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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,227 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
I'm going to Mexico City next month and I'm going to check out the Museo Numismatico. I'm wondering if there are any good coin shops/kiosks and if there are any shows or conventions going on in the next month or two that I don't know about. There's a woman in Coyoacan with a kiosk but that's all I know. Enlighten me!
Naturally I'll be saving all BU coins and notes.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
IF you do not know Mexican coins, be carefull of fakes. And if you don't know a fake one from a real one, just don't buy anything while theree.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
3692 Posts |
Also, si alguien quiere organizer un intercambio Canada/Mexico, dime.
That store you mentioned ^ is super close to the mint's museum so I will definitely check it out on the same day. But it's in an alleyway :S so I'll have to be extra vigilant than normal if that's even possible. I'm not worried about fakes, I'm worried I'll be mistaken for a tourist; my wallet is not big.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
If anyone else has a couple of pointers for me it would be greatly appreciated. :) I'll be coming back to this thread while I'm down there and hopefully I can upload some pictures if they allow it at the Casa de Moneda.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9792 Posts |
I look forward to seeing any photos you are able to take. It's a real shame that Mexico is in the shape it's in now, or at least perceived by the media, not everyone there is a drug dealer, or someone trying to sneak into America and take all the jobs! I used to visit a lot when it was safer, my Sister and Brother In Law lived there for 4 years too. Mexico City is a strange but wonderful place, at least it was when I last visited in the mid 1990's. Too many people for me though, Mexico City is HUGE! I had a place in Manzanillo just South of Puerta Vallarta, where the movie "10" with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore was filmed, now that was beautiful country! Have a safe trip and good luck coin hunting!
"Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Yeah, my only camera is a smartphone; I have to be extra sneaky while using it - even my sunglasses are at risk: seriously. The South isn't as bad as the bottlenecked routes in the North. I'll be back!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
So I´m back from a loooong day of searching out the numismatic stores in Mexico City. To my surprise there are LOOOTS, wow. But there are no Canadian or US banknotes, only Mexican and world. Weiiird.
Unfortunately La Casa de Moneda is closed for renovations until approximately June. RATS! I was going to make a day out of just that. Next time...
There are very good deals to be had if you´re savvy - this is where smartphone technology came in REAL handy.
Thank you so much, jfransch, for suggesting that place in particular. So far it is the best of the ones I came across. Most ¨coin stores¨ there are actually just ¨we buy gold places¨ with the added twist that they buy nickel coins by the pound as well (but for terrible terrible rates of between 7-9 pesos per pound). At some places people would come in with literally a bag filled with maybe 200-300 coins dumped onto the tables; it was nuts. Massive hoards.
Later I will post pictures of my acquisitions but for now I´ll just enjoy the breeze, and plus my feet really hurt from walking so much that I have blisters. :)
P.S. So far I haven´t been able to find any BU coins or notes - ¡not even from the bank! I´ll keep my eyes peeled.
Edited by Libertad
04/14/2014 10:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
So, a little update:
The Mexican Mint: A BIG serious letdown. I went in, was greeted somewhat weirdly by one of the two guards as if I didn´t belong anywhere. I took a look around and they had 4 showcases and 2 bigger ones in the front. I asked the saleslady Extremely (with a capital E) politely (even offering her my ID as collateral) to see a proof mint set of $10 to 10c, one of the older sets (2005-2007). I was given a 2005 from the back. The set´s cardboard holder was in the most broken English I´ve ever encountered - worse than anything I´ve ever seen. I wanted to check out a different year set from the exhibition case but was denied because ¨they´re all the same¨. Clearly not the case. They had different cultural and historical contexts that differed year to year. I explained that collectors like to check out the quality before they commit to buying, but no, this lady didn´t know the difference or didn´t care for me in the slightest. I wasn´t treated like a customer at all and wasn´t given any attention except by the guard. I tried two times to explain to her that they´re not the same and she wouldn´t at all go to open the big showcase because they are for ¨exhibiting¨ only. But she also said that they were for sale, so she was really trying to get rid of me. It must be nice to be able to turn down sales, they must be eating well enough to not care.
My advise for anyone who goes to the Sala de Venta (Sales Floor) is to dress nicely and get a tan before they go, maybe bring a small dog that fits in a purse. Two thumbs down for the Mexican Mint and a huge disappointment. Bonus: the numismatic museum was closed for renovations. This irks me because I came from Canada to Mexico, which isn´t even foreign to me and was treated like a vagabond. Booooooooo... Que manchados.
You´ll find way better deals on the streets, for real. Rant over, what a day.
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
Sorry to hear your bad luck at the mint. Reminds me a little of my time in the Dominican Republic. Nothing in particular, just the imagery that comes to mind when you describe a busy Spanish speaking city. I just wish I was into coins back then. I've been five times but that was years ago.
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
..oh and any word on when they might be releasing their 2014 libertads? Is half the year going to come and go before they do?
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Valued Member
South Africa
67 Posts |
Im also wondering about the 2014 libertad, I want it soo bad had the 2013 libertad and......lost it! My dealer is sold out on 2013 grrr
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
You can check on their website, but it is indeed horrible even by the year 2005 standards. It used to have an English version that was semi-decent, but now only in Spanish.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
A little update:
I did manage to get some interesting BU coins and paper. If anyone is interested in that, buy something from a department store or a mall as opposed to the streets. You can be sure they go to the banks for fresh notes and BU coins. Banks don´t always give customers fresh notes or coin - you pretty much have to order stacks and rolls. I´ll be scanning and uploading my finds as soon as I get back.
I also gave away colourized Canadian quarters to 4 of my nephews and nieces. I hope they start up collections so that we have more in common as we get older.
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,227 |
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Posted 03/30/2014 8:51 pm
