Poll: Why Do You Visit Coin Dealers?

What a question.

Although I go to shows I had to answer buying raw from dealers I trust.
Makes it a bit different when you work for one of them. Not that my boss ever had a problem with me dealing with the "other guy". They get along. Just haven't been in the "other guys" shop in a while because, well, I'm at work.

I do see him on occasion though as he and my boss do business. His shop is smaller so he'll buy something if HE needs it for a customer. Nice to see to "competitors" work that well together.

There are 4 shops within easy striking distance of my house and these were really the only two I frequented.

Both honest, both would cut you a deal and I have learned SO much from them over the years. Granted these guys have still probably forgotten more than I know but they taught me enough for one to hire me.

A good local dealer is a great thing to have. I'm lucky to have two.

A lot of collectors never realize this. The local shop is still a great place to buy and learn.

To B.S. and drool.

I primarily bought from a local shop. it's a small shop, But I trusted the dealer. (wish I still lived near the shop). I hung around there alot in my spare time and gained alot of knowledge (and picked up alot of coins). His main interest was Franklins (even had a book published) but I favored Busts and acquired a few from him at a fair price.

I like tornandfrayed75's idea. I am relatively new collector, or at least resuming the hobby I had a a child, and my one experience with a storefront dealer was poor. This tainted my opinion of these types of dealers so I have not tried another and now look forward to any show I can find within a couple of hours drive. I would love to hear of good experiences in the San Antonio area as it would be great to know of a dealer in the area that was helpful and decent to chat with. The sad part is that the one dealer I did visit was very indifferent and I was in a position where I wanted to spend a decent amount of money. My first thought was 'his loss' but the hobby would be better served by a few great dealers in the area.

There are 4 shops here in Clarksville Tennessee that sell coins and qualify as coin shops because of the large selection of coins on hand. Old Stuff, the Clarksville Antique Mall (me), Tiahs, Collectors Pride and Golden Eagle. I have done business with the other 3 shops and consider two of the shop owners to be my friends. I am very cordial with the third owner but don't spend much time talking to him as he is rather busy without much time to spare for small talk about coins (although we regularly talk about business).

People who come to my shop who are interested in coins come in two catagories. The first is the casual collector who will look at the coins being offered and may or may not find something they want to add to their collection. They have been bit by the collecting bug but not to the degree where it puts a fire in their soul. Generally I spend a lot of time talking to these folks and trying to teach them a few things that I feel are important about whatever coins they are looking at.

The second group are the collector and investor. These folks make selling coins much more entertaining. I can often learn as much talking to them about coins as they do from me. They are there to learn as much as I can teach them when choosing coins to buy. I am always happy to give my opinion and since we both speak the numismatic lingo it makes the conversation go rapidly. When visiting my friends I am a member of this group and since both of them have been in the business of selling coins for many more years than I, I have been able to learn much from their expertise and pass much of that on to my customers.

I consider it my job to educate people who show casual interest in coins. I have been known to give away old redbooks and common date wheat or indian head pennies to children who I think might really enjoy the hobby if I think they are mature enough. For the record I think 10 years old is about the right age to teach children about numismatics.

Now I want to comment about local coin shops versus coin shows or the internet. As a child I went to a coin shop a couple times a year in a town about 50 miles from me. This coin dealer treated me very well. I don't remember discussing numismatics with him but I basically knew what I wanted to buy from him anyway (usually bullion or wheat pennies) and he was happy to treat me well when I did. I of course am passing this on to my younger customers as well. I consider it a part of my job description to start the next generation. There are usually stacks of coins on my checkout counter which of course get many comments from my customers and I am often able to teach a casual customer something about coins while they are there. You will NEVER get that kind of personalized service at a coin show where the traffic is heavy or on the internet where you are just another customer. The local dealer IS THE ONLY CHOICE when it comes to personalized service and education. You get to hold our inventory in your hands and get our personal opinion. That alone is worth a small premium over the price you would pay on the internet. Besides internet purchases mean the potential for fraud on key coins, lost packages and of course the added cost of postage and the guy selling it will probably never learn your name and greet you with a hearty hello when you send them an email. I think the internet is the most powerful selling tool ever. But it is still way too impersonal. Numismatics is a place were personality and trust and desire to educate must abound and for the average person on the street (not a seasoned collector) a local shop is in my biased opinion still the best choice. Sincerely, John Leckrone

I tend to concentrate on buying "lots". My primary source has been Craigslist and it has been good. I view the local dealers as friends that I see at the club each month but I don't buy their high-priced wares. If I was a "real" collector trying to fill holes, I would buy on ebay. Whatever I need for my collection I tend to find on CCF or other coin forums.

I usually buy from my local dealer, with low cost items on line, and from members here. I like my local dealer, as he knows me, knows what I like, and will usually put coins aside that I may be interested in. If it's something I don't want, he just puts it in his display, no complaints at all. He's a cool, grumpy old man, and it will be sad when he's gone. He's taught me a lot about the hobby, and I like going in there just to hang out sometimes. There is another shop in town that, imho, is way too "professional" and less kicked back. The employees are a bit too business like and their prices are a bit high, although if you can get specials you can get deals there, and they are the best bullion dealers I've found anywhere, including on line. They sell bullion at not uch over spot, and will give the best prices under spot for buying, so usually that is the business they get from me.

I just don't trust ebay, as I'm way too new and it would be easy for me to get ripped off. I also have a problem with the outrageous fees, which do affect the customer, and the whole monopoly with pay pal, etc. They're making money on both ends, and I guess it kind of bugs me, makes me feel used a bit.

I do buy alot at shows also, and at club auctions, which are my favorite ways to obtain coins, as I'm getting them from friends and the club gets a bit of money.

Overall, though, my local coin club is my favorite place to acquire coins.

925dealer: you really should get out more and go to coin shows in other areas. Your statement about them sounds like someone that visited one once or twice and gave up. If you go to numerous coin shows in an area where there are many of them, you would find that you could get to know many, many dealers. In our area there are 4 coin shows a Month, every Month, all year long, withing about 15+ miles of me. Some of the dealers are the same ones at all of them. We also have a few of the really large ones at times also and again, many of the dealers are the same. Knowing one dealer or two at a coin store is sort of relying on a small area of expertise. At these coin shows, as you get to know dealers, you can ask questions, have them search for items for you, get much, much better deals since you get to know them. There are so many benifits to numerous coin shows over a coin store that there is really no comparison.