked. Nice coin but asking too much for it. Politely asked if I could get what turned out to be a 9% discount if I paid him by check and he could validate my reference before cashing it. Idea was that it would be a 6% discount, because I wouldn't pay full price with a credit card.
Dealer went off on me as if I propositioned his grandmother. How dare I ask him for a discount under any circumstances? Was wondering if I should tell him what he could do with himself, or just listen to the guy make a complete idiot out of himself. Chose the latter.
Coin didn't sell. Saw it at a Heritage auction six months later. He wound up getting less from Heritage for the coin than what I offered him in the first place.
"Vou invadir o Nordeste, "Seu cabra da peste, "Sou Mangueira......."
Most discount I might give hagglers 5 pct. If it’s the only one in the room may not discount it. Then that guy can pay the money or just get lost. On single digit low pop coin - giving it away not an option.
it’s all just fun and games. Many will try talk u down, rip u. Keep your game face. Don’t let them bug u. When their BS starts its time for them to leave. Regardless I keep my cool, have fun, might get a good pickup there.
Unbelievable that guy blew up. I developed a certain resistance to the cheapos, lookylooks or some dealer bs first couple months doing shows. Shows can be a brutal, competitive arena.
@mr1931S said:
The time show security followed me into the bathroom. Apparently, a sports card dealer had a sheet of cards lifted by someone and I was a suspect. I exited the bathroom and the panicked dealer was outside the door and asked me if she could go through my folder that I would carry around to coin and card shows in those days, the 1980's. I complied with her request. Needless to say, she discovered that I hadn't stolen her sheet of cards. I was nowhere near the card tables so I suspect that someone who looked kind of like me was the card thief.
Should of offered you some sort of compensation for the inconvenience.
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
@Cougar1978 said:
Most discount I might give hagglers 5 pct. If it’s the only one in the room may not discount it. Then that guy can pay the money or just get lost. On single digit low pop coin - giving it away not an option.
it’s all just fun and games. Many will try talk u down, rip u. Keep your game face. Don’t let them bug u. When their BS starts its time for them to leave. Regardless I keep my cool, have fun, might get a good pickup there.
Unbelievable that guy blew up. I developed a certain resistance to the cheapos, lookylooks or some dealer bs first couple months doing shows. Shows can be a brutal, competitive arena.
It was a $9,500 coin and he was asking $11K. I offered $10K because it was nice for the grade. If he offered me a 5% discount, I may have bought it, as nice coins for the grade in this series are hard to find.
"Vou invadir o Nordeste, "Seu cabra da peste, "Sou Mangueira......."
Perhaps the $10 k auc result low end item for all I know. What am curious about is CDN bid / CPG. Then of course my assessment of it - PQ, average, etc. is it single digit pop? If so he’s the one in the driver seat especially if it’s only one in the bourse room.
Like single digit pop stuff. Don’t give it away at some low ball auc number lol. Generally in doing auc research look at the low, high, and medium numbers or auc avg. then compare vs cost plus. Perhaps his $11k price just his cost plus number and he is not going to part with it for less.
@Cougar1978 said:
Perhaps the $10 k auc result low end item for all I know. What am curious about is CDN bid / CPG. Then of course my assessment of it - PQ, average, etc. is it single digit pop? If so he’s the one in the driver seat especially if it’s only one in the bourse room.
Like single digit pop stuff. Don’t give it away at some low ball auc number lol. Generally in doing auc research look at the low, high, and medium numbers or auc avg. then compare vs cost plus. Perhaps his $11k price just his cost plus number and he is not going to part with it for less.
Coin that sold at auction for less than $10k = coin dealer had.
Well in that case go find one. Maybe he the auc buyer just bought it at auc at $10k and won’t go lower than his cost plus number. Frankly I think a lot of them would just mark it up 20pct = $12,000.
