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 Replies: 15 / Views: 2,778 |
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Valued Member
United States
404 Posts |
And it was an extraordinarily disappointing experience.
They had very few coins to look at. The guy was (somewhat) helpful albeit dismissive. He told me to look at their online auctions.
I showed him a picture of a toned coin that I already have offers on as a test. He told me that the premium on the coin 'is pennies' because it is an MS63, he went on to say that if it were a 64 the premium would be hundreds.
Very disappointing and a complete waste of time.
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Moderator
 United States
187582 Posts |
I guess "never meet your heroes" applies to coin shops, too.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
How sad. I visited often in the '70s when it was still Stacks and it was always a thrill. I hope some employee of the SBG firm reads this and forwards to it to Dave Bowers, who seems to be a fine person.
Edited by Coinfrog
04/11/2017 5:05 pm
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New Member
United States
38 Posts |
I am yet to meet a coin dealer who won't low ball any coin you have but would be willing to sell you the exact same coin at a premium. It's business and I get that but it sucks at the same time. I prefer collector to collector transactions but sometimes you still just have to do the dance with the used car salesman. LOL
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4211 Posts |
Sorry for the disappointing experience.
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Valued Member
 United States
404 Posts |
I have been to many coin stores, I make it a habit to hunt new ones down... (I live in the new york area so there are many, over the past month I have been to about a dozen different coin stores). I never felt like I was being looked down upon before. At least not quite like that. This statement refers to the interaction BEFORE I asked how much my coin was.
I am more disappointed about the interaction rather than his assesment of my coin.
I love looking through coins and when I asked to look at some I was given a card and told to look online. I was treated as if they didnt want my buisness. If I was a newbie I wouldve been extremely discouraged.
Edited by Dual-brain
04/11/2017 7:15 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1316 Posts |
I know the feeling. We talk often discuss about the future of the hobby, an I am convinced that the attitude of a good % of the dealers does more to turn off young numismatists without a trust fund to blow than this antiquated hobby ever could through its antiquatedness or whatever doesn't click with Millennials..
Regarding SNB, while I haven't personally been there, I'm not surprised this was your experience. They are mainly dealers in high end stuff that for security stays in a back room, and I think their typical buyer is the older crowd that have been clients of theirs for decades. Having a halfway functioning website is a rather recent thing for them, and that should say some things about their target audience.
But I agree with you, it sucks when dealers have this attitude. No one should be made to feel they aren't worth a reps time.
My local coin shop in Ft Myers is about 50/50. Half the time they are surprisingly warm and chipper, and half the time simply unlocking the door was the peak of my attention.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3342 Posts |
Coin dealers can be cranky. Sometimes the cranky ones are the most helpful. I was pretty angry when a dealer spotted fine pinscratching on my 1795 VF cent. He gave me directions to send it to ANACS as the cheapest way to verify. Sure enough...VF details.... The most entertaining NYC dealer is Paul Bosco IMO http://www.pauljbosco.comHe mainly deals in medals, but oh the coins I've pulled out of his dusty boxes...an 1815 Napoleon 2 franc for instance. Coins from Napoleon's 100 day pre Waterloo return to power don't show up all that often, anywhere. "Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
04/12/2017 4:33 pm
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
I have been to Stacks in NYC even before Bowers. They are more than New York rude. I'll never go in again.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4415 Posts |
@ Andrew99 & Dual-Brain .... I shared this thread with Dave Bowers, and he was disheartened to hear the negative feedback on the store. He will be addressing the concerns and would welcome hearing from you both. His address is: Q. David Bowers, Box 1224, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire 03894-1224.
I contacted him because I know from prior dealings with him that he would be receptive and want to correct matters. He's a guy who sincerely cares about collectors and their coin experiences. In other words, it's more than just the money to him.
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
Well done, ExoGuy!  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1949 Posts |
P.S. The coin show circuit in the Tri-state area and New England has some of the most knowledgeable dealers and while a couple can be difficult, most go out of their way to be more than accommodating with collectors... |
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Valued Member
United States
404 Posts |
@jdmern- I do attend the coin shows and I have been very impressed by the tact with which most dealers carry themselves;
@exoguy, I am very impressed!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4587 Posts |
I had an interesting discussion at the store, oh, three years back, with one of the younger staff members. He said that he and several of his contemporaries were advocating returning to the retails sales model at least a bit. That they had enough walk-in traffic that it should be worth-while. Guess they didn't win the discussion...
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Valued Member
United States
127 Posts |
When I was younger, in the early 1970's, I was asked to leave STACKS a few times because of my long hair and jeans. The doorman was a very nice older man who took a liking to me and told me to show up at their auctions and sit in the front row. I must have gone to 4 or 5 of their auctions, and added a few coins to my collection. One auction, Harvey Stack noticed me, and wondered why I didn't come to their shop. I explained the "dress code" was being enforced. Never again was I asked to leave.
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
Nice story! |
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Replies: 15 / Views: 2,778 |
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Posted 04/11/2017 4:45 pm
