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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Catbert, post: 1989931, member: 12718&quot;]I got a chuckle out of this statement.&nbsp; Rather than respond specifically to this broad assertion, I will attempt to provide some &quot;old man&quot; perspective that may be relevant to the OP&#039;s thread:</p><p><br /></p><p>1)&nbsp; Nobody seeks to overpay for a coin, regardless of venue.&nbsp; Having pricing knowledge (i.e. derived from on-line auction archives and other resources) about a targeted coin is critical before buying.&nbsp; Experienced collectors do this as a matter of course.</p><p><br /></p><p>2)&nbsp; I like to buy coins that have a lot of eye appeal and are specifically attractive to me.&nbsp; So, I must take into account that these coins will normally have a premium factor because others want them too and I must establish whether that premium is something I&#039;m willing to pay.&nbsp; I don&#039;t begrudge a dealer who knows the value of what he is selling compared to generic examples.&nbsp; Truly distinctive coins most often command a premium.&nbsp; If you want a generic coin, go to the internet where you will likely find the lowest possible price.&nbsp; This doesn&#039;t mean distinctive, eye appealing coins can&#039;t be found on the web, of course.&nbsp; However, at least initially, one will have to rely upon photos that can be deceiving.</p><p><br /></p><p>3)&nbsp; I always review a coin in hand before finalizing a buying decision.&nbsp; I find large shows (FUN, ANA, Central States) give me a convenient method to identify a high number of great coins in a consolidated time period.&nbsp; Since I only purchase a few coins a year, this makes sense for me and I get to see them first hand without mailing things back in forth where unfortunate complications can arise.&nbsp; Does this mean I will overpay just because I&#039;m at a show?&nbsp; I&#039;ve not found that to be the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>4)&nbsp; I realize that many may think that collector/dealer relationships aren&#039;t worth <span style="color: #ff0000">edited</span>, but knowing and building a mutually trusting relationship with a few can bring you value in terms of coin access, pricing, resale, and education.&nbsp; I don&#039;t believe I&#039;ve had to overpay for these benefits.&nbsp; I believe it is more difficult to build such relationships and obtain this value if one buys exclusively on-line.&nbsp; I&#039;ve certainly obtained hobby knowledge from coin forums like this, but I&#039;ve also learned by having in-person dealer conversations that would be hard to duplicate buying via the on-line method exclusively.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is no right or wrong way to obtain coins for one&#039;s collection.&nbsp; Great coins can come from many sources and often do.&nbsp; Old geezers know this and young bucks should not assume that we are constrained by ego if we wish to emphasize one option over another.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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