I went to the Whitman Baltimore Expo in November, and while I was there, met Rick Snow. I gave him an IHC that I was having trouble attributing, and he said that he'd mail it back in about a week. Rick Snow is a very reputable dealer, and his books on IHC's are great, but it's been over a month now, and I'm just a little worried. Do you think the coin might have been lost in the mail, should I e-mail him about it, or just keep on waiting?
I love Rick, but he's awful at communication and follow up. Nice guy, smart, and a HUGE contribution to the coin community... a real wealth of information. I've dealt a lot with him and always had to stay very close and active in order to get info and feedback from him. Email him or better yet, call.
He's likely just been busy with his life and forgot, or hasn't had time yet. Email/call him and ask about it. If he's so reputable, I wouldn't think the worst. Likely just been overwhelmed. As an example, I've been having a friend repair my PC for me (data recovery), and I've been waiting 7 months so far. He's been working too much, had to move, had no money, his dog died, and someone he formerly trusted conned him out of a couple thousand $. All in one year. I keep in contact with him every month as a update check and keep my hopes up.
Thanks for the help, I think I'll call him when I have the time. I'll keep you updated. @dwhiz, is it actually his birthday?
I've been noticing this from a few dealers, and not just in coins. I try and establish a relationship, and boy some of these people may be great to deal with in person, and have very good reputations, good websites, but there email followup skills are terrible (or worse, non-existent). Not every inquiry should have to result in a full blown phone call, their time is important, and my time is important. What's great about email is that availability of time does not need to align. Wish more dealers realized this.
I received this email from him Rick's Birthday SALE! We are currently in a full scale Birthday sale selldown! It will be ending on December 11th at 3:00 MST. We will be offering great deals on the coins in our inventory. Many collectors wait all year for this event. All you need to do is go to our web site and see which coins you want. Then use the Contact Us link to send an offer. The input page look like this: First name : Your Last name : Name E-mail : You@youremail.com Subject : Birthday sale Message : I would like to offer $500 for the 1884 MS65RB PCGS (PS) I will review the offer. If I think it is fair I will accept it. Sometimes I may not be able to meet your price, for instance if it is way below my cost, I can't accept. In these cases I will counter-offer with my best price. Prompt payment is requested (Credit Card or PayPal is OK, check is preferred.) No trade-ins, unless it is worked into the deal ahead of time. Please use the web site message system so we can track the offers easily using the ticket system there. Please take advantage of the sale as soon as possible so you don't miss the coin your were hoping for. The sale closes on December 11 at 3:00 MST.
That sounds like an automated email to me, generic cut-and-paste. But, that might explain his silence.
