"I got excited when they told me an 1842-O QE was at the counter, but then I saw your coin&quot

Longacre · November 23, 2008 10:47PM

About a year ago, I went to a local B&M shop, and was going to sell an 1842-O quarter eagle. I heard that this shop had a good reputation, so I felt comfortable going in there are possibly working a deal. As is customary, the guy who does the buying hides behind a pane of two-way glass, and does not emerge from the darkness of his denizen until the "counter help" vets the people who come into the shop. I entered the shop, showed The Help the coin, and was told to wait until the dealer made his presence known. The counter help went in the back to fetch the dealer.

The dealer showed himself, and walked up to the counter. He looked at my coin for no more than two seconds, and immediately said, "I got excited when they told me there was an 1842-O quarter eagle for sale at the counter, but then I saw your coin." He then rattled off a laundry list of reasons why my coin was a big pig.

Needless to say, I did not sell the coin to him. The coin was excessively original, and it was far from being a pig. As a seller, how would you react to the dealer's comments? Obviously, he is an expert, so who am I to question his judgment. However, I wonder if things could have been handled differently. What do you think?

lcoopie · November 23, 2008 10:57PM

it sounds like he was an expert
in getting your nice coin for little money

darktone · November 23, 2008 10:59PM

I would have just walked out or said I only wanted $100 for it but since you think it's so trashy I would not feel right selling it to you and then walk.

partagas · November 23, 2008 10:59PM

Honestly I would just laugh take the coin and leave.

PerryHall · November 23, 2008 11:02PM

Did this dealer know you? Do you have a pic of this coin? Sounds like he was looking for a rip which is not unusual for a B&M shop.

coinnuttius · November 23, 2008 11:45PM

Pic? What does an "excessively original" 1842-O QE look like?

Coin Finder · November 23, 2008 11:54PM

This dealer may be losing money so he is looking to get a good coin cheap. Or, he just got divorced, or he did not have his coffee, or he just got ripped or cherrypicked, or his rent just went up, or, or, or..........

Give the coin to another dealer that is a friend of this one and ask them to ask him his opinion....

RYK · November 23, 2008 11:57PM

My guess is that the dealer did not want to buy it from a knowledgeable collector at virtually any price and rather than say so and look bad, it was more convenient to dump on the coin.

MidLifeCrisis · November 23, 2008 11:58PM

<< Obviously, he is an expert, so who am I to question his judgment. >>

Really? What has he done to give you the impression he is an expert or to earn your trust and confidence?

Sounds to me like he tried to play you. What reasons did he rattle off that your coin was a pig? It's one thing if they were valid...but even if they were, he handled the situation poorly and should have lost a customer.

WithArrows · November 24, 2008 12:21AM

Who says he's an expert? He sounds like a jerk who was trying to low ball you. I take it you two don't actually know each other correct? He was just trying to rip off a stranger....not terribly uncommon unfortunately.

Placid · November 24, 2008 12:24AM

Post a picture of this pig.

keepdachange · November 24, 2008 12:35AM

Sounds like a shark to me.

rhedden · November 24, 2008 12:42AM

I know a guy just like this. His goal is always to lie, cheat, steal, etc. to get the coin for 5% of its fair market value. There is a sign on the store proudly proclaiming that he's been in business since the early 1970s. Apparently, one way to stay in the coin business for a long time is to make a killing by robbing people who walk into your shop (lair?). Fortunately, only a small percentage of coin dealers have this type of personality.

mrpotatoheadd · November 24, 2008 12:45AM

<< As a seller, how would you react to the dealer's comments? >>

I'd say "Ok- thanks" and be on my way. My goal being to sell the coin, I'm thinkng life's too short to get hung up worrying about what somebody who doesn't want to buy the coin thinks of it.

Mar327 · November 24, 2008 12:57AM

Those types really irk me. What if that was someone's first experience in a coin shop? Maybe Grandpa left you a few gold pieces and you needed to sell one, or just see what it's worth, and he treated you like that? There are so many good, decent dealers out there and this would/should make them all angry. Like everything else in the world, we hear way too much about the negatives and never enough about the positives, who I really believe are the majority.

So much for the good reputation you'd heard that shop had.

Longacre · November 24, 2008 12:57AM

Before I get chewed out for not responding to questions

, I do not have a picture of the coin on me right now. The dealer was focusing on the fact that the coin was "dirty", and that it would never sell if he bought it. He even went so far as to point out some nice shiny coins in his case that had the preferred look to them. Looking back, perhaps he was an incredibly honest person, with the well-being of his future customers in mind, by not buying the coin. I wish he did not have to go on and on about what a pig the coin was.

