Describe YOUR local coin store.....

SethChandler · May 23, 2003 10:22AM

Not the best one in town with all the slabs, but the one that's closest to YOUR house.
Mine is a cool place, about the size of a McDonald's bathroom, about three trays of coins. But very friendly, and THATS what its all about. You know, you swing by for 15 minutes and before you know it you've been there for 2 hours, and you haven't even LOOKED at a coin! Every now and then he gets in nice coins, and early proof set, a cool pattern, 16-D dime, 09-S VDB. But where the fun is......its just hangin' out talking about coins coins coins!

What about your shop?

Seth

Russ · May 23, 2003 10:35AM

The one closest? The first word that comes to mind would be "chop shop", as in ripping off large items and breaking them up in to smaller items and selling them without regard for ethics or morals. Plus, the owner is a boring, monosyllabic slouch who checks his personality at the door each morning.

Now, if I drive a few miles over to Renton, it's a shining star in the black hole of modern day collecting. The owner there is old style, love the coins and the customers and slabs and volume be damned. He takes the time to explain, familiarize and chat. He even still has a bidboard! Hadn't seen one of those since I was in to stamps a few thousand years ago.

Russ, NCNE

cosmicdebris · May 23, 2003 10:48AM

Hole in the wall in a small strip mall. Owner trying to get every last dime out of you to feed his family.

jbsteven · May 23, 2003 10:51AM

upstairs super high end, just about anything you can dream of or want. very nice, attractive and knowledgable female who is my favorite.

downstairs is the common stuff with a few cool young guys that work downstairs.

coinman2182 · May 23, 2003 10:52AM

My store.....hehehe........well we are small and have no competition only other people are in Savannah which is like 50 miles away. I consider us pretty fair minded am still learning alot about coins but I get most of my prices off of ebay and out of the coin magazines and also on how much I like the coin.

Jacob

Wisconsin · May 23, 2003 11:04AM

My local coin store is a small store located in downtown. The owner is in his 40's and makes a good living by screwing everyone in any direction he can. If an elderly lady brings in a nice early coin he will buy at after he asks " Do you think your coin is in good condition" she says yes. He then shows her the price guids for good condition. After he rips her out of the coin, he will not even price it to me, as he has to research it and get some offers from other dealers. I feel bad for those that sell to him, and buying is not possible. Needless to say I have not been there for years.

AquilaRose · May 23, 2003 11:16AM

It's a dark cave set in the side of a hill near the center of the village. It's very difficult to find. you have to stay close to the ground, it's in near the flowers and the precious gems. You might want to bring a flashlight. I don't know if anyone actually works there or not. There was a tall skinny guy wearing a Yankees shirt and a Red Sox hat that smelled like cheap bubble gum. I thought I saw an old greysheet under some dust on the floor but, I'm not sure. I saw mostly large piles of circulated silver coins.

coinkat · May 23, 2003 11:32AM

ROBBItheOKIE · May 23, 2003 11:42AM

Well lets see. Hmmmmmm>

It was a rustic little place that reminded you of that favorite tree house or of the one special place you liked to be as you grew up into your teenage years before you really knew what the world was really like.
As you open the door the smell of old silver and cardboard and magazines assult your senses, to fling pictures of riches old and new into your minds eye.
As you gaze around in wonder at the splendor of all the coins hanging on the wall in their individual 2x2,s. Finally your eyes wander to the glass cases set in the middle of the room and the trays stacked there.
But as you walk up to the counter it is this case that finally catches the breath in your throat, for low and behold as you look down you see all the coins you have been serching for, for so long all in their plastic holders that read PCGS NGC, ect. ect..
When you can finally take your eyes away from all the coins that abound in every space in this shop you finally meet the owner and proprieter, one of the most knowledgable and kindest numist, that it has been my pleasure to meet.

Well folks that is my local coin shop, Robbi

ursabear · May 23, 2003 11:44AM

We don't have a real coin store any more.