@CaptHenway said:
Milwaukee, 1979. Had an ANACS free opinion table. Went over to chat up then-Governor Kurt Krueger. While standing in front of his table some (bleeping) moron discharged a .45 automatic in front of the table behind me and one over, so like 10-15 feet from me.
I bought a 1955 Doubled Die cent and got it graded and slabbed by NGC. They graded it MS 63 Brown. I contacted a few local coin store dealers and sent them high quality scans of both sides of the coin and slab asking if they were interested in purchasing it. I didn’t want to make a trip to their store if they weren’t a buyer for the coin. One dealer got back to me saying he was interested so I called him up. He told me over the phone after viewing the photos that he would probably be willing to pay $3500. I asked him if he was available right now if I drove down to his store. He said he was. I told him it would be about 45 minutes (that’s how far away he was). I got there and showed him the coin. He barely looked at it and said “I’ll give you $750. This has been harshly cleaned.” I told him that there is no way it was a cleaned coin and to take a better look. He then said “it’s a different coin than the one in the photos.” I then pointed out that the NGC number is the same as the one in the photos and if it were cleaned NGC would have noted that and it would have a purple label. He then claimed the holder was fake. I told him I got it graded myself. He didn’t believe me. I then left upset wasting an hour and a half for him to tell me that. I later sold the coin at a show after showing it to ten people offering me all about the same amount and NONE of them questioned the condition of the coin. One of them even said they thought it should had graded MS 64 Red-Brown.
I was at a coin show and as a collector of autographs, I noticed someone had a Babe Ruth signed baseball in their display case. It was in the upper corner so I would have to lean over to even get a good look at it in the display case. I asked the dealer how much the baseball was and he said $10,000 (which I happened to have exactly that amount in cash). I then proceeded to ask if I could take a look at it. He got very angry and said “No, you can’t afford it.” Then I told him “actually I can but now I definitely won’t buy it” and walked away. I wasn’t sure if it was even authentic. There was no authentication but the baseball did look right (from the little I could see).
During a short period of time I was very interested in buying any coin that featured Sir Isaac Newton on it. I went to a fairly good sized show and looked specifically for that. I really wanted to spend about $25 tops on one. It didn’t matter what kind of coin it was as long as it was a coin and not a medal. I asked around and many people told me they do not know of any coin that ever featured Newton on it. I then came across a man that had a case of just Condor Tokens. There was one with Sir Isaac Newton on it. I knew nothing about Condor Tokens but the man told me they were technically counterfeit coins used in the 1700s in England to be passed off as large cents. Since counterfeiting had a severe punishment people created tokens of the same shape and size but the deigns were different from the large cent. They did not even have a denomination on them (if I recall correctly). I decided this qualified enough as a coin, especially since I learned no real legal tender coins ever had Newton on them. He wanted $65. Since this was one of the first shows I went to I didn’t bring as much cash with me as I did in later years. I only had $50 cash on me and a debit card. I asked if he would take $50 for it and he said no and he was firm at $65. I didn’t really even want to spend $50 on it since my max was $25 but it was the only coin I could find and I was very happy to find anything. As I was thinking about what to do, a lady came by and asked what I was looking at. I showed her the coin and told her how I badly wanted it but was short $15. I gave the coin back to the dealer and walked away to talk with the lady. She said she might be able to help me out and asked what I had that I was selling (I had brought a few foreign coins and currency notes to sell to the dealers, mostly just to get rid of them, and she must had seen me showing these off to other dealers who wanted nothing to do with them since they were low value junk box type items). The lady then said she had a daughter who collected foreign bank notes and said she would give me the $15 I needed, telling me she knew the notes were probably only worth $2. She just wanted to be nice. I told her thanks and that I really appreciated it. I then went back to the Condor Token dealer and bought the token for $65. I normally would had left the show at this point since I was done buying but my ride wasn’t coming for another several hours so I decided to just browse. I found one of my dealer friends and I told him about the Condor Token and showed it to him. It reminded him of contemporary counterfeit coins and he had a few to show me, just for education. As I was looking through the 20 or so counterfeit coins he had, the lady to whom I sold the foreign currency happened to walk by and saw me looking at the coins and said “I thought you had no money” and basically accused me of lying. I felt really bad and was about to tell her that I was just looking but she walked away before I could explain.
