Hello, The flea market is in full swing in my neck of the woods, and for us small time dealers it can be very rewarding... I did numerous deals with the guy next to me. I bought a ms65 PL (not designated) 1904o $ for $135 and flipped for a quick profit I purchased 10 oz silver englehard bar for $160 and sold to him and it was back and forth all day long ... Well here is a $30 pickup from my flea market buddy- 1972s 1973s 1974s Brown Box ikes... One of which has a real nice tone... drool HAVE A NICE DAY
Nice pick up's I like the toning. !0oz bar for $160 nicely done. Still buried in 4 feet of snow here bring on the big melt off so I can get out there and get some of them sweet deals.
Heyck yea bro... I like your handle, sorry for the grammar was driving and typing at the same time. KIDS DONT TRY THIS @ HOME A few of the local dealers set up on non show days here, so pIenty of collectors @ the local flea...I plan on going to a show tommorow and stock back up especially bullion and morgans
Oh and 1 other point, theres alot of shady characters some days so you gotta be on your peas and cues...I forgot my scale and magnet but I setup next to the concessions/restrooms and had to perform an ice test on the 10oz bar to make sure it was silver, and felt like it was a big science class presentation experiment,,..A crowd formed even some of the older guys were learning that trick...Never a dull day @ the Flea
I had never heard of this ice method of testing, and I wouldn't coutn on it as the end all be all. With that said....I youtubed testing silver with ice, caught this video, and my mind exploded. The funny thing is, I knew the properties of silver beforehand, but, I could not figure out for the life of me how silver could be tested with an ice cube. +1 to you sir. indeed.
I believe its conductive properties will do this to the ice but im not 100% , id say between a magnet and an ice cube AND if its stamped with a makers mark(englehard) and serial # that is all you can really do to check its authenticity, other than sawing it in half..If there are any other ways please chime in...You just cant be too careful nowadays..
You can check its specific gravity. If you really want to get sophisticated, you can take it somewhere and have an x-ray fluorescence test done on it. Other than comparing it to known authentic pieces, I don't really know what else you could do.
Very interesting. My grandfather used to set up a flea markets a handful of times each year. He mostly sold antiques and tools. I'm considering doing something similar a few decades from now when life isn't quite so hectic and I've settled into my career. At the flea markets what types of coins do you see sell the most? Are the buyers mostly casual collectors looking for a silver dollar or are they more hardcore collectors searching for more high end items?
I would say in general people go for anything silver.Most people 'round here enjoy stacking it...There are a few guys who buy anything slabbed they can put on ebay and make a $.. Those will normally spend the most, and you have a few of the old school guys who come and look for bargains. These are the ones who know how to haggle and are the ones looking for a $500 coin for $5..(Can you really blame them?) I guess it is a good mixture of casual collectors AND hardcore guys who are out there with a flashlight @ 6am looking for steals not just in coins but for antiques,collectibles and tools.,.I would say that slabbed silver type stuff goes 1st followed by raw morgans and bullion. Thats what I sell mainly.A good strategy has been to sell stuff w eye appeal that i dont mind keeping if noone buys.That way i dont feel pressure to sell if noone scoops it up right away.It cost $7 a table here and i enjoy doing it, making a profit is just the icing on the cake.Oh and btw the guy next to me sold an 1806 vf25 bust quarter for $1650.. Claimed to have made $50 on it..Thats the most expensive coin ive witnessed being sold there thus far