But, if this counts, my favorite was in Cameron Village and it was a hobby shop and coin shop combined. Lots of cool old stuff in stapled 2x2s, a few "special" ones in snap plastic holders.

Oh yeah, and really great airplanes, trains, cars, and stuff like glue, paint, balsa wood and model rockets...

I could spend days in there.

Fairlaneman · May 23, 2003 11:53AM

A small, about 20X20, shop in old downtown Vancouver, Wa. No Glitter or Glitz but the owner is honest, helpful and very friendly, to me anyway. I have known him for over 20 years and have almost complete trust in him. Hey and this guy knows Coins.

This is not the closest shop but it is the one I go to first.

Ken

Tootawl · May 23, 2003 11:58AM

Very simple. Non-existant. I do deal with a guy who has a few tables at the flea market up the road. He usually has three display cases of coins.

Lakesammman · May 23, 2003 11:58AM

Strip mall - getting respectable again now that the bennie-baby fad has worn off.

CoinAddict · May 23, 2003 12:08PM

My nearest coin shop is located on Main Street in the town of Tell City, Indiana. For those of you that do not know where Tell City is it is located on the Ohio River about an hour or so, give or take, from Evansville, Indiana. The shop is not huge but it is big enough for our town. The shop keeper is probably one of the nicest people that you could ever get to know. I do not go there very often but every time I have went to the shop I really did not want to leave. Once you start talking with him about the different coins you have trouble leaving. He really enjoys sharing his knowledge with beginners like myself and also enjoys showing off his coins even if he knows that you cannot afford them. I could spend hours in his shop browsing but about the only time I can go to the shop is on Saturday and he is busiest on Saturdays. This summer after we get out of school I hope to get down to visit more often. He mostly deals in raw coins but occasionally he does have some graded merchandise.

joejeweler · May 23, 2003 12:26PM

Mine is about 20 miles away, located in Albany, NY. (Ferris Stamp and Coin). The owner there is Wendell Williams, and he is one of the best as far as a human being can be!

I've known him about 28 years.......he was for a few years even my landlord before he sold the building. Very low key environment, and he carries both raw and slabbed items. From time to time i find something i might be interested in, ......sometimes for resale.

Mostly i use his place to sell my scrap gold, however. Pays 90% of spot.......often in cash and is honest way above the norm! He's the kind of old school guy that will call you if he later finds he made a mistake or forgot to include an amount on something you sold him so you can come in and get the extra. I've seen him do it more than once over the years! He's very sucessful overall, and has become wealthy though you wouldn't know it by his dress or demeanor.......very down to earth and low profile. The store has been there maybe 30-35 years or so under him..........and he bought it out from Mr. Ferris originally back then.

An old couch sits in one part of the selling area, along with some simple tables and chairs. Simple and effective, to say the least. A little disshevelled somtimes, even rustic. But i enjoy my visits there.

Though there are some showcases around......mostly they carry modern or bullion silver items. For the coins........you have to ask and mention what you might be interested in........and they'll be brought out to you from one of the 3 safes.

This dealer is also a BIG help to me when i need some quick cash or something on memo! He has loaned me cash on several occasions (most often with some collateral but sometimes not.....if i have a seller wishing to sell me something we can both make some dough on and i can't quite handle it on my own!)......and most recently a $12,000.00 loan on a PCGS MS64 1907 High Relief St. Gaudens flat rim $20 came in handy and allowed me to purchase 2 great coins from Anaconda.

A dealer like this is a true blessing and i consider him a good friend! We often shoot the breeze about other mutual interests......such as casino jaunts.

About the only disaggreement i might have with him, and his main coin guy Jeff.........is their almost total reliance on values as published in the Greysheet and Bluesheet. By that i mean if i need to sell him something that's way above the norm for the grade........i can't get any premium over sheet for the coin or coins! They don't have time to hit the shows, really........their gold business generally keeps them pretty busy. So they an be a bit out of touch with what a real "Monster" might be worth on the open market or to other dealers. Sheets don't have a column for the "monster" factor!

