Recently i have noticed something that is becoming sort of a problem for me. I go to shows and i am noticing that a lot of the really good stuff is not for sale. granted these are just local shows and we aren't talking about hundreds of dealers like the FUN show, but the selection is far worse than it was say 10 months ago. More specifically, higher grade lincolns. It got me to thinking.....where are the better deals these days??? my local shop has a fantastic selection yet the prices are a bit higher than you would expect at the shows. ebay always has fantastic deals, but you never really know what you are getting so i tend to stay away from that. on-line seems to have some solid deals from places such as APMEX and such but again, you cant really see the coins in hand so you always have to be a little cautious that you may not receive what you were hoping to get. (everyones grade is subjective) so it makes me wonder.....keep spending time and money in gas and tolls driving to show after show in hopes you get good deals, or just bite the bullet and buy from the local shop knowing the extra money you will spend per coin i will save in gas and tolls or just buy from reputable online dealers and hope what i order is exactly what i want and hope i dont have to go thru the hassle of returning it if its not to my liking. sorry if this turned into a rant, but its just becoming such a hassle.
If you are not in anything related to a rush I would use ebay with known dealers and possibly other online coins. There is a very reputable dealer in southern California that has been in business for many years. His specialty is buffalo nickels, but he sells other coins as well. I have bought 12 to 14 buffalos from him and have been happy with all.
Mr. Coin Lover, I think I know who the dealer in S. Cal is. I too have bought from him and you get exactly what he advertises. I do think he gets a little too much into inbetween grades. Such as Vg + and almost fine, etc. The thing I liked was that he would hold the coins you wanted until your payment arrived. THen his service was very rapid. I live in Georgia and was asways amazed at how fastr he got the coins to me.
First, I don't think the situation now is very different from anytime else. As the other posters have said, you need to start establishing relations with a few dealers or individuals. The "Great" deals are almost never sitting out there on the table - if a dealer runs into a "great" deal, he usually has a list of people he lets know about it. If you're the anonymous person who shows up at the shop or the show, you're the last to know - if you ever know about it. In real estate, it's location, location, location. In coins, it's not what you know, it's who you .......
I've had the same problem for a couple years. Part of it is as you mature as a collector your wantlist contains more and more pricey (keys/semi-keys) and specialized (varieties) items. Most dealers at local shows don't have that stuff. I've been after two SL dimes for over a year and can't find them. I've even got them on MFD's wantlist and he's had no luck either, and he works the whole country. I have trouble believing that dealers are holding stuff back. If they don't sell, then they go hungry AND also can't buy new stuff to sell. Another part of my problem is that I want slabbed coins (NGC or PCGS) and some of the coins I want catalog under $200. (I have a couple NGC Registry sets and those coins have to be slabbed by NGC or PCGS.) Not many coins in that price range get slabbed. Don't want to do raw coins. I've had some trouble with that. Had a beautiful half dime that got body bagged. Took me a half hour to spot the problem (light abrasive cleaning). I ended up putting it in a ANACS "DETAIL" slab and selling it at a loss. I don't need anymore of that.
People, dealers, are scared. So they are not buying or holding what they were a few months ago. They don;t want to be caught with their pants down if the bottom of the market falls out. If you go to a dozen different dealer's shops you will find a wide range of prices. The very same coin in the very same grade may be as much as double the price at one shop as it is at another. That is completely normal. There are two things in this hobby which are absolutely essential - knowledge and patience. The secret is this - while practicing patience, work on acquiring knowledge.
