Just finished reading Justcarls post and it got me to thinking about different dealers. A couple of the local dealers I go to are mixed bag. According to who waits on me is going to change what to expect. One of the dealers is a family run deal. The father normally friendly enough but you can tell wants the "Big" sale and very fast at getting distracted if he spots someone come in with a possibly bigger wallet. He does drop the price normally. Then either son is goofy as s*** but nice and can count on at least a discount the size of the tax and maybe any odd change. The daughter really friendly but a stickler on the price marked. One other dealer I go to I'll stay in the background browsing till one sales person comes available. I bought coins from him when he had his own coin/pawn shop 30 years ago. The others are polite enough but just don't seem as personable or interested. One time when I was trying to Id my 1661 GERMANY. Silesia-Liegnitz-Brieg. 3 Kreuzer he spent a lot of time with me trying to help. We went thru several books at that time. Even though he was not able to help me, he really tried. (Got close but no cigar, and thanks again to SlavicScott and belg-jos for the major help Iding it. ) I am not a mega-spender but I do buy consistently. A smile, eye contact can do a whole lot of good on getting a customer to come back.

Everything Mark says it true as far as I'm concerned. If a person gets treated like garbage because they don't spend a fortune is just not good buisness. All to well at a certain coin shop when I wanted to look at lesser priced coins I've had people just walk away. Noted on another post.
At many coin shows there are a group of people that are supposed to have a coin store not to far but since they are at most of the coin shows, I keep forgetting to ask for an address. At the coin shows they will talk to you, discuss just about anything, go down in prices if you ask and sometimes just go down in prices if they think they know you. They are for the most part seamingly nice people.
One coin dealer closed up his place and went to work for another coin shop. He is a great guy and I've known him for many years. I wonder if he will be the same working for someone else.
My greatest and most fantastic coin place ever, was a coin/stamp/etc counter on the 5th Floor of Carson's downtown Chicago. The sales people were absolutely the nicest and would give you the best deals possible. Sure wonder where they went when they closed that store.
I basically don't like coin stores, shops, hobby stores that carry coins. For the most part nothing good lately.

Yep, I know what you mean about dealers.
I like the coin shop I found but the two old fellas that own it are a bit stuffy.
Another thing, it doesn't seem how excited I get about certain 'finds' they always seem to shoot down my smile and ego.
They also make big noises about how long they have been doing this, as if I doubted their integrity. I always have to stress that I just wanted to know how certain anomalies are caused, and I really don't care what value it might have.

It is like "there were thousands of these made", or "people can fake this error"... or they shrug and act uninterested... but...
they always give me a little flyer for the local coin club. Unfortunately it is over an hour away from me in the lousiest traffic you can imagine... a place one wants to avoid completely.
As it is the only game within reasonable driving distance I still go when I think the traffic has settled down in the late morning.

I find CP guys and gals to be more helpful and kind!

Corky

I agree with you folks. There are two shops I frequent the most.

The owner of one of them is very well known in the profession and he is always pleasant and very friendly. I sometimes call on a Sunday to see if he is in town and even if he is not officially 'open', he invites me to stop in and visit. While it is true that I have been buying coins from him for a couple of years, my purchases are always on the small side - maybe $20-$50. He is well aware of my "comfort level" and he never pushes it except in a very friendly way..... I am most impressed by his willingness to provide his expert opinion and to explain things to me. Here's a true example...I purchased a 1921 Peace Dollar a while ago and not from him - it was part of a lot with a number of other coins and I would say that I got a pretty good deal (although as some noted here when I posted it, that it has been cleaned mildly - something I could see right away). There was a small die crack, which in itself was no big deal, but it was on the rim and I wasn't too familiar with that. On one visit, I brought the coin to him and he examined it, told me what he thought the grade was (which was higher than what I thought) and when I asked him about the 'crack' he said - yes that is a die problem and it is not unusual and that you can see this on other 1921s and to various degrees. He then took me through all of his 1921s to show me...and sure enough, there it was on some others.

The second shop I frequent is very different. This fellow has probably the greatest amount of US stock that I have ever seen. He seems to do a huge buisness in bullion and sells to other dealers all the time. Consequently, his shop can be overflowing on a Saturday and I might have to wait 30 min to get to see a 1938 Jefferson and get the price. But he is fair and there is no haggling - if you don't want to buy it, that's fine and he doesn't hold it against you at all. Thing is, if you can get to him when he is not swamped, he is a freaking gold mine of information and he is happy to shoot the breeze with you.

Those are the qualities I like most - honesty, respect for the customer, expertise, friendliness.