Needless to say i don't sell him much! Hell.....i don't sell much to anybody anyway. Once a coin hits my set that i really like.....a "keeper"........it tends to stay there anyway.

However.......when he does get something really nice in he doesn't charge way over sheet for it either! Fair i think.........and consistant at least.

Anyway.......that's my main local guy, and i'm lucky to have him around!

Draco · May 23, 2003 12:26PM

Amazingly enough, old and historic York, Pennsylvania has no coin shops that I'm aware of. It's amzing that in an area with so much money, there is no room for coin collectors.

Typetone · May 23, 2003 1:19PM

An old fellow owns. Kind of a hole in the wall shop in a dingey building in a seedy part of town. Smokes like a chimney. Most of the coins are hazy from the smoke. Never negotiates on the price of his coins. Still the owner is friendly, and he sells foil wrapped mints for 5c. Love to go in and chat for an hour after work, as it is only 5 minutes away from the office. My kids like to go in and search through trays for late date Lincolns, Jeffersons, and Washingtons.

Greg

joejeweler · May 24, 2003 12:01PM

come n guys.....i was enjoying reading about the local coin haunts! Give um up!!!!

ksteelheader · May 24, 2003 12:14PM

About a minute and half drive. Little 10 X 20 room with some of the nicest looking coins you'll want to see. Only been in existence about 6 months. Very knowledable and friendly dealer. About half of his coins are slabbed, by all of the different companies. I will tell you that he definitely "buys the coin, not the holder." My 1949 PCGS MS65FBL was bought from him in an ACG MS65FBL holder. He even showed me a beautiful Mercury dime in MS65FB today in an ACG holder, and asked if I would be willing to submit it for him! I really think it will cross at that grade....Ken

DSH1963 · May 24, 2003 12:15PM

Its big has millions of coins you pay what you want its ebay

Dont have a local coin shop
DAVID

satootoko · May 24, 2003 12:35PM

In a strip mall - sign says "[HIS NAME] Coin and Pawn Shop". Buzzer-operated barred door - if he has a customer the next one is told to come back in 15 minutes - uses the "Do you think your coins are in good condition?" ploy, and describes his inventory as "Extremely Rare".

clw54 · May 24, 2003 12:49PM

It doesn't have a lot of slabs or high end coins. You can put together a large part of a circulated 20th century set minus the key dates. They often have SVDBs and 1916-D dimes, but I've never seen a 1955 DDO there. The only 3-legged buffalo I've seen there I bought. It was a PCGS VG10.

I don't know that it's a good place to hang out, but they're friendly enough and their prices are okay. The owner is an old time Numismatist named Harlan White who is seldom there anymore, but I think he'll be at Long Beach. I've heard of people buying uncirculated coins and having them grade AU. They'll identify a coin as cleaned if it's obvious, but neglect to mention it if it isn't. I don't know that that's all that unusual as coin shops go. All in all, I can't complain having that shop nearby.

They have a website.

Old Coin Shop

aknow · May 24, 2003 12:52PM

My local shop is in a run down strip mall. The owner is quiet and somewhat friendly. Most of the coins displayed are very common, such as G/VG brown IHC's or AU 70's Lincoln cents. When I asked him if he had any uncirculated IHC's he pulled out a tray from the back room and seemed a little surprised that I had a loupe in my pocket. The first 4 I looked at were
all harshly cleaned. I bought a couple of Dansco books and purchased no coins. Each subsequent trip has been about the same. When I was a kid I had about 4 coin stores within biking distance. I have fond memories of stale cigar smoke coin shops with stacks of Coin Worlds lying all over the place and the owner allowing me to look at rolls of uncirculated coins in his safe..... Buffalo's, old Lincolns, and Mercury's. (Circa late 1950's early 1960's) -- I wish I had a time machine cause I have some money now and had little to none then!!
Dr. Steve

