1886 Seated Half NGC MS64+

There's really only 1 perspective Trey, that being as a buyer. You see, Matt was a buyer. He had to ask himself all the same questions that any buyer does. He had to judge the coin in order to answer those questions. And he had to know the market. It's no different with any coin.

I dunno, maybe that's something that a lot of people just don't get, don't understand. But there's a saying, you don't make your money when you sell coins, you make it when you buy them. And that really kind of says it all. And it is just as true from a collectors point of view as it from a dealer's point of view. Selling is easy, it's always easy because all you have to do is decide on a percentage over and above what you pay. But buying, buying is hard because that's where all the thinking and where all the knowledge comes into play.

Well, that's what you are asking about - the buying, what are the thought processes that go into it ? You've kind of described them already, but in the end none of it really matters. And the reason none of it really matters is because if you know the market, you already know all the answers. And when you know the answers, well, it's just a rote process from there.

I'll bet it didn't take Matt 5 minutes to do the deal when he bought this coin. Why ? Because he knows the market. That's the key. And that's why you're asking yourself all these questions Trey, because you apparently don't. And I don't mean that as a cut, not in any way. It's an explanation to your questions.

So how does one get to know the market ? In simplest terms it can be summed up in one word - experience. And you get that experience by studying, by watching, by reading, by looking at tens and hundreds of thousands of coins. And most importantly, by buying and selling coins.

I've said it since long before CT ever existed - as a collector the best thing you can ever do to learn how to buy coins is to sell some. Now a lot of folks just look at me and shake their head when I say that. They just don't get it. And ya know what ? They won't, until they do it, and then do it some more. And then the light bulb will go on.

So at this point Trey I still haven't told you how to answer your question. Well that's because there really isn't any way since you can't learn the market overnight. At this point, if you "were" looking to buy this coin there's really only one thing you can do, ask yourself if it is worth the asking price to you. It's just that simple. And in the end that is what most collectors do.

Now I don't know if this was helpful to you, but it should be, especially in the future.

 

No, it is not CT protecting itself. We don't need any protection. It's really simple - it's because that's what the rules are - period. And the rules are what they are because we don't want the forum turned into one big coin venue. We want the forum to be used for discussing coins, and solely for that, not the buying and selling of them.

People list prices for coins they are selling in the advertising sections every day. And we have no problem with that, we don't need any protection there. That's why we provide that area for the members.

And members can talk and discuss prices just as much as they want to. And it is done every day. What they cannot do is talk and discuss prices of coins they are trying to sell or buy.

edit - and as for Mat being a moderator, that doesn't have 1 single thing to do with it. Moderators have to obey and follow the rules just like everybody else. And everybody is treated exactly the same when it comes to the rules.

There is one thing that makes it a little bit different for Matt - he's a dealer. As a dealer, pretty much any coin he has is for sale - everybody knows that. So as a dealer Matt has to be extra careful about what he says and how he says it, in order to stay within the forum rules. And of course this applies to every other member of this forum that is also a dealer - and there are many.

So yeah, it's harder for Matt, but it's harder because he's a dealer, not because he's a moderator.