Coin Shops During The Pandemic & Unrest

My coin acquisitions over the last six months have come to a complete zero.
The first time like this over 50 years of collecting.

On-line buying is never any good for me, because I always like the see the item in hand, before deciding to buy. Access to public auction view days, visits to bricks and mortar shops, or coin shows is completely denied to me, due to COVID-19.

Fortunately, my collection is of an advanced mature sort, and now I use my collection for purely research purposes, being as it is, covering all cultures and periods since the beginning of coinage, and numbering perhaps 1,500 significant pieces.

Access to the internet and here in the CCF is now of very significant value to my keeping my sanity, living as I do, home alone as a widower, and my married kids very happily living their own lives, with very secure jobs.

COVID-19 is not going to blow over.
Second wave infection rates are evidence of that.

So the only way your collection is going to expand is if
you acquire your new acquisitions on-line.

That's too bad for me, as explained in my previous post.

The World needs herd immunity. That won't happen until an effective vaccine is found.

That could? mean that bricks 'n mortar coin shops and public auction view days and coin shows could end up being a thing of the past.
Especially if the Law enforcement services are defunded, and anarchy reigns supreme, and social distancing is completely ignored.

We heap scorn on ourselves.

You two will just need to give up and send me all your coins.

Yeah, I stole that idea from you, just carl.

Hi everyone,

from the German, Berlin-based point of view: brick and mortar coin shops were beginning to suffer long, long before Covid-19. I remember a few stores here in the area that had to give up for various reasons (age - no follower, go bankrupt, etc.) My personal opinion on this: Covid-19 is not the root cause, but it's the accelerator in this process.
We all have to deal with this - and surely there is a way out of the crisis (and please, tell me if you know it already, because I don't have a clue).
Dino.

I think lot of this depends on where you are. I see some areas of the US seem to be terrified with the epidemic. Yet other places, such as where I live, are wondering what all the fuss is about!

In some places we have things like churches and other social activities being shut or limited to 100 or so, yet protesting in masses is fine (good thing the virus is intelligent enough to know the difference and stay out of groups who are protesting).

I think, as is typical, the news we typically get is hyped up (better safe than sorry - or - "fantastic" stories "sell papers" - or a little of both). I am glad that the better safe than sorry approach was taken.

The coin shop I like to do business with is in southern OH. The owner has a youtube channel and has been doing a good business during all of this - likely from his Youtube following. People adapt.

I believe, as with the many, many certain doom and gloom scenarios declared in my lifetime that this present crisis, too, shall pass. History repeats itself - never let a good crisis go to waste.

My own personal experience with this virus?
My brother (near Erie, PA) had the virus and went online to find out what to do. He is cured and said he just took massive doses (massive!) of vitamin C three times a day.

My son's brother-in-law had it quite some time ago now and recovered fine. It seems people with pre-existing conditions are the ones who have the most trouble with it. Hence elderly in nursing homes etc. have a bad time.

A good balance of common sense and being cautious helps.

I also suspect sometime around the start of next year, or before, things will be clearing up.

Right now our area is pretty much back to normal with a few precautions still in place like our teachers in our schools will likely be wearing masks in September.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

@Earle42 - I know who you are talking about, I've purchased a few things from him as well. He is doing very well indeed helped by his rabid online following and ability to sell without making it sound like a sales pitch. I saw him at the last show I was at, he was buying inventory in bulk from several other dealers there.

I think there will always be a place for the LCS. Though likely in considerably fewer numbers since there has to be a place to buy collections from estates and walk-ins looking to sell without a lot of hassle or time invested. These are the people supplying the online sellers, and if they close up for months on end the availability of new inventory dries up.

Thank you for being a voice of sanity amidst all the senseless prophesying. Things will inevitably return to normal at some point - the only question is when.

I am guessing by around this time next year the vaccine will have been distributed to enough of the U.S. population that consumer confidence will be back up, and those businesses that were able to weather the storm -- including coin dealers -- will be open on something approaching "normal" terms.

Whether their old customers are in good enough financial shape to still be customers is another story.