Coin Show Etiquette

I will attending my very first coin show this Friday @ the Old Mint in San Francisco, CA. Briefly, what are some general do's/dont's. There will be about 30 dealers of US/World coins and currency. Thanks all!

 

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Some dealers are honest, some are not. Some are friendly, some are not. Some have will take time to chat and answer questions, some won't. Some are overpriced, some are not.

It is usually pretty easy to tell which is which when it comes to chatting or asking a few questions. Some dealers are very busy and don't actually have time to answer alot of questions. Most are helpful and will answer a few questions if they are not too busy.


Generally, I will look at dealers stock maybe ask if he has something in particular. I will look at the coin in hand and ask his price. I may then buy it, offer a lower price, or just hand it back and say thank you, I may be back. Most dealers will ask you what you are looking for, tell them! They usually have stuff everywhere and not just in the case (visible). I usually carry a greysheet for pricing reference.

Don't tell them every coin you have at home or what good deals you have gotten in the past. I don't knock their pricing or grading if I don't agree (which is often) . I just move on to the next.



I may go back and buy the same coin later if it is something I couldn't find elsewhere. Be nice and most dealers will be the same.

Lack

 

Never ever never EVER reach into a dealer's case unless they tell you to.

I don't do it even if they tell me it's ok. I let them take it out of the case. Caveat: if I know them quite well I might if they tell me to.

Never demand.

Always say thank you.

Never disparage another dealer or his coins. You never know if the one you're talking to and the one you're talking about are friends. Plus, it's just not nice.

Always be respectful to others.

Basically, follow common sense and good manners and everything will be fine.

 

Try not to drool!

 

Here,s what i do, When going to a show small are large i always walk the entire
Floor first! Never buy as you go with out seeing everything first, Remember there
May be several items on your want list and the prices can vary greatly on any
One item, Some dealers are competitive some are not!!

Also always make your best offer first and stick to it, AND MOST IMPORTANT OF
ALL IS DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!

 

Thank you all for your sound advice. I have made a list of coins I am seriously want to purchase if the price and service is right. Yes, I will do homework and go home happy!

 

Very wise move. Making up a list of what you want and what price you're willing to pay. Keeps the impluse buying monkey away.

 

Some dealers deserve to be disparaged, quite frankly.... If a dealer wants a good reputation, they should earn it. Just make sure that what you say about them is the truth and also when listening about another you should, make allowance for the fact that almost every dealer will get the odd unsatisfied customer with a grudge...

 

Only bring the amount of money you wish to spend. Leave the ATM card, etc at home. TC

 

Vintage Old Mint

No suggestions to offer, but glad you posted. I have family in the Bay area. I will see if someone can attend. The old Mint sounds like a really neat place to visit - coin show or not.

 

Now, that is advice I surely could use.:thumb:

 

That's a lesson that some of us have to learn the hard way. Haha

 

That doesn't help me. At the typical shows I go to there are MANY dealers who will just tell me to "Go ahead and take it with you, you can just send me a check later." or "Take it and you can pay for it over time." It's great to be known and trusted, but it is very easy to get WAY overextended that way. So I accept such offers very sparingly.

 

just tell the dealer go tot he bathroom ill mind your store while you are gone

or if you are me then tell them I know you trust me but you are the 5th person who has asked me to mind the store while u go tot he bathroom or a break. i came here to shop not to send you tot he bathroom but most of the time they would be off leaving me withthe stall. seems funny? used to happen to me a lot

 

Take any reference material you need; do not ask to see the dealer's greysheet.

Carry a bag with all of your reference material, loupe, etc. in it. Keep your hands away from the bag while examining coins. If you need to get something out of the bag while at a table, do it while the dealer has full sight of your hands and bag.

Ask questions, but do not be burdensome.

You may politely ask for a discount: "What's the best price you can give me on this coin?", "Do you have any room in this?", etc., but do not be obnoxious about it. They have to make a living too.

Stay well-hydrated. This is easy at a 30-dealer show like the one you're talking about, but more difficult at a 200-dealer show. You'll feel better, and think better.

Be mindful of the type of lighting the dealer has. Full-spectrum lighting will show a coin in a much different manner than normal yellowish incandescent lightbulbs.

Use manners.

Don't knock a dealer's coins or price. If you don't like them, simply decline the purchase. Making disparaging remarks will not earn you any favor with anyone.

Enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, right? Have fun!

 

I went to my first coin show this year and pretty much did all of these items. Preparation is the key and a finite amount of cash. I always knew how much cash I had left after each purchase. No credit for me.

It really helped me a few times when I was with a dealer and he had no other customers when I just said here are the coins I need and he would get them. By having a "check list" or what ever, you won't make duplicate purchases or spend extra time. Also have a coin value list to get a rough idea what list prices are. I really was impressed with the politeness at the show, of course I would also be as polite as I could. One other item, is I have a coin inventory program so I tried to keep up with what I paid for each coin. I ended up getting about a 100 coins so that was a task.

I also took some coins that I had that I needed an opinion on about something or another, like is this real? I only did that a few times though.

I also thinking walking the floor first is a good idea. After a while I noticed I kept coming back to the same dealers. Everone gave discounts. Generaly 10 to 20%.

ENJOY?

 

Also consider taking one coin with you to sell. Get a couple of bids, then sell it. Compare what you received compared to what you paid and take note of how you feel about it. If all you ever do is buy, you'll only know half of the hobby. It's surprising how different it feels to sell a coin compared to buying one.

 

And how does one obtain a greysheet? I've seen this advice a few times, but the only thing I can get is the redbook which gives you a ballpark, but often is not accurate.

 

http://www.greysheet.com/cdn/grey.asp

I like to get the whole deal every quarter or so.

 

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I didn't know I could get the current grey sheet for 4 bucks. THANKS!