When I lived in Houston, Houston Numismatic on Times Blvd was The Bomb. I didn't get in there but about once a month because they were 40 miles from where I lived in Kingwood, but it was worth that drive. I could literally spend a whole Saturday afternoon there just perusing through coins, I bought low value stuff, high value stuff, gold, bronze, silver dollars, foreign gold etc. Everyone there was always helpful and willing to dig stuff out. I got calls when the good stuff, like the Penny Board came in, and I bought this out of it:



And this came another time:



And this after that:

Houston Numismatic was the place the guy checked out the coin at. What I love now is they added other "bulk" bins. They still have their normal rotating counters. But now they have low grade morgans in one bin. Mid range morgans in another, and bu morgans in airtites in a third. They also still have their cull type coin and assorted silver bin. They pile up their U.S. and foreign mint and proof sets on a cart. For such a small shop they have a monster inventory.

eh ive never been in a coin shop cuz my mom just drives by lol ive only been to flea markets....

They had the BU morgans in Airtites years ago. The circs in bins are new though.

No problem. Some flea markets are the best place to find coins. At one flea market near me there was from 5 to 7 coin dealers or at least people that sold coins. Closed now due to building bought by another company. One dealer there was so rude it was almost a joke. If you started to look at his coins, he would say are you just looking or do you really want to buy something. Other dealers used to try to tell him that is the reason he never sells anything. At another flea market, still open all year long, there is guy that sells coins but really had no idea of what is what. All coins are dumped, and I mean dumped, into a few bins. US coins in one or two and foreign in another. All Mercury Dimes are $1 but if you buy more the price goes down. I've found a 26S, 42D/41, 16S, 18S and many, many others in that bin. These are not junk coins. A 38D Merc was FSB's and also for less than a buck.
Flea markets can be great.

the sellers i meet are usually nice theres a colored guy that doesnt really sell coins but had some hidden in the case and happend to see em (ihcs) he said interested?? i said sure am he said u buy 5 of em for .50 each and u can have the other five!! i jumped on it and see him evertime i go to the flea market!

I'm going to hit them tomorrow. Only thing I don't like about them is trying to find a parking spot around there. It surprised me they missed the 1896-P VAM-19 8 in Denticles I picked up last week, it was in the bulk uncirculated bin. Most of the time they are real diligent about marking vams.

just show up about 5 am and wait lol

I never parked right near there, but there was a parking garage near a food market that I parked at and walked. The nice thing about that area is there is a lot to see and shop at there, not just HN, we used to hit the British Food store, the book store, I also do model railroading and there was a hobby shop nearby. All withing walking distance.

A couple local flea markets around here have some good dealers also. Theres a real nice little coin shop at Traders Village in Houston. The guy has some nice coins for a flea market and will do a deal on purchases. Coles Flea Market on Telephone road has a coin dealer there. (Been a while since I've been there.) Real nice guy kind of slim pickings though. He's been there about 30 years. A real pain to get parking (They charge for parking. ) and its a pain to get around the market though.

ride a bike lol free parking, and build up muscles lol

Generally my experiences with coin stores have been pretty good. The only problems I've had are when I walk into a coin store, people think I'm lost just because I'm a 20-year-old female (well, I look about 15, but whatever). Then, when I asked to see something specific, like Philadelphia mint Peace dollars, they still watched me like a hawk (no, they weren't trying to make themselves available for me to ask questions, they were staring at me from across the store). The one I frequent now is owned by the nicest guy; at least now I've frequented it enough for him to know I know my business! (except that one time I asked to see his Barber dollars when I meant halves... that was embarrasing...)

i would be too!! you barley see a female collector ,women are usually to busy with clothes and soaps so offense!

I wonder that male dealers, the majority, treat women, especially young women somewhat different? That could be a whole topic in of and itself. Maybe they just don't expect you to collect coins. Some dealers can be buried back in the 1960's too, when ladies wouldn't dare collect coins

Okay, I'm a newb, what happened in the 60's to make chicks scared of coins?

Dustin - lol, while I do have about 20 too many pairs of shoes, and my soap is moving to DirecTV, I'm a HUGE pirate at heart. What better treasure than coins?

Sort of used to be that way around here with the average coin collector being an old man. Coin stores, shops, flea market coin dealers and especially coin shows. Recently with the massive growth of coin collectors due to the Mints amount of various types of coins, the type of collector making appearances has also changed. I go to a lot of coin shows and have now noticed a large increase in kids, younger people, women and even what appears as a couple on a date. Now also women dealers or women with their husbands at coin shows. I would suspect the State Quarters started an entire new concept of coin collecting which includes real young kids, younger people in general and women.

When I was a wee lad about 9 years old... I was thrown out of a coin shop because I didn't have an adult with me... (I ran ahead of my dad because I was excited to get to the coin shop)... that was my first experience with a coin dealer.... glad to say it did not discourage me...

