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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,744 |
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Valued Member
United States
66 Posts |
I was at my local coin store today and had an observation I would like an opinion on. Someone who left before me bought a couple 2010 Silver Eagles. The dealer got out his plastic tube and pulled the coins out with his bare hand and palmed them to slide them in the plastic flip holders. I was amazed by this because handling these coins with bare hands will tarnish them will it not? I dont know that I want to buy any Silver Eagles from him after observing this and now wonder if he's done this with his other silver coinage I have previously bought that were in flips. Opinions on this please...?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5953 Posts |
Silver eagles are viewed by many as just Bullion and are treated as such i.e condition is not important just the silver content. ASE collectors view them differently of course. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
511 Posts |
Dealers see and handle so much stuff that many of them take valuable coins for granted. I have watched dealers bounce circ gold $20 Libs back and forth across the table at shows.
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Valued Member
 United States
66 Posts |
Wow, I'm amazed at the responses so far. I mean, yeah they are bullion, but to me they would still be a collectible item. I guess I can see both points of view but I just like my silver eagles to stay in somewhat solid like mint condition (from when they left the presses anyways). He was apparently, according to what he told the guy ahead of me, selling the Lincoln Cent rolls from this year either P or D mint for $3 a roll which I thought was an okay deal. I just bought some Silver Kennedy halves, type 1 and type 2 1979 Kennedy Proof, a BU 1964 P and D Kennedy half with beautiful mint luster for $8 a piece. And there were some other things I purchased as well to add to the collection, I was just alarmed by his handling of the silver eagles. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
968 Posts |
All depends on why you are buying them. You look at them like a collectible. That's fine, and if you want to buy them I'd agree that this seller may not be the guy to get them from. But lots of people look at them as bullion. To those people it doesn't matter how they are handled, the value comes from the metal not the design.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
It's also possible the dealer had searched through his stock of Eagles and the ones in that tube were in less than Primo condition - so it really didn't matter if he handled them in that way
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Valued Member
United States
66 Posts |
I think you might be right Kabiye... I know that most of his good stuff he keeps towards the back of the store in a filing cabinet type thing. When he pulled the silvers out for that guy he just reached down into a box right behind the glass case and grabbed two out. I know when I asked for a couple of the silver coins he took them out and let me examine them thoroughly before I decided which ones to purchase.
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Valued Member
United States
105 Posts |
I'm on both sides of this fence. I collect ASE for the coin collecting and for the silver. And I agree that the collector in me wants the coins for my collection and my investments to be mint. However, I buy my collectable ASE's graded and slabbed. (trying to put together an MS-69 set) and I buy my investor ASE's any way I can get then as long as I get then near mint. I am lucky enough to have a pawn shop that has TONS of loose ASE's and sells them for spot +$1.00. I have a silver polish cloth and some silver dip that I use if my investor coins get really bad tarnish on them. Nice thing about investment bullion is it doesn't matter if they are dipped or cleaned as long as they are 1T.oz. silver.. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6326 Posts |
I agree, it's the standpoint of the buyer. It's a "showpiece" highly collectible coin ......... or....... It's just a Bullion future "investment" and condition matters nothing. Many folks just buy.....and "move" bulk precious metals to pick up extra cash.....there is no consideration for Proof-like or Uncirculated quality whatsoever. The coin isn't intended to go into an album or anything. However....I would be a little bothered too....  .....because someone like you or me might walk in there to buy one for our collection, and not know that it was handled like that. We assume that "expert professional gloved hands" will have handled everything we buy "raw".....and it obviously just isn't the case. Buyer beware world out there ! ...  |
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Moderator
 United States
187702 Posts |
Quote:
Silver eagles are viewed by many as just Bullion and are treated as such i.e condition is not important just the silver content. Quote:
It's also possible the dealer had searched through his stock of Eagles and the ones in that tube were in less than Primo condition - so it really didn't matter if he handled them in that way Either of these are probably correct. I would not stop visiting this shop until I saw how he handles coins of real numismatic value. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
I would never pay huge premiums for bullion just because it's shinier than another one. Others would, though. I still handle them as I would any other coin, though.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,744 |
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Posted 04/27/2010 12:21 am
