Flea Markets For Coins

There are several things you may not be aware of. For one thing coin shows, flea market coin sellers, coin stores are growing massively lately. This would not happen if the hobby of coin collecting was faltering. One of the problems lately is the growing crimes in home invations and for coins. Theft is greatly on the rise. People just don't want to spread the word they collect coins or anything of value that may bring a house robbery into play. Sort of like asking who collects guns, knives, etc. Even friends and relatives are becoming a possible leak as to your collections. Then too some are just starting out and don't think it's worth mentioning.


Not to contradictory or argumentive but I have two degrees, have been an Electrical Inspector for a large city's major projects, taught chemistry in a junior college, helped design numerous nuclear power stations, engineered steel mills, etc.
However, I never could figure out all that silly necessity for correct spelling and punctuations. If people know what I'm saying, that's all that's important to me.
Of course your correct that people should be educated but this is a coin forum, not a gramatical testing program.

"Coin-collecting honyocker?" I do believe thems fightin' words! (Or should that be "them's" fightin' words?)

I'm going to chime in here and say the your/you're, they're/their/there mix-up does annoy me. It's the perfectionist in me to have everything grammatically correct....or at least try to do so.

To me, it disrupts the fluidity of what someone is trying to convey over the Internet when I read it.

It's not really about sounding smart or dumb, it's more of someone being impressed when they read what one writes. Surely, these types of mistakes would be avoided on job applications and resumes.

(And don't knock points off for me not using the correct 'e' in resume. I don't know what Alt function to use. )

I was at a flea market when silver bars were $9 or 3/$25. This guy spent five minutes debating and finally forked over a couple twenties that blinked. He made some comment about how fast money disappeared.

The lady I was with and I just looked at each other and smiled, trying to keep from laughing out loud. She just saw me plunk down $4000 cash for a handful of gold and silver.

Don't let anyone kid you, money trades hands at flea markets. I saw one where a dealer sold $¼ million in silver to another dealer. That farmer in grubbies next to you may have ten grand cash on him.

I agree biggfredd, there is plenty of cash at the flea markets in my area, held by people who don't necessarily look the part.

I worked at my Dad's TV/Appliance store as a kid. A guy came in on a Saturday morning dressed in ragged jeans, looked like 6 or 7 flannel shirts, wildly tangled hair, and a very nice new pair of cowboy boots. Add to this he smelled like a carp that had been dead for 3 days. Nobody wanted to waste the time to wait on him at first. Long story short, he paid cash for the finest TV/stereo console in the store.

Ain't it really "themses fightn words?"
Back to flea markets for coins and other items as well. Just as with a garage/yard/estate sale you sometimes have to ask. For example at a very large flea market by me there is restriction on knives, swords, spears, axes. HOWEVER, if you see someone with a small letter opener on the table you may ask if there is anything a little bigger and find they have a truck full of the no sell type items. We have a very strong restriction on fireworks sold here in Illinois. HOWEVER, at flea markets almost anyone selling smoke bombs, if asked and you look straight, you could buy anything ever made in fireworks. Ammunition for guns is also a crime at flea markets. Few years ago I bought a thousand round box of .38's at a flea market by asking. I probably buy about half my food at flea markets. Produce is fresher and cheaper that any stores.
Flea markets are vastly misunderstood by the name alone. People still assume that all you can buy there is old, beat up, second hand clothing.
For me it is difficult to know if my best coin deals have been at flea markets or garage/yard sales. Coin shows a far distant 3rd and coin stores 4th.
PS. Last weekend bought over 50 Mercury dimes for $40. Mostly all in the 40's but a some in the teens and twenties. All in at least VG-8, some in as much as AU. One 20D and one 20S in about F-12 made it all worth the price. However, none in good enough condition to replace any in my now 12 Albums.