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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,580 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2805 Posts |
Today I swung by the local gold buyers' again. I probably won't be going back! As far as horror stories go, this one's not very bad, but... I dug through the world coin bin again (unchanged since my last visit), finding the following for 50 cents each: - Pakistan 1 Pie 1956 - UAE 5 dinars? (not sure what the fraction of a dirham is) 1973 - Cameroon 1 franc 1948 All of these coins are UNC or at least AU, so I thought "great!" and looked through the world banknotes while the two owners had a long and complex argument over which one was using the assaying fluids incorrectly and if SOMEONE had just paid OUR STORE'S GOOD MONEY for a WORTHLESS RING. I got a couple Iranian banknotes (200 and 1000 rials) for $3 each - not too good of a price, but post-Revolution Iranian banknotes are a pretty easy set to complete and I like the designs. I nervously interrupted the owners to ask them to get out the two notes, and could they please bag everything because I was done. One of them walked towards the counter, and with a chilling realization, I noticed that he was about to put his finger right on top of the UAE coin I had bought (purchased only because it was still a beautiful red!!). He scraped it across the counter (smearing his finger all over it) and into his bag with a sickening rattle (the coins were left loose in the big shopping bag!). Sure enough, an hour later, that lovely red copper is covered in purple and brown splotches, and there's a brand new scratch right over the fish on the other side.  Edited by nalaberong
08/22/2013 8:20 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
785 Posts |
Wow. I've heard some terrible stories about LCS experiences but this beats them all. I wouldn't go back there either!
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
2805 Posts |
The world coin pricing is also embarrassing. There is a little sign marked "SMALL - 50c. LARGE - $2.25". What is a Large world coin? Any of the 1/2 pound/euro coins found mixed in, and anything you think is a good deal for 50c! In fact, a Large coin exists entirely at the discretion of the staff, and has little/nothing to do with actual size. I spotted 2 Deutschemarks in there - still redeemable at the Central Bank for $1.44, but this would require a trip/letter to Germany and I think 50 cents is good for the trouble - but no, it's suddenly a $2.25 coin.
And a pound and two-pound coin are priced identically - but this is where I could stand to make some cash. 2 pounds is worth $3.28 today, so I could have bought them all for $2.25 (I even have family in the UK who I could mail them to), but why bother? For all I know, there's another secret price bracket to be activated by this. And - the selection is completely unchanged from my last visit a month ago. That was when I found silver: a bimetallic 20 Mexican new pesos, with an ideal 1/4 ounce weight - the cashier's only test was to hold a magnet to it, and when it didn't stick, he conceded that it "might be silver".
There is also an uncirculated silver certificate $1 bill (1954?) for $5 - maybe a good deal, but I don't know much about these and it was surrounded by a motley crew consisting of one basement slab (2009 Lincoln commemorative cent, "Brilliant Uncirculated" superimposed on holographic "GENUINE AUTHENTIC GENUINE AUTHENTIC GENUINE [ad infinitum]"), some overpriced 40% Kennedies, and a mystery bag of sight-unseen old American coins.
However, I'm being a bit too hard on this place (although I love to dish it out anyway) - they are in the business of gouging on random peoples' gold and silver jewelery, and the coins are only there to make the store look fancy.
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Moderator
 United States
188440 Posts |
Quote:
One of them walked towards the counter, and with a chilling realization, I noticed that he was about to put his finger right on top of the UAE coin I had bought (purchased only because it was still a beautiful red!!). He scraped it across the counter (smearing his finger all over it) and into his bag with a sickening rattle (the coins were left loose in the big shopping bag!).
Sure enough, an hour later, that lovely red copper is covered in purple and brown splotches, and there's a brand new scratch right over the fish on the other side  This certainly read like a horror story. Everything starts out happy until a guy in a hockey mask shows up and ruins the party. But, as you hinted, it could have been worse. Take this as a sign, do not go back. Next time it will be some high-value or rare cherry pick they ruin.  |
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Valued Member
United States
331 Posts |
Wow! I am glad my day went better than that.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
I'd have either dropped dead on the spot, or gone to jail that day.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
When you deal with people who don't know what they have: stay away! I've seen flea vendors try to gouge me over Canadian dimes, wanting $3 each for heavily worn coins, barely F-VF.
Don't go to those buy gold places unless you actually trust them first. Most of them are ripoff artists. A one ounce silver bar can cost $40. And when they buy it they do so for $0.30-$0.50 per gram times the fineness.
They will try to confuse you by using different weights and measurements. Maybe they use grams or pennyweights. Sometimes they don't assay it correctly and give you a lower karat's worth and it's still a ripoff even if it were that low.
I wouldn't mind plating some heavy coins and selling it to them. Just don't plate them gold because they'll scrutinize.
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Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
I bought a three ring binder with pages of currency and coins that looked really nice from an auction at https://www.shopgoodwill.com/buyers/ . A nice selection of coins and some dazzling currency in holder pages from Jamaica, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, etc. I didn't pay a whole lot, but I was in error about the currency holder pages, they were dazzling because they were laminated, four, five, or more to a page........ I experimented with a 'single', a Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation HK$10 note. I now am the proud owner of a HK$10 note perfectly separated into the two sides. Seriously. Plus the green impressions some of the coins left on the lamination look almost collectable. Only a dozen coins or so were laminated, the rest were loose in holder pages meant for 2x2s. Pics would be worse than your imagination. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Sonds really bad but then again, mostly normal for someone that knows nothing about coins. You see things like that at flea markets, some coin stores and hobby stores. These are the same people that would sand down a 500 year old table or run an Egyptian Mummy through a car wash.
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,580 |
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Posted 08/22/2013 9:17 pm
