True Stories Of Estate Sale Coin Hunting

I don't know which is the worst...losing out on sleep, driving for 2 hours, or the disappointment of not offering any coins?
Sweet Dreams.

Still thinking about visiting a few this summer. Anyone have any tips? How exactly do these work?

I agree with the other posters. Unless you enjoy spending money on gas and don't have anything better to do with your life.......

Serious waste of time if you add everything up. But some people go for other things too and others just like the chase of it all.

So, to each his/her own.

Think I've repeated this many, many times but more than likely not listened to. For one thing if coins are advertised in any sale, you can almost always believe a relative, neighbor, friend, etc has been there first. Never bother with ones where coins are advertised. Never drive long distances for something that may or may not exist.
Around me there are almost professional searchers for such sales. They do not have a job except buing up garage/yard/estate sales if the merchandise is worth anything at all. Some of these people have warehouses full of such merchandise and they to sell it at flea markets or through the ebay type auctions. I know one person very well that makes well into the 6 figure income doing this. He specializes in Gold, Silver, coins, etc. He owns 1200 guns. If you want to compete with people like him, you'ld better get up early on the first day of the sale. If you see such sale advertised as starting at 9AM, check it out and you'll see prospective buyers there at 8AM. They also travel with a map of the area and have noted on the map all the garage/yard/estate sales and will hit them in order.
They all do one thing that most people will just not do and that is to ASK. The average person will look and leave. The ones that no better will ASK for coins, guns, knives, jewlry, etc.
If you do go to any of these estate sales learn to ASK.
I keep telling everyone about one that I went to and did ASK for coins. The lady went inside and came out with a large jar of pennies (cents). She said I could have them but would have to sit there and count them. Instead I offered her $50 and she took it. The bottom was loaded with Indian Head cents in mint condition. At home I estimated well into the thousands of dollars worth of coins.
Like I keep telling people, you have to ASK.

I don't remember what kind of auctions they are, but I went to an estate sale where they did this.

They auctioned off a bunch of stuff on a table. If you won then you took what you wanted. Whatever was left they would start to auction off again. They did this ALL day. It took a good 8 hours to get through everything.

Can you imagine doing this with coins? Having someone win the bid, sit down, and look through each and every coin. Ack! :P