@cmerlo1 said:
Someday, when I've retired from ANACS, I will write a book about the worst/most outrageous experiences I've had. There are a LOT that are doozies.
Doing the Michigan State show Thanksgiving 1979 with a constant line at the table of people who wanted something looked at. Finally said "Sorry folks, Need to go to the bathroom." Some guy left the line and followed me in there.
I've started leaving the table when it's time to eat, which has solved most of that. Prior to doing that, if my mouth touched food someone was sure to come up to the table "I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, but could you have a quick look at this coin?". It almost always ended up being 10 coins and I ended up eating cold food.
Even getting away from the table doesn't always help- like you, I've been approached in the restroom, or away from the table many times.
You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
Comments
Worst ever was not being able to go, year after year, after year.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Dealers who do this are very shortsighted. Yes, a young collector might not be able to afford a piece now, but later they might be able to buy it.
I forgot another time I had that line dropped on me when I was past 60. I asked to see a high grade $50 gold slug. The woman manning the show booth told me I couldn’t afford it. Unfortunately for her she had no idea what the balance was in my bank account. Her assertion was inaccurate.
I've only been to a couple coin shows, and didn't enjoy them at all. Turns out I don't like being watched as I look at coins, and even less do I enjoy their (sometimes audible) disappointment when i don't buy anything. I guess here in the internet age I don't see the point. What's the odds this one show will have that "perfect coin" better than any in the universe of online auctions?
For sure. I’ve never had that happen to me, but I can see how it might happen. You can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s impossible to know how well-heeled someone really is, simply by looking at them.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
The wurst experience has to be the acid reflux.
That's harsche.
Which is why using that phrase is one of dumbest things a dealer can do.
At every show I go to, it’s being ignored by dealers when someone they comes up after me and the dealer starts talking to them. I end up walking away a couple minutes. Now when it happens, I walk away immediately, note who the dealer is and not return.
Everything is all right!
Just a pet peeve really. I went to a small show in Western Iowa. Tight show with very narrow aisles. An oversized gent was spread across both glass cases of a dealer I wanted to talk to. Could even get behind hm to keep shopping.
This dealer was always a pleasure to deal with and normally had a few nice pieces with him. Waited about ten minutes watching my poor dealer friend getting more and more ticked that guy wouldn't move along. Anyway 30 minutes later with me on a time constraint I thought he must be gone. Nope still there trying to buy stuff at less than gray sheet. Talked to my friend later. He bought nothing!
SERIOUSLY???
One time I got to a show at opening and after walking the floor for hours I was hot, tired and hungry. So I got in-line at the concession stand and waited 15 minutes to place my order. I paid for my food and sat down at the nearest table and started to enjoy my feast when,,,,,,, you guessed it> PLOP, a big blob of mustard landed right on my snow white dress shirt.
On the bright side for the rest of the show I was offered "Dealer" wholesale discount pricing do to my obvious dealer credentials .
Milwaukee, 1979. Had an ANACS free opinion table. Went over to chat up then-Governor Kurt Krueger. While standing in front of his table some (bleeping) moron discharged a .45 automatic in front of the table behind me and one over, so like 10-15 feet from me. Turned around and saw him standing there with the smoking gun in his hand and the dumbest look you ever saw on a man's face.
Turned out that he was friends with the dealer at that table. The dealer wanted to show his friend his new gun, so he took it out, dripped the clip and forgot about the one in the chamber. According to somebody facing that way the idiot spun the weapon on his finger and pulled the trigger.
