Too bad I didn't think of this before. I'm going briefly to Washington, and I thought it might be a good opportunity to slip a few coins in my pocket and see if anyone is interested. Any suggestions? I found one person listed in professional numismatists, but it doesn't even look like he's a dealer.
You could check out Bonanza coins up in Silver Spring, Julian Leidman has been running it for a couple decades.
A well known dealer BUT several experiences with him have led me to believe that his offers are on the lower side. And he's in Maryland. In fact most (all?) B&M dealers are in Maryland or Virginia. In the immediate DC metro area there is Coins of the Realm (Rockville, MD). All the other stores are further out (20+ miles).
You do realize that you are looking for a 'reputable dealer' in Wash, D.C.? How of the US Senate & Congress?
Finding a "legit" dealer in the "seat of corruption of the free world" will be impossible unless you're looking for a barrel of "palm grease".....
Common Cents coins in Annapolis is good. Sandy is the owner. I'd call ahead and tell him what you're looking for. He is in and out of the shop sometimes, and if it's a slow day he'll usually close the store around 4 P.M.
To my surprise, I actually managed to get out there to Bonanza. It was not at all a good experience. He was courteous, but didn't spend even a few moments talking about the coins at all, and only gave me a quick overall price. When I pressed him for the specific price on my one bigger Austrian coin, I think he gave me the absolute lowest price that anyone has offered. Interesting, though, so thanks anyway. Even the bad experiences can be helpful for comparison.
Well, there is some truth to that. Finding a good dealer in the D.C./Maryland area is difficult. I find myself buying from online sources for coins that I need, that my LCS's don't have. Sometimes you get a deal if they don't like a particular series, if they like them it seems they hike up the price more.
But it's not just that he stays in business - he was recommended to me by two or three people. Perhaps it may be because, since he offered me very low prices, he may possibly also sell at low prices?
Carroll, I'm just gonna throw this out there, but if everyone is giving you low prices and/or not much interest it's probably because the coins have little demand in a retail setting. Many of us experience the same issues when we try to sell, hence the advice given to sell on Ebay. You get a slightly higher price because you are cutting out the middle man, but you have to put in work to do it. If you are unwilling, or unable, to put in that work, then you have to pay the middleman to do it. You made reference to a $3000 setup, and some people certainly spend that much, but just about any digital camera will do the job, phone/point and click, etc.
No, not really he is one of the highest priced dealers there is. Now did he wait on you or one of his employees?
It was The Man himself, KoinJester. He was perfectly civil, but you could tell even before he saw the coins that he wasn't that involved. It's okay, not everyone likes to cultivate customers. It was just disappointing because it was a big deal to get out to his place. Beef, you're absolutely right, my coins aren't wildly valuable or wildly rare. But, still, when there's a difference between being offered $300 or $400, I feel that it behooves me to shop around. It's not that I'm unwilling to do the work - it's just that I've been avoiding Ebay, partly because I don't want to do transactions online, but especially because I like the idea of someone seeing the item in person, so there's no chance he'll be disappointed. In all likelihood, I've actually done more work than someone who just sits at home, snaps a pic, and posts on Ebay.