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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,081 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
I'd like to get your input on an idea that just might be fun and worthwhile for collectors here.  After attending several shows over the past year, I realize that I'm basically scanning the same inventory for the die varieties I collect, eventually diminishing my returns. Do other collectors run into this problem?  But--what if you had access to inventory on the other side of the country? Wouldn't that increase your odds of finding something good? So here's my idea. If there was a network of other collectors who knew what you were looking for, they could effectively increase the inventory available to you while learning about a new coin--as well as profiting from their involvement. Such a scenario might play out like this: • Collector A provides info on a couple of coins he's looking for, such as pictures of important details, including how to accurately determine the grade. • Collector B exchanges similar info with collector A • Both collectors study and learn something new about a coin series or variety. Wouldn't that be fun? • Using what they learn, these collectors check for the coins while visiting shows or dealers. It might be easy if they're already looking for their own coins. • Let's say Collector A finds a coin on Collector B's list. If it's inexpensive, they might buy it outright for the collector. But if they're unsure, they might first check with Collector B and see if they want it. I think how this is handled might depend on individual agreement between two collectors and the values of the coins. • Finally, there could be a "finder's reward" involved in the network. Let's say Collector A finds a coin offered at $10 that is a special variety actually worth $100. In that case, Collector B might share a "finder's reward" that makes the transaction worthwhile for both collectors. Collectors are motivated to learn, help each other, and stand to profit if they find something. Thoughts, ideas? (obviously, if such a network were conducted through CC, there would be some minimum requirements to protect members involved) |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1040 Posts |
Count me in, since I am usually keeping an eye out for things I know fellow collectors might be interested in anyway.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
Indeed Kurt, this is why you have a list of what I don't have in Australia half pennies and pennies  . I think it's an excellent idea! The more eyeballs are looking, the more can be found. And the learning aspect is great, too.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5318 Posts |
xshift, right--sorry if I haven't gotten back to you recently. I had a very bad cold for several weeks. Talk to you soon! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
No worries about that.. hope you're feeling better soon. I just used it to point out that some do this sort of thing already, in a way. Not in any kind of orderly fashion which we could *all* learn from, though, which I think is what you're proposing.
Like the buy/sell/trade forums, it's all up to the forum members pretty much. Something like this could possibly work the same way?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Quote:
Something like this could possibly work the same way? I would imagine so...it's not my intention to circumvent those forums. What I specifically had in mind was a network for collectors who "cherry-pick" helping others find varieties, since there's the best possibility of reward. For me, the learning aspect is interesting too, which I suppose could be applied to any coin. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
KurtS, I've thought along similar lines a lot recently, but with a twist. As I peruse ebay listings for Morgan and Peace VAMs I see many popular VAMs, but I already have an example or two. I usually just watch the auction and note the hammer price. I would like to share these opportunities with other interested CCF Vammers, but don't have the network to make this work. Your idea could accommodate this information sharing. Instead of purchasing the coin and shipping it off, I could just share the link with a member who has expressed an interest and let them do the rest. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
On the pessimistic side, such a web site would be a great thing only for those that have a lot of time searching the internet for such sites. With all the different types of coin web sites poping up, this one may just sit there without being used a lot. Eventually becoming just another coin web site. Amazing how many there already are for almost anything. Example is if you go to Google and type in COINS, you get 85,000,000 replies. Imagine finding this one that way.
On the Optimistic side such a site would be great if kept up to date. Then people would have a better idea of what to look for and where.
I go to about 2 to 4 coin shows a month so rather lucky that way. I can just ask a dealer to look for something for me. Example is last Sunday I asked dealer to get me two coins, in MS grades, for approximately xx prices. He wrote it down and promised he'd find them for me. Done such buisness with him in the past and all worked out.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Carl, I understand your pessimism--certainly in the context of a website networking relatively anonymous collectors. However, I was thinking more like individual collectors working within some context of mutual trust. Not a site per se, but collectors who know each other helping each other. As we've seen with ebay, a "big box solution" doesn't always work well when people game the weaknesses. On the other hand, a closer-knit community of collectors does make a difference, with the Buy/Sell/Trades here a good example. Thanks for everyone's feedback--good ideas here! |
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Valued Member
United States
429 Posts |
Not to sound stupid, but isn't that what we do here on this site? It seems that a new thread could be opened that is similar to the trading area and broken down into different categories and maybe even west and east coast. I know that some time ago there were people on this site doing that just to make sure they got their P and D coins without paying a premium price for them. It really does not seem that hard to do except when it comes down to the time of the purchase, just because you find it does not mean that the other person wants it anymore or may not be able to afford it. About the only way it would work is to let people know of upcoming shows you are going to and have them give you a list with a high and low range of what to buy. Personally, I think this would be a great idea if you could get it to work and hope that you can find a way to do it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Again--thanks for all your comments! If I have not yet responded directly to a comment, that's because I'm mulling over everyone's ideas. I do appreciate your input. My intent here is not a version of our Buy/Sell/Trade forums, but more like a way for collectors to learn from each other, with the net benefit that all involved would get something from the experience. The goal is finding different ways to strengthen the collector base. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
I have access to a weekly bid board with 75-100 lots per week so I get to look at a good variety of coins on a regular basis. I usually spend about 2 hours per week perusing the listings and I would certainly enjoy the opportunity to scan those coins for someone else's collection as well. If I am reading this right, you are basically wanting to create a nondealer buyer's agent system with reciprocal benefits, yes?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Quote:
If I am reading this right, you are basically wanting to create a nondealer buyer's agent system with reciprocal benefits, yes? Essentially, yes...with hopefully those educational benefits too. And thanks for your offer...I do think a lot of collectors might benefit from having "extra eyes" on inventory. |
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,081 |
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Posted 02/19/2009 11:50 pm