My local place here in Southern CA is run by a terrific guy who knows everything, pays fair, takes the time to explain things, and runs a great bid board. It's a great place to hang around. The owner clearly relishes dealing with smaller-money collectors and will sit with them quite a long time going over their Jeffersons and seeing what they might upgrade. There are some extremely high-spenders who come in, too, and they are treated like everyone else. This guy knows that what makes it worthwhile is not the money; it's the coins themselves.

BTW, it's pretty much a guy place, and maybe an older guy place at that, although women and younger people do come in and are welcome. Soundtrack: 50's and 60's folk music.

The one and only coin store in the province...a really nice guy, he'll sit down with you and tell you what you want to know, but you have to ask him. Theres always about 3 or 4 people working there (Probably paid my discounts ) and one of them will strike up a conversation, look through the junk bin with you, also a really nice guy. Always a conversation going on about something in the store, a lot of broken marriage stories :? But it's usually a positive vibe in the store. A lot of families dragged in by the husbands!

For some reason in paper money, there are a lot more female dealers. Or at least the dealers I buy from are women, Kate Gibson(www.katespapermoney.co.uk), Anna Sluzskiwicz(atsnotes.com(sp) Pam West(www.britishnotes.co.uk), Jane White(www.banknotes4sale.com/). All of them I have bought from for years, and always been pleased with my purchases.

I hope you came back in with your Dad, and then promptly left. My first coin shop visit was about 10-11 years old and I would literally blow a half of an afternoon in there. The dealer was an older guy, probably in his 70's that loved kids.

funny story... i never went back to that shop... and with my little kid ambition i said to myself that i would one day put them out of business for being jerks... the day that i signed the paperwork finalizing the shop i now run... that other shop closed their doors forever.... the same day.... still gives me the shivers...

Note to self - be nice. Be nice. Be very very nice. Nice. Nice. Nice. Not a jerk. Nice. Nice. Nice.

Isn't fate and providence just something else.

Jim Coad Rare Coins in Albuquerque, NM, is the only shop I'll buy from around here. There are a couple of other so-called coin shops here, but, since I got treated like crap at both of them, I'll stick with Jim. His coins are priced fairly, he has a huge inventory, and he's friendly.

PEI?

oooo the 1950 german 1 mark an the 1950 2 shillings started it all for me ...hmm i like 1950 coins ^_^ lol

hmm my coin dealer is fine .... when i come he knows i mean business brings me a chair an a table lets me sit an gives me a magnifier an a bin of coins first (i check bins first always eheh) an a empty bin 2 keep the coins i dont want in i look through all of em while he an my dad talk lol they talk bout the prices in the country an stuff lol bout the weather, etc ^_^ he always gives me discounts an lil freebies ....only prob is ...he isnt that smart when it comes 2 coins xP he is old doesnt know how 2 use computers 2 research prices an stuff (heard him complain bout that when he was talkin with my dad ) an its hard 2 find good coin price books in bahrain xD lol you have 2 order 1 from a book store an takes weeks xD ....he does sell coins above the normal price ....just cause they are big or old xP

another guy next 2 him ..... is also kind gives me freebies an talks with my dad alot while i look for coins he gave me my first wheatie for free ^_^ lol ...only prob is ....he has alot of fakes an doesnt know if they are fake or not ...he does tell me becarefull this maybe a fake an stuff ....but not always xP eg :- the first time i bought a coin from him it was a 1916 1 rupee QUEEN VICTORIA coin that was BRONZE!!! .....i was thinkin the whole time .... didnt queen victoria die in 1901?!?!?! lol ...hey it was my first time buyin coins lol ......an also like the other guy ...he sells coins above the normal price ....just cause they are big or old.

both the guys have been collectors for yrs !!!!! an most of these coins were in their collection but they had alot of em so wanna get rid of few of em....lucky i see ppl coming an given them boxs of coins for free ...grrrr lol xD..... when im lookin through the coins i always keep seein kids walk behind me lookin at what im lookin an ask random questions 2 the guy xD ....once the guy said look through the coins an pick what you want ill be back in a min (he trusts me that much 2 leave me with his coins xP lol ^_^ ) an kids started comin askin me how much is this, what is that , etc etc thinkin its my store xD lol

alot of other dealers also but most of em only went once cause they 2 far ... i really liked 1 though ...he sold alot of silver an gold coins ... also sells old old old pocket watch's x) an others sell coins by size :S an they sell em for alot 2 .... grrr so i nvr go their again xP

I doubt they even have a coin store!

LostDuctchman: You and your Dad could have had some fun back then. You could have had your Dad go back there with you and he would pretend to want to buy something for thousands and then you would loudly say to your Dad, hey Dad, this is the guy that threw me out. Lets go. And then your Dad and you walk out.

