Here is a much overlooked subject for most collectors. The want list program is a useful tool that many collectors have at their disposal to help find and acquire the the coins they are looking for. Every collector should take advantage of these services. Once you have found a dealer that you are comfortable with, take advantage of this service. Most dealers travel to various coin shows, attend major auctions, and trade on one dealer network or another. They see many coins and have access to many more that are not necessarily offered publicly. These want list programs are pretty easy to get involved in. You give the information about the specific coin, in a grade, and price range you are looking for. Be very specific. A large part of any dealers business will be filling these want lists for their customers. Don't ask too many dealers for the same coin though. While filling out a want list doesn't necessarily obligate you to make the purchase, the dealer may refuse your future requests if it becomes an issue. No one likes to waste their time. If the dealer finds an acceptable coin, you should hold up your end of the bargain. Use several dealers if you are searching for several different types of coins. Look for areas where the dealer specializes in. Remember that this is your collection. You should never settle for a coin that is "close" to what you want. Be patient and take advantage of the tools that are available to you, and your collection will be your pride and joy for many years to come.
While I may agree that Want Lists are useful to some collectors - they don't work at all for others - like me for instance. The problem I have is one you touched on Nd - if you ask a dealer to find a coin for you - I at least would feel obligated to buy it. But by the same token - if I don't like the coin - I don't WANT to buy it. And if I don't - then we both lose. The dealer is upset because he took the time to find a coin and I don't want to buy it. I don't want to buy it because I don't like it - so I lose a good dealer. I guess it all comes down to grading or your taste in coins - and as we all know - not all MS65 ( or whatever ) coins are equal. So unless the dealer knows his client's taste very well - the odds of both parties ending up being happy are rather long.
You are quite correct. That is why I mentioned "once you have a dealer that you are comfortable with". It takes time to cultivate a good working relationship. It is certainly worth the effort though. Once the two of you work together in finding out what the others standards are, it works out great. I try to post threads that are near and dear to me. Collectors sometimes feel as if they are all alone out there in the numismatic community. Trying to survive against the world as it were. In the end, maybe another tool for the collector to use.
How do you find one I've been to every coin shop I can find within 25 miles of my home (just south of Los Angeles, so I'm not out in the boonies), and when I try to talk to them about Modern Japanese coins I get reactions ranging from "huh?" to "we don't handle that junk."
Well my friend you do have a bit of a specialized collecting habit. I gotta admit - I've never seen a dealer that handles what you want either
Welllllll Well now my dealer knows that I can't pay much for coins but he'll let me pay little by little if I want--so far I've only done that once. What Doug said is what I think--if he goes and finds it for me I feel like I should buy it. Speedy
