I'm probably going to a show next week and have a couple things I'm wondering about. 1. I think I'm going to sell a 10 gram gold bar to fund a purchase or two for my coin collection. Do you have any advice on the best way to do that? Just asking around I guess, and hoping to find who is paying the most for bullion? I do have an LCS 40 minutes away who paid well for bullion/junk silver last time I was selling. So part of me is thinking I should try to find the time to go there first where I'm confident I'll get a fair price. 2. I'm considering trying to "trade up" so to speak, and I'd like to know if you think dealers at a show would be receptive to the idea. To be specific I have a 1938-D Walker in PCGS AU58. I would like to get one in MS64 or MS65. If I find a suitable coin, do you think dealers would be open to trade their higher graded example for mine plus some cash? Another one with the same question is a 1923 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle. Mine is an NGC MS62. I really want one in MS64. Buying a new one outright would put too big a dent in my budget. But trading my MS62 plus some cash would be doable.
Based on my experience you never know what you're going to encounter from table to table. It all depends on what the dealer needs or is interested in doing. Sometimes they can be talked into deals. Some will quickly refuse. They'll usually at least check out what you've got. I made the biggest trade of my life in April so I know it can be done. We both "hemmed and hawed" over it for 20 minutes but was a blockbuster trade for both of us in the end. If the dealer is selling bullion and collector coins at their table and you find the coin you want, chances are you can probably trade the 10 gram gold bar on the coin and avoid cash altogether. If they're not selling bullion its less likely they'll take a trade but they still might. Some may sell bullion but choose not to bring any to the show. Will also depend on how much inventory they have at the moment and if they need the cash more than more inventory. Some may not care. Gold is as good as cash. Many may still not want any more silver ATM. As for trading up, again, they may or may not be interested depending on inventory. I would think the St.Gaudens trade would be easily doable. I would think the Walker being a semi-key in a popular, sellable grade would be an easy trade too.
I've done pretty well with these kind of "trade up" scenarios, when I lacked the lump sum to make a new addition outright. It all depends on the dealer, what they're asking, how flexible they are, and so on. Personalities count. Getting someone you can develop a good rapport with is the main thing. Some are easy to deal with. Others, not so much. I did send you a PM about the '38-D Walker. I have a PCGS MS65. As to your intended double-eagle trade up, I did just that with my $20 Liberty, at the FUN show this January. Went from a rather generic 62 to a better looking 63, just by trading my coin plus 75 bucks. There's no way I could have laid out the full purchase price of the new coin otherwise- but by "trading up" that way, I made it work.
Most dealers are open to trades if what you are offering fits into their business model. Don’t expect to trade Civil War tokens to most dealers for a $20 gold piece for example. The terms will usually be be your item at a wholesale price in trade against the dealer’s retail price.
