Is Coin Collecting Harder For A Yn?

Im 20 y.o. and have received similar looks/attitudes when walking into coin stores. Being dirty prob didnt help sorry I'm just imagining the attitude on the guy. It pays to just look past it initially and show youre genuinely interested and have some knowledge. This way they know youre actually going to spend money with them and not case the joint. Even so sometimes the attitude continues. Thats the point you should pull out all the cash in your pocket and say "its a shame you dont have anything cheap enough, i'll just have to try down the street I suppose".

Looking for a job is kind of like dating-at first, you show yourself at your very very best in order to make a good impression. Similarly, in business.When I go on a job interview, I put on my best suit (that is fresh from the dry cleaners), sport a haircut, cut nails, trimmed nose and ear hair, the works.

Look at it from the sellers point of view; who would you rather sell to? Why make it harder on yourself? A good business transaction is where BOTH parties benefit; why would you want to give anyone any idea that they are dealing with anyone less than a complete gentleman and knowlegable numisnatist?
AFTER you have met a couple times, THEN it MAY be acceptable to drop in right after work, dirty and smelling of gas...IF that guy is ok with that AND he knows you...still, you need to ask yourself: what is ordinary and customary to wear to a coin shop?
What is ordinary and customary to wear to a logging job on the first day? What if the best logger in the west shows up for work attired in a tuxedo, and intends to work that way? Would his demonstration of his excellent logging knowlege dispell your thoughts that "there is just something...OFF...here...
Enough flogging a dead horse from my soapbox...I see people go to job fairs dressed like gang-bangers...and I have to wonder...what exactly are they trying to accomplish?
Thumbs up, by the way, on earning so much money by using your skills, knowlege and endurance...my father always said that "money is your best friend"...so why throw away your best friend? Consider carefully where you spend that money...once its gone, its hard to get back...and it is nearly impossible to sell coins what you bought them for...
If it was me I would get a nice, authentic 8 Reales and bank the rest for a rainy day...maybe for down payment on a house? Ask you dad, he probably has a couple ideas....

A local youth saved every cent he could muster, his goal a new Corvette sports car.

He asked a salesman if he could take a test drive. The salesman let him in the passenger seat. Hopped in, and put it through the paces.

They got back to the dealership, the salesman got out and opened the passenger door, and asked "How'd you like it?"

"Fine, I'll take it," reached into his casual clothes, and counted out stacks of cash on the hood.

As I said earlier, nobody's right if everybody's wrong.

You have to remember, near opening and closing are prime times for coin shop robberies, and it's the dealer's/employee's responsibility to be on the alert. This doesn't require rudeness, tho.

It really normally has nothing to do with age but younger people are just not expected to have a lot of money by older people. And appearances really make a difference to older people too. As already noted when going for a job interview, if you look like a bum, don't expect to get a job as an executive. Personal people in companies are well trained to go by appearances and personalities. And regardless of your age, poise, cleanliness, dress atire, etc. all make you what you are.
The owner of a gas station told me he came there for some service a long time ago and was all dirty from working in his yard. He got some really lousy service so he bought the place and fired all the people there. Myself an a few other kids hung around that gas station and we were welcome to use the stalls as long as they weren't busy. One day he took us all to a sort of expensive restaurant and we all looked like kids that worked on our cars. At the door, the person was just about to say get lost but the owner came running up and gave us one of the best tables. Money talks. The gas station owner was recognized. Otherwise we would all have been told where to go. I too have lots of stories about when I was a kid and how the world saw me and usually all were wrong.
I go to coin shows all the time and that is one thing I don't see to much there. Kids are usually treated OK. And the really young ones always get stuff free. Although not common, I've seen some teens get better deals than me.

I would showed him the cash after he said that.

"I guess you were wrong, huh"

.

man that would be one funny phone call to my parents sir we have your son at the police station and he had an unusual amount of cash on him I'm not really afraid of them thinking its drug money around here just that if I went to jail I probably be mugged by the police for evidence

basebal21... I like your approaches. I have to say, as an old guy, that I can understand where the dealer is coming from. That's because my favorite dealer still sports a gunshot wound which he luckily survived. It is a highly unusual young man who can walk into a coin store and actually afford to plunk down thousands of dollars. Coin dealers are all very vulnerable, and therefore get very cautious in unusual situations. Don't be insulted that the coin dealer finds you unusual and suspicious, because from his usual customers, YOU ARE unusual and therefore suspicious!! Yes, you are right to be darn proud of being different from your peers. Just figure out how to QUICKLY let this vulnerable-feeling old guy know he's dealing with a legitimate customer. He'll be a good supplier to you from then on. I promise.

I used to work in a trophy and engraving shop, and I have to say . . . I'm sorry, 1ina, but if I could go back to before you made that coin shop visit and give you any advice, it would be "use your resources to the fullest!"


Start with a phone call: "Hi, my name is blank. I'm working on a gold collection and looking for a blank or a blank. Do you have any you could give me a quote on?"

Once you find a store that says "sure do, it's blank price" (or "sure do, come on in and I'd be happy to show it to you"), announce your intention of when to come in: "I work days. Is late afternoon good with you?" (I say this as someone who presently works third shift and has to very often say "I can't come in the morning, I work third shift--do you have anything in midafternoon?") This lets the seller know that 1. you have money (you work!), and 2. you're not coming in when you do just to be a pain or a potential threat--you're doing your own daily grind.


Finally . . . my dad and grandpa are both mechanics, and I work at a gas station. Take spare clothes to work with you!! No offense, but car oil/grease/etc. stinks, and if you've ever done the Handyman Laundry Tango, you know what kind of stains and issues those chemicals can cause. You will impress everyone you come in contact with if you take the time to change into clean clothes, even plain ones, after work--you're showing respect for the dealer's stock (by not bringing old and valuable coins and paper, display cases, etc. in contact with petroleum fumes and smudges), the dealer's other customers (by not making them smell the aforementioned petroleum fumes), and your hobby (by not devaluing your collection with petroleum fumes and smudges).


I'm a young-looking 23 who has a double disadvantage (I'm also what is euphemistically called a "curvy female" and often feel like telling my male customers "'scuse me, my eyes are up HERE"), so I'm not just talking out my rear at you. I'm the only young woman in my entire retail market (that's about 10 stores or 80 employees), and I had to fight for that position--by going to interviews well-dressed with nice hair and jewelry (and doing the same with my work uniforms), by being able to talk at length about my "vision" for our store and company, and by proving outright that I can handle a greater responsibility load than what the higher-ups wanted to "place on the shoulders of a young girl" (off the clock and off the record: GAG ME!!). You, as a young collector looking at items that aren't usually the province of teen collectors, are going to be fighting the same battle I did. Fortunately, your tools are relatively inexpensive: a spare change of clothes, a telephone for courtesy calls, and three magic words: "please," "thank-you," and "sir." Learn to use them well, and they will serve you well.