Fortunately it was pointed down, not at me The bullet went through the wooden table, hit the concrete floor and came back up through the wooden table, May have bounced off the ceiling,, spent.
Milwaukee police working security came over and arrested them both.
Generally they've been good, especially the major shows. I've questioned some of the dishonest grading by a couple of the show regulars and I was "persona non grata" for a while, though the honest ones were glad to welcome me. If gullible customers a) think that because a dealer is a frequent attendee he is reliable, and then b) buys problem or significantly over-graded coins from them there should be some recourse rather than just the "tuition" of the mistake. Many are "cash only" and "all sales final".
This post was from a similar thread a few years ago.
My worst experience at a show was actually a stamp show.
When I was about 16 I went to a stamp show with two friends of mine.
I was sitting there looking at stamps when there was a tap on my shoulder from behind.
I turned around and a security guard said "get up !".
He marched the three of us all the way through the bourse area to the front of the show.
Then he demanded that we turn out our pockets, while everyone was watching.
Apparently, someone had accused us of "shoplifting".
Of course, we hadn't taken anything.
Shortly after that the guard and the false-reporter apologized.
I gave them a dirty look and proceeded back into the bourse to resume what I was doing.
Now that I am a lot older, if it happens again I will also add some "choice" words to my reaction.
.
This is half my lifetime ago ( that’s a long time) monthly show it was close to home so I went every month knew the regulars. A middle-aged guy with wife and maybe 12 year old son I had never seen before set up. The kid saw me put my magnifying glass in my pocket told his parents I stole a coin and I was walked out by security. I was livid. Of course I had no coin and they were particularly interested in the pocket with the glass.
I don't know that you can call it a "Coin show", but this is as close as I get. Years ago at a mall in Sioux Falls a coin dealer was set up in the mall. He had around 50 "Special" 1909-S Indian Head Cents for sale. What made them special was you could see where he spot welded the "s" on each coin. When I called him a crook and pointed out how fake his "Newly discovered variety" coins were he called security. They threw me out instead of him. James
Someday, when I've retired from ANACS, I will write a book about the worst/most outrageous experiences I've had. There are a LOT that are doozies.
I can only imagine! Can’t wait! Coin collectors are largely an eclectic bunch, in my experience.
I have been attending coin shows since 1998. I have never had a bad experience at any of them (except for over priced, low quality food offered to those who attend shows).
It's an honor to be tossed out of a crooked coin shop. I hope you were loud when you called them a crook. I delighted in sticking my head in the door every now and then and shouting, "Ripped off any widows lately?!" I caught the guy offering bullion value to an elderly woman for an authentic 1916D Mercury dime in a Whitman folder.
I haven't had any horrible experiences, but one very annoying one comes to mind. It was at a local coin some time in the late 2000's/early 2010's. There were a couple of dealers behind their table and they had an interesting selection of coins, slabbed and raw. I was working on my Dansco Morgan albums and saw a nice mid-grade raw and original looking 1893-O dollar. It's a better date and it was a hole in my album. I asked one of the dealers if I could look at it and he obliged, though it seemed to pain him to do that.
I pulled out my magnifier to give it a closer look and all of a sudden he started going all political on me, out of the blue. I hadn't said that much up to that point and nothing I was wearing had anything like that. Then when he asked a question about (blah-blah), I politely declined to answer. Then he continued on, which by now had turned into survivalism garbage and hoarding medals. At this point, I just put the coin back on the case and said I didn't need it. Then he went off some more about me being of a certain political persuasion, which made me leave at once. It was a bit surreal.
I saw that jerk and his sidekick at a few more shows, then they disappeared. That probably explained why their table sat mostly empty during show hours.
10-4,
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Doing the Michigan State show Thanksgiving 1979 with a constant line at the table of people who wanted something looked at. Finally said "Sorry folks, Need to go to the bathroom." Some guy left the line and followed me in there.
Did he want something looked at?
