What do you think of Collectors Universe in 2025?

That is a huge problem if they think that the only coins worth buying are theirs. If they're gonna advocate for you to use them, it should be "We strive to sticker and holder PQ coins" instead of being crappy to other services.

They think they've handled every good coin - what about these coins found roll hunting that are so high of a grade that they are actually worth getting graded?

Also, it's a shame that a dealer on the CU site would stoop so low as to personally attack you for months about an opinion. I hope that dealer, who is probably a scumbag in real life, never crosses the street because he'd be gone in no time.

 

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The amazing thing about that dealer is that I had bought an 1854-D Three Dollar Gold Piece from them a few months before they started attacking me. You can look it up. That is not a cheap coin.

When I was dealer, the last thing I would do would be to insult a potentially good customer in public. I think the word "stupid" might apply here.

I don't have have a problem if your shout the virtues of your coins to the sky. I do have a problem when you tell the world that all of the coins that other people own are crap because they don't have a CAC sticker.

 

More details on that example - it was part of the Cook collection, complete collection of Canadian coins, but he ruined a lot of them. Something like 20-25% in the auction got Details grades. Big submission to PCGS, bunches of cleaned coins, PCGS whips through them, sees all the cleaned coins, saw "hairlines" on this one, presumed it was another "cleaned" coin, on to the next one. That's just my impression of what happened - lack of attention to a specific coin within a large lot to get out the door. They mistook die polish for cleaning - I found images of several others with exactly the same die lines. A higher-up at ANACS even called me personally to discuss the pros and cons of conserving it (I had no idea there was lacquer on it). That kind of personal attention makes a customer a fan.

 

A similar one is "if it doesn't have a CAC sticker, it was rejected." I've seen that posted more than once. You can't take anyone seriously who thinks that every coin in a PCGS or NGC slab has been to CAC.

 

In today's times, many post on both CT and CU. Both have earned the respect of many collectors. Both sites are a great place to have fun and learn.
I'm getting better at ignoring the stupid folks and not even use the ignore button. They won't drive me away from a site I enjoy.

 

Which is exactly what CU did to me on their forum. People don't forget that stuff.

 

An 1854-D $3? Good Lord, that dealer must not appreciate anything in life! F-15 bid for that coin is $18,500, gradually increasing to $220,000 in MS62. 'Stupid' is a severe understatement for that. Sounds like the dealer that attacked you had nothing better to do, or stooped down since he couldn’t stay on a higher level.

As for CAC, saying that non-stickered coins are crap is insulting the majority of coin collectors worldwide. I've been a dealer for over a year, a collector for 2 1/2 years, and have never owned a CAC stickered coin, mainly because of the ridiculous premiums but the way they do is not good either.

Good words, my man. No matter what happens on this site, I really do like posting, and plan not to leave at least any time soon, or preferably ever.

That is diabolical of someone to think that. I mean, who is going to pay that much for a coin to be likely rejected? Those kinds of people give coin dealers a bad name.

 

Just about every new day in America I spend at least a few minutes on both Collectors Universe and here. It has been my experience that no site has a monopoly on rude, troll like, or annoying posters. If I give CU a gold star for anything it is this. You will regularly see posters there showing coins that almost make me embarrassed to even look at my feeble collection. Once you get past the envy though, it is awesome to see some of the jewels of numismastics.
If I have a gold star to give to this site it is for this. I have often posed a question on CU and gotten (maybe) 2 people to give me a response. Even then the people act like it is Western Union and they have to pay by the word. Here I have asked a few questions that got little or no response but the vast majority of the time someone steps up and gives me indept information. Which I always profoundly appreciate. James

 

This wasn’t the only time this dealer insulted me. A few years earlier, when I was a dealer, I asked to see a 1795 half dime they had in their case. One of their employees told me, “You can’t afford that.” I had not had that line dropped on me since I was in my early 20s. I hated to break it to him, but I had a higher grade piece in my collection.

“You can’t afford that,” is a line dealers should drop from their vocabulary. One day a guy in scruffy jeans came up to my table. He asked to see a Bust Dollar. I quoted him a price, and before I could say another word, he was pealing off $100 bills.

 

I know the dealer you are talking about. That dealer is a nut case with more money than brains. You can't treat customers like that. I went to their table at one of the last Fun Shows. I was the only customer looking in the cases but they were all to busy talking to bother with me. I even started pointing at a coin in the case. I walked off. Maybe I should have put a pile of $100 bills on top of the case.

