A GREAT Time!!

As I mentioned in one of my numerous journal entries in the past few days, I had never been to a REAL coin shop before, so I planned on going to one tomorrow.

But I mentioned this to my wife over a very delicious breakfast of sausage and eggs, and her response was "I didn't know that! Lets finish up eating and we'll go."

So, we did finish eating and off we went to the Downtown Sugar House area of Salt Lake City where there is a coin shop I have passed a billion times named "All About Coins".

This is in one of the older areas of SLC, and about 3 miles from where I live. Parts of this area are being re-built from quaint old gathering places to brand new condos and MORE strip malls..I already miss how it was down there.

I digress!!

As my wife and I approached the coin shop, there was a sign about how you had to be buzzed in, and due to my nerves I rang the bell...even though the salesperson SAW me there...he buzzed me into the store where I ignored the dirty looks from the customers..ok I PRETENDED to ignore the dirty looks...I am NEW...OK??

The shop was pretty crowded making the sort of small digs appear a bit cramped, and not as conducive to browsing as I would have liked. The sales man asked if he could get me anything in particular..and I told him I needed some non-PVC flips to send some coins off to NGC in, and to store my older coin bounty I found in the cedar chest. He then asked me how many...and I didn't know...but he showed me how they come in perforated sheets..so I bought 3. Came to $1.70.

Before going to the shop I told my wife I wanted to spend $50 there, as I DO want to help the local economy, and right now $50 is all I can really afford for coins after already spending some money at the mint.

The crowd started to clear, and now I felt more comfortable. I noticed a slabbed VDB penny in the display case...I forget what grade, I asked if I could see it...I picked it up and it was about $900...too much for me!! He chuckled, "here's one not slabbed yet" he handed it to me, and I could tell it would have graded higher just by the color, et al. 1900 dollars.

I laughed, and he was smiling, too. My wife enjoyed the humor as well as I showed her and explained what a VDB penny was.

With only a couple people in the store now, I was able to make my way to the Peace Dollar display, and asked what the price ranges were. They were all pre-graded and slabbed (obviously) he said "let's just take this tray out and you can look" He did so, and I saw a few for $400 in an MS 65 I don't remember what years...and I saw a 1925 no mint mark peace dollar graded a MS 63 for $40. I LOVED it...in my price range,too. I wanted to have a graded one in MS 60ish state to compare my 1928 Philly one at home to as well.

"I'll take this one" I said...and he said.."how about $35 instead of $40?"

"Even better yet!!"

I rambled something about only collecting what you love because you are STUCK with it for many years and he agreed.

I shook his hand on my way out, and realized more than ever how good this hobby is, ESPECIALLY with the human interaction and all the feelings of embarassment I started out having when I first got there, and feeling like I found a great coin at a fair price...and feeling like I made a friend along the way.

FEELING something is really what collecting is all about.

Thanks for reading!!