I have a trade dollar from my mom. I never really looked at it, but seeing that my mom had it for years, I assumed it was real. The other day I decided to sell it. I put a magnet to it and it didn't stick. The coin has always been in a flip. On the way to the coin shop, I started looking at the dollar. I started having my doubts. It was in too good of shape. I turned it over. CC. Yep. It's a fake. I took it to the shop anyway. Before I showed him the coin, I gave him my reason's why I thought it was fake. He said I was probably right, but you never know. He took the coin, reached into the flip with his fingers, put it in the palm of his hand, looked at it with a loupe, and agreed it was a fake. I asked him how you can tell the difference between a real trade dollar and a fake one. All he said was that he just knew. He wouldn't go into details. He just knew. He then held the coin up and said legally he could confiscate the coin, call the cops, and have me arrested for trying to sell him counterfeit money. I'll be 55 years old in May. I've dealt with this guy for years, spending thousands of dollars. I blew up and let him have it. Both barrels. I'm not a child. I came here trying to learn something from him, and he threatens to have me arrested for no reason. He got all flustered and turned red. Then he tossed the coin onto the counter without the flip and marched off into the back room. One of the regulars there looked at me and shrugged. "He's having a bad day", the regular said. I have never been in a hobby where the experts have a holier than though attitude for people that know less than them. He's not the only coin dealer that acts like this. Puts a bad stain on the hobby. Also...if it had been a real CC trade dollar in that good of shape, he would have ruined it with his greasy fingers. Who's to say it was real? He wouldn't tell me why it was fake. It could have been real and he confiscates it because he knew he could.
Put the shops name up in here. Get him some bad press. Coming in to seek answers and get threatened with him taking your coin and calling the police, is a bit much. If you said you were trying to sell it but knew 100% it was fake then maybe he has a case. But just seeking advice weather the coin was real or fake so you know if you could sell it, another story. Ive dealt with my fair share of crabby/unhelpful dealers.
...these days, that just isn't enough... please chalk-up a yelp review of your experience with this DB so the next man who thinks about dealing with him may be spared in advance. I would also notify the BBB just for the way he handled your coin (whether fake or real), to toss it on the counter is completely unacceptable and certainly not the norm in this business. Just think, if you were looking at one of his coins, took it out of the flip, palmed and fingered it, then tossed it on his counter outside of the flip... I'm pretty sure you would have been either charged for the full price of the coin and/or kicked-out & arrested. Just my opinion on the matter
Well, I'll probably enrage the LCS faithful (again) but this sounds like another coin-grifter of the biz. He was trying to steal from you, period. I've pointed out on other threads - with 19th C. primary source material - that many "fake" US trade dollars were silver, coined for want of specie and not to defraud "collectors" (tax- or coin-) as you might imagine. In this case, your coin was WANTED by a coin dealer. Why? Is there a good ($$) market for period counterfeit Silver TDs? I don't know. But I find his behavior suspicious (even IF he was having a bad day) and utterly reprehensible for whatever the coin is actually worth. But I am not surprised by this either. Here is one post I mentioned http://www.cointalk.com/t218695-2/#post1591336
What a JERK! and yes he cannot confiscate anything...he has no authority or power to do so....that said I would post his shops name here to let others know whom they will be dealing with if they walk into his shop....What a JERK!
Yeah, and if he confiscated it you could have had him arrested for larceny. Sounds like he is the self proclaimed secret service.
I asked him if the coin was silver, because a magnet didn't stick to it. Without checking, he said it was pot metal. It sounds just like a silver Morgan when dropped.
Rude dealers like him are all too common. I would find another dealer to do business with (and I would let him know what you are doing and why). As others have pointed out, he has absolutely no right to confiscate your coin.
Someone should call the cops and have this dealer arrested for palming your coin with his greasy hands. Don't people like that make you sick, its why i no longer frequent many LCS in my area and is why the hobby has flourished on internet venues.
Don't post the name/location on the forum. Inform the coin collectors in your local area. If you don't know them, you should. There must be a club within the area served by the shop. At this time you are in the right, morally and ethically, don't give that up to cause yourself and perhaps the forum owner to have negative things happen. Maybe did have a bad day, no excuse, but it does happen. You don't have to go there anymore , but you can tell locals why. You have comments down in writing here, he has nothing in writing, so who has the problem if legal complaints occur. My IMO. Life is to short for everyone.
Sounds like a real jerk . If he acted this way to you he must of acted this way to others . I'm sure he's already lost a lot of customers from his actions . I'm just glad you got your coin back and won't be giving any of your hard earned dollars to him ever again .
The only reason the cops would of came that day if I was there is me punching him in his mouth. Yea, I have been labeled a tough guy from some on other forums. Frankly, some men need a good whipping when they feel like you have no means to stand in front of them. Sorry for your issue. Some dealers are A-ok, seems like he is probably late on his rent or sales not going too well. Collectors are getting smarter in grading coins and understanding how to barter better these days maybe that's it also. Send it in to Anacs right now at $10 ecomony special. The worse thing is it's fake or maybe hit a homerun. G
How bout a picture of this possible fake CC dollar? And I would never return to that place of business.
Why is it that it seems 50% or more of brick and mortar coin shop owners seem to hate the world and everyone in it? I feel like I'm a nuisance to them with every question I ask. I go to spend cash, but come out feeling gross. Feels like they're sizing me up to see if I'm 1. A window shopper or 2. Someone they can take advantage of or rip off. Good grief.
Boy am I lucky to have two local coin shops that are amazing and nice! And ofcourse the third lcs owner is a big jerk, worse than the one here, I wont get into details, its too long. but hes mean, and I'll never go back to his shop if i was paid too!