I’ve had my share of rude or goofy dealers, guys who shouldn’t do business with the public, or perhaps at all. However, the most disappointing experiences I’ve had were years ago when I set up myself. Consistent flow of lookers, talkers, silly offers, highly skeptical persons seeking a valuation (of crap) - punctuated by a few very nice and knowledgeable collectors and dealers. On balance, I decided not worth it to deal with the public. Don’t have the needed patience.
I remember asking to look at a coin in Westchester when it was a big show in the White Plains convention center and the dealer told me I couldn't afford it, but I was prepared and pulled out a 1795 half dime in PCGS 63 and said, this is what I collect! He spread the word around the room that I had a stolen coin in my posession, but in the end I got a laugh out of it.
Commems and Early Type
I don't know whether this is more bad or pathetic. At a Long Beach show, a dealer had Heraldic Eagle Dollar that I liked. Nice coin but asking too much for it. Politely asked if I could get what turned out to be a 9% discount if I paid him by check and he could validate my reference before cashing it. Idea was that it would be a 6% discount, because I wouldn't pay full price with a credit card.
Dealer went off on me as if I propositioned his grandmother. How dare I ask him for a discount under any circumstances? Was wondering if I should tell him what he could do with himself, or just listen to the guy make a complete idiot out of himself. Chose the latter.
Coin didn't sell. Saw it at a Heritage auction six months later. He wound up getting less from Heritage for the coin than what I offered him in the first place.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Most discount I might give hagglers 5 pct. If it’s the only one in the room may not discount it. Then that guy can pay the money or just get lost. On single digit low pop coin - giving it away not an option.
it’s all just fun and games. Many will try talk u down, rip u. Keep your game face. Don’t let them bug u. When their BS starts its time for them to leave. Regardless I keep my cool, have fun, might get a good pickup there.
Unbelievable that guy blew up. I developed a certain resistance to the cheapos, lookylooks or some dealer bs first couple months doing shows. Shows can be a brutal, competitive arena.
Should of offered you some sort of compensation for the inconvenience.
It was a $9,500 coin and he was asking $11K. I offered $10K because it was nice for the grade. If he offered me a 5% discount, I may have bought it, as nice coins for the grade in this series are hard to find.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
You say it was a $9500 coin -
What was CDN Bid / CPG for the coin? Was it the only one in the room?
To beat other auc bidders I have bid up to 15 pct or more above bid. Generally these were low single digit pop material - coins and currency.
You may have missed the part where it sold at auction several months later for less than $10,000.
See my signature 😉
Perhaps the $10 k auc result low end item for all I know. What am curious about is CDN bid / CPG. Then of course my assessment of it - PQ, average, etc. is it single digit pop? If so he’s the one in the driver seat especially if it’s only one in the bourse room.
Like single digit pop stuff. Don’t give it away at some low ball auc number lol. Generally in doing auc research look at the low, high, and medium numbers or auc avg. then compare vs cost plus. Perhaps his $11k price just his cost plus number and he is not going to part with it for less.
Coin that sold at auction for less than $10k = coin dealer had.
Basically, it was overpriced by over 10%.
Well in that case go find one. Maybe he the auc buyer just bought it at auc at $10k and won’t go lower than his cost plus number. Frankly I think a lot of them would just mark it up 20pct = $12,000.
Personally, I would blow it out on the bay. No time for tire kickers, gotta work my angle.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
The crane can fly faster than the cougar can walk.
peacockcoins
You win.
I have got a few.
