Butternut.org coin dealer website?

Anyone here ever deal with them?

They won't answer emails.

butternut@butternut.org

http://www.butternut.org/contactus.php

 

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Are you an ANA member? He is currently a member of the ANA Board of Governors. His name is Colonel Steven K. Ellsworth, (ret.) .

 

I've purchased from him many times at local shows. He mostly deals in large cents. Friendly guy to deal with, and knowledgeable.

 

Yes, top notch and full of wisdom,

 

But HIGHHHHHHH prices. But, he values his raw large cents like a PCGS dealer would, which is hard for me to wrap my brain (and wallet) around. Still, he's a wealth of knowledge and his value to the collecting world is immense.

 

I've never done commercial business with him, only social / ANA business. He strikes me as a real square shooter, and if his prices are high, and he's able to stick around, somebody must be buying. It's no different than with other series specialists - they tend to end up with the primo pieces (That's what all that "dealer to dealer" stuff they write about is.) and they tend to have the prices to go with them.

 

I agree his prices tend to be high, but he does negotiate (at least in person), especially for repeat customers.

 

A general rule for ALL specialists: the more expensive a particular show is to attend (full costs - transportation, lodging, table rent, food, etc.), the harder you might have to negotiate to get a sweet deal. On the other side, if a coin hasn't moved for several shows in a row, you might get a better deal. Every dealer who has a new piece he especially likes will try to get top dollar, until the market "proves" him wrong.

 

Yes, he's another one of those great dealers who if you catch him on a slow day, he'll talk your ear off and you'll learn a ton.

 

I think he needs to update his show schedule..........

 

Well someone needs to tell him that his "butternut@butternut.org" email address isn't working... or he's just ignoring me.

I've sent him three emails since March and he never replied.

 

Call him. He is in the slow process of a website upgrade but it has taken a long time and he spends a lot of time on the ANA board work making it even slower with his show schedule.

 

Steve is great to deal with. Yes his prices are on the high side, but if you really want some of the hard to find early copper cent and half cents he is one of the guys to go to. He is honest in his grading and dealings in my opinion. If a coin has been cleaned or re toned he lets you know. He also offers a buy back on the coins that you purchase from him. I do buy from him at the show here in Salt Lake. You can also call him and leave him a message. He is a great resource if you see him at a show as he has helped write the early copper sections in the red book and several of the coins that have been photographed and in the red book he owns or has owned.

 

He is also a serious collector in his own right as well. One of the fifteen people who have been able to assemble a complete set of early date cents by Sheldon number, and his set is currently is ranked #1 in the early date census.

 

Your right he sold his half cent collection through a Heritage Auction to acquire more of the large cents. It would be fun to truly see his collection, assuming your into early coppers it would be a treat.

 

He also sold his #2 cent collection and some duplicates as well through Heritage. (Many early copper collectors have a #2 set. When they do and upgrade the displaced coin moves down into their #2 set.)

 

Whew, for a moment I thought a #2 set were coins recovered from diapers.

 

Kurt- have you seen the condition of some of the worst of the EACs? Not the damaged ones found with a metal detector, but the ones that were just used in commerce. Those coins were really, really used in commerce. Cue Annie singing "It's a hard knocks life"

 

We call that "history". Q: What's the difference between damage and patina? A: The difference between buying and selling.

 

That would be the difference between toning and patina.

If your dealing with buying and selling and one possibility is damage then you would be asking is "what is the difference between damage and a mint error?"