MadMarty · November 24, 2008 1:11AM

notwilight · November 24, 2008 1:16AM

Most people would say leave and don't come back. but if you're not coming back you have nothing to lose. So I would probably say something like, "Cut the BS. The coin is original and in high demand. you know that and I know that. Do you want to make a fair offer or not?" --Jerry

notwilight · November 24, 2008 1:17AM

<< My guess is that the dealer did not want to buy it from a knowledgeable collector at virtually any price and rather than say so and look bad, it was more convenient to dump on the coin. >>

My guess is he dumps on every coin with most of the same laundry list. A good coin has never walked in the front door but many have left the back door. --Jerry

MidLifeCrisis · November 24, 2008 1:37AM

<< Most people would say leave and don't come back. but if you're not coming back you have nothing to lose. So I would probably say something like, "Cut the BS. The coin is original and in high demand. you know that and I know that. Do you want to make a fair offer or not?" --Jerry >>

Even though we haven't seen pics of the coin in question...I like this answer a lot.

collegecoincollector · November 24, 2008 1:42AM

dealers can be jerks sometimes, i know what you mean. first of all i wouldn't go back to his shop, and if i did i would get the coin certified so he couldn't complain as much and he would have a better sense of its value. but i agree with the others, a pic would be nice to see

duck620 · November 24, 2008 7:06AM

<< I would have just walked out or said I only wanted $100 for it but since you think it's so trashy I would not feel right selling it to you and then walk. >>

I AGREE,NICE MOVE.

julie43 · November 24, 2008 7:11AM

Yes he is an expert a-hole!

astrorat · November 24, 2008 7:19AM

Such a sad, but common exchange. I enjoyed working in our local B&M shop when I was out of high school. Almost every day somebody would bring in a box of coins, notes, etc., and I would get to play with them. The most fun I had is when I would offer them a fair price for their coins and they were thrilled...either because they had no idea of how valuable they items were or we beat everyone else's price (usually the case).

I always found that complimenting a customer's coin, whether a beauty, a rarity, or just an important coin to them, lead to a pleasant transaction. Why insult somebody or their coin? It does nothing to enhance your business' reputation. I already knew what I would pay and if it was not enough, they would be on their way...and not aggrevated at the interaction. Courtesy seems to be absent in so much of what people do...very sad.

Lane

zeebob · November 24, 2008 7:51AM

I have had similar experience with some dealers (at shows and at B&Ms). I just write their names down in my little black book (a Moleskin notebook - black, not lined). I use that list to remind myself of who NOT to visit in the future. Several dealers do not have the benefit of my business simply because they were rude or otherwise tried to pull the wool over my eyes. I'm sure they're all doing fine and dandy, but not with my money.

Post a pic of your coin and of the front of the B&M shop.

Bear · November 24, 2008 7:57AM

I would have respected the dealer If he said what the coin was honestly

worth, but since he had one already, he was not in the market

for another one. I resent the term pig, as a collector, when I brings in a coin

for sale. The coin may be worn, it may be dirty, but as a coin I collected, it deserves

a measure of respect from a dealer.

coinkat · November 24, 2008 8:57AM

If I were a dealer, I would be embarrassed.

Longacre:

I would not waste my time selling in that environment. Save the coins that you want to sell and either consign them or take them to a major show... it can be amazing how popular one can become among dealers if you play your cards right

coindeuce · November 24, 2008 9:01AM

I would have politely thanked him for his candid opinion and then said "I'll be sure to tell all of my contacts in numismatics about your tactful, diplomatic demeanor." "And BTW, this was a test and you just failed miserably."

cmerlo1 · November 24, 2008 9:24AM

While I believe that there are a lot of honest, reputable dealers out there, I am believing more and more, the longer I am in the coin hobby and business, that the dealer's behavior was the norm and not the exception. It's sad to think about how many people the old 'your coin is a piece of sh*t' routine has actually worked on in that dealer's shop over the years.

ColonialCoinUnion · November 24, 2008 11:37AM

I certainly wouldn't want to deal with anyone who said that to me.

"I got excited when they told me an 1842-O QE was at the counter, but then I saw your coin&quot

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&quot;I got excited when they told me an 1842-O QE was at the counter, but then I saw your coin&quot

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"I got excited when they told me an 1842-O QE was at the counter, but then I saw your coin&quot