I bought a 1955 Doubled Die cent and got it graded and slabbed by NGC. They graded it MS 63 Brown. I contacted a few local coin store dealers and sent them high quality scans of both sides of the coin and slab asking if they were interested in purchasing it. I didn’t want to make a trip to their store if they weren’t a buyer for the coin. One dealer got back to me saying he was interested so I called him up. He told me over the phone after viewing the photos that he would probably be willing to pay $3500. I asked him if he was available right now if I drove down to his store. He said he was. I told him it would be about 45 minutes (that’s how far away he was). I got there and showed him the coin. He barely looked at it and said “I’ll give you $750. This has been harshly cleaned.” I told him that there is no way it was a cleaned coin and to take a better look. He then said “it’s a different coin than the one in the photos.” I then pointed out that the NGC number is the same as the one in the photos and if it were cleaned NGC would have noted that and it would have a purple label. He then claimed the holder was fake. I told him I got it graded myself. He didn’t believe me. I then left upset wasting an hour and a half for him to tell me that. I later sold the coin at a show after showing it to ten people offering me all about the same amount and NONE of them questioned the condition of the coin. One of them even said they thought it should had graded MS 64 Red-Brown.
I was at a coin show and as a collector of autographs, I noticed someone had a Babe Ruth signed baseball in their display case. It was in the upper corner so I would have to lean over to even get a good look at it in the display case. I asked the dealer how much the baseball was and he said $10,000 (which I happened to have exactly that amount in cash). I then proceeded to ask if I could take a look at it. He got very angry and said “No, you can’t afford it.” Then I told him “actually I can but now I definitely won’t buy it” and walked away. I wasn’t sure if it was even authentic. There was no authentication but the baseball did look right (from the little I could see).
During a short period of time I was very interested in buying any coin that featured Sir Isaac Newton on it. I went to a fairly good sized show and looked specifically for that. I really wanted to spend about $25 tops on one. It didn’t matter what kind of coin it was as long as it was a coin and not a medal. I asked around and many people told me they do not know of any coin that ever featured Newton on it. I then came across a man that had a case of just Condor Tokens. There was one with Sir Isaac Newton on it. I knew nothing about Condor Tokens but the man told me they were technically counterfeit coins used in the 1700s in England to be passed off as large cents. Since counterfeiting had a severe punishment people created tokens of the same shape and size but the deigns were different from the large cent. They did not even have a denomination on them (if I recall correctly). I decided this qualified enough as a coin, especially since I learned no real legal tender coins ever had Newton on them. He wanted $65. Since this was one of the first shows I went to I didn’t bring as much cash with me as I did in later years. I only had $50 cash on me and a debit card. I asked if he would take $50 for it and he said no and he was firm at $65. I didn’t really even want to spend $50 on it since my max was $25 but it was the only coin I could find and I was very happy to find anything. As I was thinking about what to do, a lady came by and asked what I was looking at. I showed her the coin and told her how I badly wanted it but was short $15. I gave the coin back to the dealer and walked away to talk with the lady. She said she might be able to help me out and asked what I had that I was selling (I had brought a few foreign coins and currency notes to sell to the dealers, mostly just to get rid of them, and she must had seen me showing these off to other dealers who wanted nothing to do with them since they were low value junk box type items). The lady then said she had a daughter who collected foreign bank notes and said she would give me the $15 I needed, telling me she knew the notes were probably only worth $2. She just wanted to be nice. I told her thanks and that I really appreciated it. I then went back to the Condor Token dealer and bought the token for $65. I normally would had left the show at this point since I was done buying but my ride wasn’t coming for another several hours so I decided to just browse. I found one of my dealer friends and I told him about the Condor Token and showed it to him. It reminded him of contemporary counterfeit coins and he had a few to show me, just for education. As I was looking through the 20 or so counterfeit coins he had, the lady to whom I sold the foreign currency happened to walk by and saw me looking at the coins and said “I thought you had no money” and basically accused me of lying. I felt really bad and was about to tell her that I was just looking but she walked away before I could explain.
I've started leaving the table when it's time to eat, which has solved most of that. Prior to doing that, if my mouth touched food someone was sure to come up to the table "I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, but could you have a quick look at this coin?". It almost always ended up being 10 coins and I ended up eating cold food.
Even getting away from the table doesn't always help- like you, I've been approached in the restroom, or away from the table many times.