why did the dealers eye loupe my ATB's?

i shopped my first set of atbs around yesterday at a coin show and was just rethinking it now, a couple of the dealers that i handed it to glanced at it for a few seconds and handed it back saying not interested but the 3 dealer that made offers all busted out their eye loupes. im just wondering what the heck they were looking for and what they would normally look for if i were to hand them a morgan or walker, can they see fakes with the loupe?

 

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Probably just OCD. I do the same thing.

Not looking for anything in particular.....just looking.

 

Possibly looking to see if any were worth getting slabbed. Possibly just putting on a show.

 

I do it to dealers for a show.

I look at the year, the mint mark, and then LIBERTY when I look at Morgans.

 

Next time why not ask one what he's looking for?

 

yes, didnt think about it untill now.

 

Man, I need a loupe just to see the date. lol In fact I had to borrow one to buy some mounted Mercs at the last show i went to. But, I think it's always a good idea to take a good look at any coin you are buying before laying down any cash. I can't imagine a dealer who would not look at every coin with a loupe, Unless they already knew they didn't want to buy it.

Since condition is a determining factor of worth, it only makes sense to look at it. IMHO

gary

 

This is something dealers do mainly to drive us nuts, I'm convinced of it.

Every dealer I've ever dealt with did this to me...and some were younger with sharper eyes than me.

Next time, I'll remember the advice here, and ask "What are you looking for?"

 

They probably did it because these coins look like crap and they were simply checking on the poor quality of the things.

I've been surprised at how little the real thing looks like the high class glossy representations of the coins before they came out.

 

Using the correct magnification is the only way to inspect a coin.

 

What year was the coin?

 

I think the only way the ATBs will be worth more than spot bullion in the long run is if they are extremely high grade. That is likely what they were looking for at the show. The mintage of 33,000 is not rare but if they can score a top pop, then they might have something (at least to some people). TC

 

Perhaps they were looking for the doubling error? NA... dealers wouldn't do that would they..

 

Guns, just curious as to what types of offers you received on your set (if you care to say.) Wait until the upcoming collectors' versions of the coins are viewed for the first time. They will be so eye-catching they will be commanding the premiums of the Chinese panda and the Libertad and Aztec calendar kilo coins. (No, I didn't type that with a straight face.)

 

The guys that looked at the coin and handed it back to you weren't really interested. The dealers that pulled out the loupe, after initially examining the coin, wanted a closer look to determine if it was worth their while. I'll do the same thing when I'm interested in something at a show or shop. First I take in the big picture, then I pull out the magnification to see if maybe I missed something that might deter/encourage me to purchase.

 

i was offered $1050 on the low and $1100 was my highest offer.

 

Thanks, Guns. Sounds like TC may be right. It seems like a bullion play for now, but who knows if that will change in the future. I ordered a set from APMEX on Saturday. I figured, worst case, I wouldn't mind owning a set at that price just because I like the national parks.

 

Selling to a dealer will always generate a low recovery on your initial investment. It will probably be the worst offer you will receive. They want to realize the profit on the item, not give it to you. They should only be your source for liquidation and therefor at break even or a possible loss. Nothing else. If they can sell it for more, so could you. Many sellers are either lazy, strapped for cash or don't know the true value of the item.

 

My eyes are over fifty. I need a loupe to even see some coins.

Try naked-eyeballing a trime when you're my age, sonny.

 

Worst yet, try it on a 1600 year old Roman AE4, or a tiny little Greek. Man they made some tiny coins back then. On the flip side, especially for Romans the smallest coins frequently were of scarcer emperors, so I have done well for the wallet buying tiny roman coins, just hard on the eyes.