Odd coin shop experience...

The other shop was geared toward collectors. He had plenty of coins cut from mint sets, extracted from proof sets, neatly organized in trays. He told me he had quite a bit more in the back which he hadn't prepared for sale, but he was going to get to them after Christmas now that he's got a Kennedy-collecting customer. That was a VERY pleasant shopping experience.

 

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I went into a coin shop and the owner tried to talk me out of it. He said that nobody's buying collectibles and antiques any more and that there's no market. I found a bunch of old Canadian tokens, which are irresistable to me, and had bought a whole bunch for around $40. I like coin shops like that. They aren't too neat and the owner doesn't price things too high. I find it like a treasure hunt. I even found a 1899 Morgan that was worth $200 for $30 in a box of standard priced silver dollars. I think of the surly owner as the dragon at the door of the treasure.

 

This guy did have boxes of V Nickels, Buffalos, Mercury Dimes, etc. Probably some decent cherry-picking in there. I'm going to get the CPG and go back with my son to do some hunting.

 

I have even found some amazing things in those foreign change bins. Bring a handi wipe to clean your hands off, but I found a 1775 english penny with a hole in it. For 12 and a half cents you can't beat that! I also found another worn english penny from the 1730's. It really is like treasure hunting. Right under the dragon's nose! It wasn't anything like this one, but this is what it looked like about 237 years ago:

 

I second that. My favorite so looks like the kind of mess that your mother would yell at you for, and you better know what you are looking for when you get there, but his prices simply can't be beat. I could buy every item in his store and selkl them for a profit on ebay.

 

Good for you. Support your local coin shops.

 

It is fine to be a grumpy old man but it is incredibly unprofessional to run a business and show such attitude. I would never return to a restaurant with grumpy waiters or waitresses and the same is true for a coin shop. Furthermore, total disorder is a sign that the guy doesn't take care of his stuff. Again, a sign of a very poor business man with no marketing experience and no care for his product. If he's an expert, I'll bet it's in total chaos.

 

Has to be the father/son business I visited once.They have a place in York and Lancaster.The one in York has barely anything,Its a mess front to back and when I tried talking to the man he was busy talking to his friends about their weekend and when i wanted to look at something he told me he'd be with me shortly after 15 minutes after I picked out a few things and handed him my CC he said its cash only.Only thing I figure is cash transactions are easier to hide than a CC transaction.I don't know how they have stayed in business as long as they have.

 

I refrain out of long habit on commenting on any other actual dealer's business practices. But I will say, suggestive selling is my method at shows. "If you like these, try this as well." Collectors usually appreciate that, since they cannot absorb/notice everything you have. This appears to be the opposite: Suggestive non-selling. "You won't like these." Hmmmm.

 

It didn't look like this place, did it?

 

Yup, about a mile from where we used to live. I still miss that area from time to time -- although I do like the warmer winters down here.

If we ever get up again to visit and have any extra time, I'll check the place out.