Lucky Finds?

One more thing about asking at those places is if the person in charge is by themselves and any potential coins are in the house, they may say come back later of no I don't have any. I've gone back a few times to see if anyone else joined the seller so they would feel safe going back into the house with all their stuff on the outside. And that has paid off a few times. Most people just don't trust strangers left alone with many items on the tables outside where you could just walk off with them. Also, some elderly people don't feel safe telling a stranger that they have money in the house. Regardless I always ask, ask, ask. At times I suspect I make a pest of myself, but when it pays off, it's worth it.

I can never find an estate auction in this CITY!

Yah, a lot of garage sale and flea market folks often think their common date XF and extra polished morgan is worth a fortune because it's old. I agree with carl, there are lots of good coins and good deals to be had at flea markets and garage sales, etc.

I don't think I could "let" people think they have a certain value when they don't.....
People do buy dateless Buffalos I know......and coins with holes in them, but I'd have to point out the value and what I want for them first ! Then make the sale.....

I read a dealer post on another forum where a customer sat in their parking lot for a couple hours "erasing" coins and making them look better. Turned about ten grand in coins into $1000.

Here's where our educational system fails us. I don't expect the schools to teach people not to clean coins. But you'd think someone would figure out that if a nickel eraser and a couple hours of work would significantly improve the value of something, everyone would know about it.

It's like these real estate agents who want their sellers to think that cutting the grass and planting a $5 flat of petunias is somehow gonna magically make their property worth another $20,000.

You might make a lucky find anywhere, coin shop, online, flea market, whatever. I keep my eyes open, and, maybe most important, remain optimistic.

I got 100 mixed date merc dimes this morning at a flea market from a guy I had net seen there before. Great price. I hope to run into this guy again.

"I think too that MANY "flea market folks" know EXACTLY what their overpriced coin is worth........but the problem is that there are SO MANY people walking in there looking at the "neat old coins" and so they buy them.......These flea market/antique store people sometimes DO know what they have ! They just count on "uninformed" buyers walking in their store"

I agree... I see these people at the coin shows dig through and haggling over dealer junk boxes, then see them at the flea market with the coins double or triple in price.

I'll say !......WOW !.....