Merc · May 24, 2003 1:02PM

My local store is in the center of town. The store is very long and narrow but well lit. He has about 20 trays of coins starting with indian head cent to the Peace dollars. The morgans and Peace dollars are mostly uncirculated. The other coins are mostly circulated with Barbers and seated coins in G-VG. He also sells the new quarters and proof sets. Usually there is not a single slabbed coin. The other half of the store is jewelry.

aknow · May 24, 2003 1:03PM

Seth
This was a GREAT post!
Dr. Steve

wingedliberty · May 24, 2003 4:57PM

I live in Florida, so there are many collectors here, especially retired collectors with ample means at their disposal. There are at least a dozen coin shops within a 30 mile radius. Exactly half of them are crooks that I would not buy a 2x2 holder from, 1/3 are mediocre on a good day, and a few I would trust with my life and are close friends and ethical/honest folks. That about sums it up.

Brian.

halfnut · May 24, 2003 9:06PM

I have two shops near me, we had three but one was ran out of town

, The one I use and enjoy is your basic coin store lots of raw stuff not much slabbed. Great place to go, not to high on the prices and once you become known there you get a discount. I have gotten allot of my raw coins there. I enjoy talking to the owner and stop by often just to chat. The other store is run by an older owner that has allot of slabed coins, but I feel he is way over priced IMOA. If you are not part of the old gizzers club there forget getting a break on prices. I have never bought anything there yet but I stop by and look hoping to find a coin that that I need. The one that got run out of town sold newbe rip off coins - cleaned wizzed you name it at a high price went there once and walked out laughing. I think I upset the owner by telling him were he could put his wizzed and cleaned 64D MS Kennedy that he wanted 20 dollars for ( looked to be a VF coin at best ). We did have anouther shop that I had forgot about smaller shop but great owner who had both slabbed and raw and his prices were middle of the road. He closed and is now selling on E-bay and at the flea markets. He told me that it was cheaper this way not having to pay rent and all.

stujoe · May 24, 2003 9:20PM

The best description of the closest coin shop to me is:

"Open when I am at work and closed when I am at home." I have seen the guy at some local shows though and he has some decent stuff. Most of the stuff around these parts though is raw.

LucyBop · May 24, 2003 9:25PM

I have been to coin stores in Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, California...and almost everything is raw.... which I like cause I always score a find. The slabs seem to come out at the major shows, such as Long Beach.... speaking of Long Beach, they maybe something very Hep about it..... Boop Be Ba Doop!

Julian · May 25, 2003 12:04AM

FYI, Harlan White is no longer the owner of Old Coin Shop. He does have an office there.

Harlan is a fine gentleman, of the highest order, who has been active in numismatics for the past half century, I guess.

BAJJERFAN · May 25, 2003 1:15AM

gimme an e
gimme a B
gimme an a
gimme a y

wuts that spell?

Catch22 · May 25, 2003 2:13AM

One of our local coins shops is a combination gun store and coin shop...I'm not joking. No place but Texas I suppose. It is the nicest gun shop I have ever been in and the coin shop is run by the owner's wife, I believe. Fantastic people to deal with. I get the impression that the gun shop makes them a fortune, while the coin shop is dedicated to hobbyists. Anyway, they are always very friendly, helpful and reasonable. Texas Bullion Dealer probably knows who I'm talking about. They often send serious collectors his direction.

millennium · May 25, 2003 2:17AM

It has to be:

Small town here..no dealers...

beartracks42 · May 25, 2003 4:13AM

The only coin shops in my area are at a weekend flea market operation. nearly everything is raw. One shop, operated by two brothers, carries most all of the modern series, some barbers, frankies, walkers and morgans. they will also occasionaly have some gold. They are easy to talk with and deal fairly. the other guys are a little high priced. When my friend and I go looking for something for our collections, we usually end up in Columbus, OH. about 100 miles away. One plus to this trip is that ANACS is there.

teapartycoin · May 25, 2003 11:49AM

If you ever make it to Boston, feel free to stop by our shop located on 49 Bromfield Street, just off the Freedom Trail. We have been on this same street for almost 40 years. We would love to have you visit. We have everything from inexpensive coins for the beginning collector to more expensive certified pieces. It's really too bad so few coin shops are in existence today.

