Coin Show Prices......

About Good,

I know where your coming from ... I've only been to one coin show in my short collecting time, that being the Houston Money Show about 4 years ago. At the time I was clueless about the hobby and overwhelmed by the large number of dealers, coins, etc. ... Needless to say I wasn't prepared and in hindsight overpaid for the two NewOrleans mint silver dollars I bought that day.

Since then I have focused my collection primarily on world gold. Obviously most coin shows do not have a large world gold selection, if any, of the type and quality of coins I'm interested in. With that said, I have strictly been a internet buyer. I've bought from Ebay, Auctions (US and Europe), internet dealers, forum members, and referral individual sellers. I have found great deals and not so great deals in all these networks.

When buying through these channels vs. coin shows, you do lose the ability to see the coin in hand which is so important, although high quality digital photography has certainly helped level the playing field in this regard. So you have to always consider the reputation of the sellers through this networks.

But in the end as several people have stated ... he who has done the most homework (re. current pricing, availabilty, or whatever your looking for special in a coin) is the guy with the upper hand ..... with greater knowledge, patience and buying discipline than the average collector and/or dealer you will find those good/great deals !!

Also remember that not always will you be able to buy a great coin for a great deal ... sometimes great coins of the type/grade your looking for seldom come to market and the price will not be what you consider a good/great deal at the time; but may be in the future. That is when collecting decisions get tough

Good luck

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Its a microwave world everybody wants something now, Like me

 

I'd have to say that I find 'error coin' prices to be way too high at coin shows (even if you knock off 20% of their asking prices). I think it's because there are so few error coins at the small shows I go to, it's not like you can go to the next booth and compare prices.

 

Thank you for everyone's reply. Alot of great information there. I would like to compare it to this.... I just went to my first Gun show today (at the Coliseum). I don't know alot about guns, but I did go to Gander Mountain (retail store) a week before to look at guns. My Uncle is the gun person, I don't see the thrill in the things, unless your a big time hunter..
Anyway, most guns at Gander were 500.00+ , and when I went to the gun show, they were $500.00 plus...In fact, we came across the same guns at Gander that were less expensive than the guns at the show.....

So, I am thinking the coin shows are retail specific....Let me get to the point...I am in the process of buying lincolns in either ngc or pcgs slabs,,,I search out the bargains, or what I think they are... I have paid (ok, I am telling you a secret) under 10.00 for ms66 lincolns.post 1936 ..Do the shows havbe them for that? the reason i am asking, is I would buy 50-90 coins at one time in that grade for that price...

I feel I am getting a better deal on ebay, true, I cannot see the coin in hand, but pictures are better now than ever before. I will give you a few examples..
Ebay wins - 1943 ms66 ngc - $19.00
1937 ms66 ngc - 13.00
1940s -ms66 - 8.90
1956-s ms66- 9.99
can these prices be had at coin shows? I know it is like the guns, everyone wants to be within a 1% of others.....tell me what you think...thank you...!!

 

There is always a table at one of the coin shows i go to that has 3 or 4 sections of color coded coins - all coins are slabbed - i think the booth is 'cheap slabs' or something like that. Their sections range from $10 to maybe $22.50. Seems like you're thinking along the same lines as them. Not sure how successful they are, but i think they're a hit with first time collectors and coins for kids.

 

I have bought less and less off ebay. One is the type of coins I'm currently looking for aren't that many there. But, it appears to me that ebay prices are getting higher and higher. It might have to with conveinence that buyers will bid higher to be able to sit at home in their underwear buying coins. I can't think of another reason other than that.

Coin shows appear to me to definitely be the way to go these days. Also much easier to swap there than online using the mail

 

For me money seems to flow more freely at a coin show either buying or selling. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the purchase/enviroment and dealer personality and lose self control. It is a skill to master all in itself. I mean more work goes into an internet purchase with more logic. Waiting days for an auction in the meantime checking references and price guides and comparing other dealer stock without ever meeting or speaking to a real person. It is way more sterile I am way more frugil with my online purchases.

 

I prefer shows and yes I think you will find coins like that at them espically at the large shows.
I know of one table at the FUN that had Lots of what you were looking for at those prices. Plus you could make sure you liked them in hand.

 

That is the greatest thing about living in the right place. The amount of shows of any kind make for the best prices to some degree. For example we have 4 coin shows a Month within 15 miles of me. I get to know the constant dealers well enough to actually have them look for coins for me. Some time ago I wanted a certain coin for a certain price and mentioned this to numerous dealers. It took a while but one came up with 2 of them and really cheap. At another show a dealer mentioned he just opened a web site and asked me to comment on it. I litterly tore it apart and he gave me some Walker Halves in appreciation. At one coin show a dealer mentioned how he purchases most of his inventory in Albums. I asked what he does with the empty ones and he said they are thrown out. Instead he now gives them all to me. At one show he gave me 40 Albums. Mostly I give them away also since I only want the Whitman Classic ones. Getting to know dealers you feel if you wanted to sell something, you wouldn't have to wonder if your going to get the best deal. You will.
And as to guns. Around me they have gun shows all the time too and the same holds true there. Regardless of what they are asking, you can always get it cheaper. Same with ammo, cleaning equipment, etc.
We also have knife shows, computer shows, camera shows, boat shows, cat and dog shows, camping equipment shows and on and on. Naturally there is that famous car show starting in a few days too.
And too with guns. Around here if you know the right neighborhood, you can get them on the street corner. Actually around here you could buy almost anything.

 

So by the logic here, would you say that most dealers at a show are worth haggling with to get a price they are actually looking for to begin with?

 

Think you missed the point. YES. As far as I know ALMOST every dealer I've ever delt with at a coin show has the thier prices inflated to cover the automatically accepted and used haggling. Chewing down, aguing, discussions or whatever you want to call this process, if you don't try for a lower price, pay the asking price, you are really a looser in most instances. I have met some dealers that will not go down in thier quoted or stated prices for me. Then later talking to someone I know found out it was just me that they wouldn't bend for. Some dealers go by the appearance of a potential customer and if you look like you can afford it, they will try to soak you for whatever they can.
Again, coin shows are like flea markets.
Most intelligent people that frequent flea markets know how to dress so they can get the best prices. You can't expect to buy something listed for $10 for much less if you dressed in a suit with tie and all. And if your looking like a bum, smell bad, usually won't even talk to you. At a coin show you should dress like you can buy a coin but also may need some money for the family food too.
Over the years I've found so much on the prices of coins is dependant on so many different things. Even the so called Grey Sheet prices that so many dealers at a coin show produce is meaningless if you know what your doing.

 

Sometimes you get something at a coin show you wouldn't have considered otherwise. I collect early date large cents, but a dealer without any I was interested in showed me the most beautiful 1837 which at first glance looked to be in VF from the reverse.

I paid a VF price for it and when I got it home, it turned out to be a rare variety which was always struck with a weak reverse. Upon further examination, I could see NO actual wear and now believe it to be AU58 or higher AND with CHOICE surfaces and color. The only thing missing is mint luster and that might actually detract from the eye appeal.

Now all this happened 20 years ago, but I never would have gotten this prize without having attended the show.

 

Man is that an understatement!