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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Al Kowsky, post: 7316669, member: 97383&quot;]Long before the computer age collectors used to shop for coins at coin &amp; hobby shops, shows that usually included stamp dealers, &amp; through periodicals like the Coin World newspaper. Digital or E-auctions didn&#039;t exist back then &amp; neither did slabbing companies like PCGS &amp; NGC. Throughout the 1970s I was a serious collector of ancient &amp; world coins, &amp; medals &amp; antiques. In the late 1970s the precious metals began to skyrocket in price, &amp; having grown weary of doing factory labor (I was a machinist for Gleason Works in Rochester, NY) I decided to get in on the action of precious metals <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. Combining this with my love of coins &amp; antiques provided me with the excuse of quitting my job in 1980 &amp; getting my feet wet. I rented a two room store from my parents on East Main St., Rochester, NY &amp; the adventure began. I had an agreement with my father &amp; a large precious metal smelter in Buffalo, NY to dispose of any gold &amp; silver that came into the store. My father agreed to be the courier going to Buffalo once a week for a percentage of the take. He had driven an armored truck for a local bank &amp; carried a .38 special revolver, which freed me from leaving the store. I advertised in the morning &amp; evening editions of the local newspapers &amp; ran large quarter page advertisements in a weekly neighborhood newspaper, like the add below.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278692[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I still have the coin pictured in the add &amp; later got it slabbed as a memento <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278693[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Rochester was a thriving city back in the early 1980s with a population of well over 300,000, today it is about 200,000 <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie3" alt=":(" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. With Kodak going bankrupt &amp; Xerox laying-off thousands of laborer&#039;s people have fled the city. Most of the coin market action was American coins &amp; very few collectors were interested in ancient coins of any kind. Nice looking denarii from the 2nd &amp; 3rd centuries could be bought for $15-20. Late Roman solidi like the coin pictured below could be bought at coin shows for $150.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278706[/ATTACH] </p><p>Common Greek tetradrachms like the coin pictured below sold in the $100-150 range. I had this coin priced at $125 &amp; it never sold <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie3" alt=":(" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. Five years ago I put it in a Heritage auction &amp; it sold for $660 <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie50" alt=":happy:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278708[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Pamphylia, Side, Circa 205-100 BC, AR Tetradrachm: 32 mm, 16.43 gm, 12 h.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>The interest in Byzantine bronze coins was almost non-existent <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie85" alt=":smuggrin:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. I had the large 40 nummi coin pictured below priced at $35 because it was a high grade coin. I did get a couple offers of $25 for the coin but wouldn&#039;t go down <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie88" alt=":sour:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. So that coin ended up in a Heritage auction 10 years ago &amp; sold for $373.75 <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie7" alt=":p" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. Today it would bring much more.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278723[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>Justinian I, AD 527-565 (struck year 16, AD 542/3), AE 40 Nummi: 22.71 gm, 40 mm, 6 h. Theoupolis Mint, Antioch. Sear 219.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>My early years in the store were good ones, however, with metal prices crashing &amp; the advent of the slabbing companies &amp; the computer age, the coin market made a dramatic change. I wasn&#039;t ready for that change &amp; family matters dictated a different direction for me, so I went back to factory work in 1987 with no regrets. I still enjoy studying &amp; collecting ancient coins &amp; finally adjusted to the computer age <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b></b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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