TWODOGS · May 25, 2003 12:08PM

My closest place is a combo Antique/Coin/Bullion Shop. The guy that owns it is maybe 5 years younger than I am.

He has a very good attitude and will work with me on just about anything. He knows that I usually buy with resale in mind, once I get tired of looking at it.

He doesn't get a whole lot of new stuff come through for me to look at on a regular basis. However, occasionally something really nice does come through. Often enough to have spent over $20,000 with him in the past 2 and some odd years.

He is a stickler for the Greysheet and doesn't seem to understand about eye appeal. This almost ALWAYS works in my favor since I can get a beauty for the same price as a dog if they are the same date, mintmark and approximate grade.

The next closest shop is in a city rather than a town, and they always have more and fresher material. However, the hired hand has memorized the VAM Book and the Cherrypicker's Guide and I have NEVER found a scarce variety in that shop.

Baley · May 25, 2003 12:09PM

as a kid (11-15) my local coin store was a family business run by a mother-son-stepfather trio, this was at the town and country mall, it was called the San Jose Coin Shop, it's where I bought 90+% of my coins at that time, and was working on completing a 20th century type set and was working through the 19th when I turned 16 and after that it was gas, grass, and girlsas burning up my coin budget. Anyway they were pretty nice to me, taught me a few lessons, some intentional and some not, heh. I'm sure I was kind of annoying, hanging around all Saturday morning and gawking at everything before selecting a circulated walker or a few buffs out of a tray. They had a big safe that sometimes he'd open and withdraw some gems to show me, and there were a lot of old license plates on the wall. I did learn a lot from them and moved to searching BU rolls for a couple mark free ones and buying a few prooflike dollars that I still have. My dad and I sold a few coins back to them in 1979 and 80 and made some money, mostly because of the metal, not because they were especially nice coins. don't know if it's still there, they revamped the mall recently and I haven't been back. Anyone know this coin shop, I think her name was Cecilia.

down here in So. Cal I've gone to San Diego Coin and Bullion a few times, a brightly lit strip mall jewelry store type outfit run by a couple of merry chaps. they seemed to have an ok supply and highish prices.
Also, I think someone linked the Old Coin Shop, they're more a traditional shop, shabby and old boyish and in a bad neighborhood so they're kind of gruff wear sidearms, but I think if you went in and knew your stuff and spent some money they'd warm up. Tell you the truth though, you get to a certain point in collecting that it gets hard to shop at a neighborhood store because of selection issues, unless you happen to live near a powerhouse dealer more and more of the coin shopping is electronic.

marcmoish · May 25, 2003 1:00PM

Draco,

Your not alone, in Brooklyn NY there are no coin shops either to write home about - actually no coin shops period - which is quite weird as there are lots and lots of peoples, and evidently lots of old and new money in many better neighborhoods in around the borough...strange!

Marc

Geoman · May 25, 2003 2:17PM

Living in a small town (pop. uner 80,000) we have only one local coin dealer. He is a good guy, middle age, and has a store downtown. He is pretty knowledgable, and always takes time to talk to you, and answer your questions. Pretty honest guy in my opinion. Has always given me fair prices, buying or selling. But the one thing that I wonder about, is his shop. It is SO MESSY, and he can hardly walk in there. I asked for something the other week, and as of today, he still hasn't found it. Although he says he knows it is in there somewhere. However, when I was in yesterday, I noticed that he has bought a bunch of shelving adn bookcases, and is trying to get things organized. So that is a good sign. I have heard others comment about him, as being a really good guy, but if he ever dies, it would take literally take a year to sort through all his inventory/stuff. No slabs, just raw coins. Overall, a good guy, doing coin business like the older days.