 

The funny part is, that dealer has tried to become a big player in the auction market and has failed twice.

 

I don't know the dealer you're referring to despite my attendance at all the FUN shows the last few years. However, I have certainly seen this behavior with a few dealers. I get that dealers have things to do and that much of their business at shows is with other dealers as opposed to the public. But, if their business model is to turn up their noses at potential retail customers, then why even bother to rent an expensive table?

I know quite a few high-end dealers and a few of them have taken the trouble to learn and remember my name, despite the fact that I will never be a higher six-figure customer. This displays an attention to customers that is intended to possibly pay off in the future, even if not immediately. Those dealers earn my respect and business.

OTOH, a couple of shows ago, I stood at a table for five minutes obviously looking at a particular coin in the case while the proprietor yakked it up with another dealer. They were gossiping and obviously not in the middle of doing a deal. It was only when I gave up and started to walk away did the dealer look up and ask if I wanted to see something. My reply? "Not anymore". They probably muttered "a...ole" to my back as walked away.

Sorry for the off-topic rant. I'm mentally preparing for next month's FUN show.

 

Here a while back it was slow around here and just wanted to do some reading and look at coins. Started an account at CU because I wanted to play in a roulette, GTG thread. We were having a good time until someone decided to jump in after 20 pages. He thought he could scold me over a rule that he wasn't aware of. I thought it was petty and haven't posted since. I still keep track of the thread, and he has since used the rule to his benefit. No one chimed in to help me or correct the situation, because of that you all are stuck with me. PS, I grabbed a few fun coins today, I will try to get some photos this evening.

 

I want to start doing the Summer FUN but I would have to fly and the ANA is coming up. I have not done an ANA show in about 15 years.

 

@Publius2

Some dealers come to a show to mostly or only do dealer to dealer wholesale business. They don't care of the sell a coin at the show because that's not their purpose for being there.

Some dealers are just lazy and don't give a rat's tail. They come to stare at their computer screens and go to fancy restaurants with their friends. They figure that "the public" is a waste of time.

In the old days (the 1970s), some dealers had clientele that carried them along. They had been in business forever, and didn't need to waste their time on a young squirt like me.

One of those guys gave me a lecture at a show about how I didn’t know how the market operated because I was not willing to pay his prices, which were like triple Grey Sheet at the time. The funny part is, I bought all of those coins in grades as good or better than what he was offering for a lot less money. All it took was a genuine effort.

 

I have done the same thing, often to just stop by the next table and buy a coin worth more than the one I wanted to look at.

 

One of their employees told me, “You can’t afford that.”

Thems almost fighting words
I would have to poke the employee with a stick and ask how many he personally had in his collection
Then in you're case ask him if they were interested in buying yours that was graded higher

 

I'm afraid to talk about modern coins on CU because they are too "political". 90% of my posts are about moderns and the other 10% buffalo nickels and world coins. I thought I was going to self ban from there for a couple weeks but I must still be mad because it's coming up on six months.

 

Dude, one of the reasons my now-wife and I decided it was a good idea to get married was because we both agreed on this. It's worked for us for... whaddya know, 35 years this coming October.

 

That line would hurt even if you couldn't afford the coin. A 1795 half dime is easily a 4-digit coin but that leaves no excuse to judge the amount of money by one's looks, especially since some of the scrawniest-looking people can carry very fat wallets.

That's why I only buy in coin auctions outside of clubs. There is a lot of money to be made in the auctions, but predicting what coins will sell for how much can be worse than the stock market. At least with stocks there is a general idea of where they are headed in a certain time frame. Kinda like gold.

I don't have a problem with you being here, especially with your GTGs. A benefit is that you seem to be pretty well-known around here too. Seems like CU is a place where the majority of people wouldn't consider many a friend, especially when a lot of arguing about petty things occurs there. That's why Cointalk rules!

In the words of the great "Weird Al" Yankovic:

Expect a big surprise today
When you wind up with your head impaled upon a stick

Looks like you are planning to give that dealer a "Your Horoscope For Today" treatment, although that can mean a large lot of things.

It's quite sad that division through numismatics can be way worse than division through politics. Modern coins are sometimes just as interesting as older ones - ask any coin roll hunter, and they will likely tell you this. I myself am a coin roll hunter, and modern coins are quite nice.