Cable TV Coin Hucksters

C'mon, you know you watch those shows.
The Coin Vault, HSN, Barry Chappell et al
Every one of those guys seem so slimy and disreputable I have to wonder who on earth would buy a coin from them.
I know I wouldn't!
:hail:

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

When I had Dish Network it seemed that these shows were available all the time, but since I've switched to cable I don't get them as often. That's a good thing, right?

 

Take their price divide by 2 and you are in tha ballpark

 

I do watch these shows.I will never buy from them, way to much money.I have been able to learn some about our hobby from them.I always wonder who is buying there product.

 

Never mind the show. Any more I think it's fun to think about the state of mind the people are in who are calling them up and ordering. First, notice the time slots they fill. I never see the shows on in the mornings (when people still have their wits about them). Always evening into the late night when many people are on whatever they're on. Some may have never seen a Peace dollar or ATB 5 ozer before. So, in their "mellower" state, they eat up everything these guys are saying.

Then they keep dropping the prices until it's such a good deal.... The clock's running out in the corner of the screen. Sweat beads forming on their foreheads. What choice do you have but to pick up the phone and order before they're all out, never to be found again!?

Most of their customers are probably older, who have never had the internet and never taken the time to learn anything about coins in general. I think these shows will go the way of the milk man in another 20 years.

 

There are many more people at the bottom of the intelligence level than at the top. Even great thinkers can make dumb mistakes. They are just playing to the greater market of human beings.

 

Can we get this thread into the "red mahogany presentation case" please?!?

 

When I got the bug for this hobby, it happened the summer after I lost my wife. It was a July 4th and I was flipping between Bob Chambers and Mike Mesak. I bought my only coins from that venue.. State Quarters!...auto ship to boot...and then I learned the truth and saw the light...it surely could have been worse!

 

Haha, I know it's time to go to bed when I hear "QUARTERS QUARTERS QUARTERS" and a rant about the best numismatic value they've ever sold... I feel bad for their target audience which is generally uneducated youngsters or more than often elderly people.

 

I watched them, once, for 5 minutes or less. It doesn't take long to know they're rip-off artists.

 

You have to hand it to them, they introduced a lot of collectors into the hobby. Just like Littleton does. Once you become familiar with the market and what coins are rare or common, does one think they are "rip-off artists". Give them just a shred of credit though.

 

Lets see the book price for this set is $5000. It's not $4900, or $4800 or even $4700. $4600, 4500, 4400, 4300. This must be a mistake this MS 69 2011 SE set is only $1299 on two extend pays. You may wake up in twenty years and there might be worth $50,000. We have onlt 200 sets.

 

5 rolls of mint state pennies for 59.95?! NO! I'm going to throw in 45 more rolls of 2008 mint state pennies and it's still only 59.95! I must be CRAZY for doing this! (I watch them all the time because I like to look at the coins...)

 

I'm too old to give anyone credit for overcharging unsuspecting buyers. I'd think that once these people find out how much they overpaid, they'll forget about any further coin collecting. IMO these folks do more harm than good to further the hobby.

 

Ok, this might cause a stir. The TV hucksters are no worse than the red book. It is a reference that I frequently use but never use for pricing. My 2009 red book is getting closer for silver coins since the price of silver has almost doubled. Who comes up with these prices anyway, HSN? I'm sorry to get off topic on this one.

 

Trouble is, most of these folks don't find out they've overpaid until they go to sell.

 

You're right, the Red Book illustrates approx. pricing that gets modified every year based off the market. HSN and other networks price their stuff high to take into account the money they spend on the TV spot and networking. They're building off the success of the state quarter program, which lots of people bought into. They made more money during the 99-08 state quarter program than their total existence.

 

I believe HSN's method of deciding a sale price is to look online for the highest possible prices and then beat them making it seem like a good deal.

 

here's a game I like to play when I watch these shows

whenever there's a clock on the screen and it runs out I try to do some annoying thing until the next item starts. I tried holding my breath but I passed out on too many occasions

 

Something better. Make the wife stay glued and tuned into the show. Difficult at times, but I've got control of the 'flipper'.

"What's that dear"? "You want me to change the channel? But Chambers is so eloquent in his descriptions, why would you want me to do that? Come again? I can go to the coin show next Sunday if I just change over to 'Discovery ID'? OK".