Went To A Train Show Today With Bullion In Hand

have you seen the video where someone offers a silver bar and a chocolate bar. Most people have very limited knowledge of what silver is and most will assume that your trying to game them if they don't know who you are, depends on the customer ;).

I wouldn't say that's true. While they might not have the finger on the pulse of the current silver price, I think everyone would understand the concept that silver is valuable.

I think it's more that, unlike your typical coin dealer, your typical model train enthusiast wouldn't have a clue how to go about turning that unwanted silver into cash.

Vendors go to these hobby shows - whether it be coin shows, gun shows, model train shows, seashell shows, or whatever - for one purpose: to make money. They don't go there to give themselves extra work. And for most people, trying to turn a piece of silver into actual real money they can bank (or use to purchase more stock) would qualify as "extra work".

Plus, in the Western world at least, most vendors hate haggling. They know their profit margins, they fix the price, and the only "negotiation" necessary is, are you going to buy it for my price, or not? And if you don't know what the silver price is, using silver as a medium of exchange is haggling. You come in and tell them these quarters are actually worth four bucks each, all they can see is a coin that says "25 cents" on it. Even if they accept that it's real silver, and accept the concept that a coin can actually be worth more than the face value stamped on it, why should they simply accept your declared value? You've got a vested interest in setting the price of your goods (the quarters) as high as possible. They'd have to go away and do the research to find a neutral third party who will tell them the current price of silver, and the silver content of a quarter, and who to go to to obtain that price for that quarter. None of which is intuitively easy to find for someone who doesn't know the terminology to find it.

I think it's entirely reasonable for a model train dealer to say, "if you think those quarters are worth $4 each, why don't you go away, find someone else who agrees with you, sell those quarters to them for $4 each, and come back when you've got some actual money for me".

My brother sells model railways at trade shows around the UK. He'll sometimes purchase secondhand stock or take it in exchange for something he's got on sale, but if someone came along with a bag of pre-1947 silver, he definitely wouldn't do a deal...

This thread makes no logical sense. Ok you have silver the person at the train show wants cash. Do you think the average person wants to take your silver and then sell it for cash. That involves extra work.

Perfect example I recently sold off a telescope. Do you think I could have taken that telescope to a coin show and go, this telescope is worth $1200, give me a 1/2 ounce gold coin and 7 ASE? NO ONE WOULD EVER DO THAT.

But I know where to sell the telescope and got the cash and used that cash to buy the coins I want. It would be the same at the train show. Sell your quarters and bring cash.

This is why all those silver stackers that preach the end of the world is coming and we all need silver/gold to survive have no clue. If the end times come, no one will care about silver and gold, but knifes, guns, food, warm clothes, gas, generators can all be used for barter. You're better off stacking guns, canned foods, gas and knifes rather than silver and gold.

Now if you want to stack as a hedge against inflation, that's your prerogative. But investing in a low cost Russell 2000 or stock index fund has generated better returns than the value of gold or silver. Just saying.

I was a vendor at the Clinton Central Model Railroad Club Annual Fall Train Meet with 4 tables last Oct in PA.
Wish you were there that day.
Sales were dead for everyone I talked to.