The only coin shop in my area is just down the street from me. So close, and yet... so frustrating.

The owner carries only a handful of non-U.S. coins, and he dips everything. Coins with obvious wear are shiny as doorknobs.

I keep popping back in, hoping something decent will turn up. Last week, a hapless potential customer was fleeing out the door as I arrived.
"Come on in," the dealer told me. "I won't be mean to YOU." So I scaled the "Cash paying customers only beyond this point" barrier and got an earful about the impending collapse of fiat money.

I've tried to draw him out about coins, but he only wants to talk about the need to hoard gold.

When I tell him what I'm looking for, he'll say, "Oh, I used to have a bunch of those." Then he starts suggesting completely unrelated coins.

The last time I bought something from him (I try), he emerged from the back room to give me a handful of worn, pre-war Jefferson nickels and a Sackie. It isn't often that I feel 8 years old again.

It would be great to give my local dealer more business and learn more about coins while I'm at it. I've about given up, though.

same here lol not only 1 dealer xD 75% of em an almost all old coins are cleaned lol not all but almost all

We have four coin shops in my area, only one of which I visit from time to time, the others have dealers that smoke like chimneys, and kind of give one the creeps.

I don't care for dealers that try to push stuff off, I know my stuff, I know what I want. The dealer I see here, I usually get only supplies from, he just doesn't have the stuff I buy numismatically. I get most of my goodies thanks to internet, eBay, trades here etc.

Recent experiences in coin stores:
When we were on vacation in Europe in July I took my 10-year-old son to a coin store in Prague for a quick look-round. The dealer had a box of coins he was selling by weight. We spent 20 minutes pulling out a nearly complete type set of pre-war Czechoslovak coins, plus about 20 other miscellaneous older European coins. Price $3 for the lot. My son was thrilled (now I wish I could find a Whitman-style album for Czechoslovak type sets!) The dealer was so talkative we could hardly get out of the store.

We got back to NY in August and I take my son for a drive around Long Island to visit a couple of coin stores. The first one had a sign on the door, "Closed for half an hour" even though two guys were standing right inside counting out coins or whatever. While we stood there wondering if it was worth hanging out on the sidewalk like idiots for 30 minutes, another guys comes up, taps on the glass, waves and shouts something about wanting in. They obviously know him as an old customer but they still won't open the door. "Come on, Dad" says my son, "Let's go to the aquarium instead." So much for that numismatic experience. I wonder why they bother having a store if they won't admit customers... should stick to dealing online and save the rent, no?

We try another store, 45 minutes drive from the first. Guy says hello, he's also busy counting out silver dollars with a customer but doesn't mind having other customers browse in the meantime. The store is dingy and decrepit, the only items on display are rubbish like painted half-dollars, sun-faded folders for state quarters, junk Morgans for $19.95 each. He has a few mint sets and proof sets under the counter but half the coins are discolored. The guy is pleasant enough and my son talks me into buying him the 1994 Soccer World Cup commemorative half dollar and dollar. It's $40 for the pair, no bargain there, but I want to encourage my son's collecting so I spring for it. He's thrilled. We also seem to have bought the only thing in the store worth buying.

Last week I visit a fancy coin store in midtown Manhattan. Used to be full of coins, now it's half sports memorabilia. It's 4:30, the sign says they're open til 5 but they are already pulling down the shutters. What the ??? Try again two days later. They have some nice coins on display, ranging from better Wheaties to St-Gaudens. The prices seem a little on the high side, but not outrageous. The guys are civil but not too talkative. I don't get the feeling they'd enjoy spending an afternoon chatting about coins with anyone - they'd rather I just hand over the credit card.

It's enough to make me go back to Europe!

most people nowdays arnt in the coin buisness for themselfs there n it for the money thats why if they dont talk even f i try to make convo then i dont buy..

ahh well i actually dont like ppl talkin 2 me when i am browesing for a coin lol only if i have a question an want a straight answer lol not a life story like some dealers do xD eheh allows me 2 focus more

oh ur crazy lol i like there stories!! hehe

I agree with Dustin - if the guy is genuinely interested in coins, he will love to talk to you (short of his store being packed) and maybe is more likely to give you a discount in the future. People like that are much more fun; who likes talking to a door-to-door salesman? RD, I think you're just anti-social I'll talk to the guy if only just to learn something.

One more thing about flea markets for coins. Try to remember that many things at flea markets just vanish so many dealers will not put coins out. If you ask, they may have some hidden away in a case but are just to afraid to display them. I've noticed over the years a certain person that walks up to every dealers and says "any old watches, pens, coins, cameras?" One time I asked him about why he does that instead of just looking. I'm nosey that way. He was nice and said he had an antique store and sells so much stuff he aquires by just asking, it makes it worth while. So now I do the same.