haletj · May 25, 2003 3:18PM

There was a great store nearby when I was a kid. When I was 11 (and even looked younger) I had a paperroute and would occasionally bring a stack of $200 in one dollar bills to buy something like a gold coin, or a twenty cent peice, or a seated liberty dollar. I went back to this store last summer when I started collecting again (about 12 yrs since I had been there). The owner still remembered me. I even traded a bunch of circulated 20th century coins I bought there as a kid for a few uncirculated coins. I mentioned I had been going to grad school for math and he mentioned he had been a math major in college too. Anyway, it was a great store with accurate grading and pricing, and had much better coins than all other nearby stores, but it wasn't too high end for a kid with a paperroute!

coinlieutenant · May 25, 2003 3:30PM

My local coin shop is great. The dealer has taken me under his wing a bit. I also give him a lot of business and i find him deals here and there. It is a good relationship. I bought a PCGS proof 66DCAM 1897 Barber Half from him while back, a PCGS AU53 1909-O Half Eagle, and a PCGS VG8 1918/7-D Buffalo all at very reasonable prices. I also get very nice original barbers from him at dealer/dealer prices since I
give him so much business. I love going down there and try to suck in as much knowledge as possible.

He is one of the few coin shops around that has a great raw circulated inventory, some slabs, but just really nice collector coins mostly. He complains alot about overgrading by the services, how ebay is killing the small town dealer.

I try to get him to adapt and overcome by selling some stuff for him on ebay and sending my friends and deals that he would benefit.

He is getting ready to move to New Mexico however and i very bummed out about that. I am thinking of buying his inventory and shop and giving the whole thing a go, but then I realize I have a wife and future kids to take care of and a good paying job with benefits in the Navy. Maybe he will be there in fifteen years and i can buy his shop then. Only 14 years 11 months and 362 days til retirement.....

John

LucyBop · May 25, 2003 3:32PM

<< <i>He is getting ready to move to New Mexico >>

which is home of the HepKitty!

ms70 · May 25, 2003 3:42PM

The closest? Crap, crap, & more crap. Mostly plastic tubes & Whitman stuff with a few coins that a even a child wouldn't want to
collect. I'm not sure if he's even there in his closet size shop any more.

The next closest likes to buy your junk silver & sell it to someone else. He's got about 80 slabs in the whole joint that you have to
ask to see. They're locked up in a safe. Why? I really don't know because the coins within are so bad, a burglar wouldn't take them.

That's what I've got in my neck of the woods......

RNCHSN · May 25, 2003 4:02PM

A small 2 room store, locked door, need to get buzzed in, fairly nice inventory, husband /wife store. Harold's wife recognized us when we ran into her in a store nearby. Very friendly!

No prices on his coins, retail over current greysheet is his policy. I sent my wife in when she wanted to get me a coin for my Birthday. He asked her why she came to him when he realized she knew next to NOTHING about coins. She told him, "my husband said you'd not rob me blind, and give me a fair deal even when you knew I had NO CLUE about coins!!" He cut her a 10% discount that time.

Treats my kids right when I bring them in to buy coins. I brought my 6 year old in to spend his birthday money. Harold asked us what he could do for us. Mikey said, " I want to buy a Bison!" (Buff nick)Asked, "how much do you have to spend?" Mikey told him $35 and was told, "I can get you one looking brand new for that kind of money!" Made Mike's day, let me tell you!!

Very knowledgeble! Always willing to share his knowledge, but goes into lecture mode very easily.

Sold his Merc dime set at the FUN show this year.

Olde Towne Coin Co. Inc. in Newington, CT.

I bought a metal detector from them last year. My first find was a Barber dime in my own back yard!

Describe YOUR local coin store.....

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