Dealer Tales

[Catbert]

I was at a major show 1-2 years ago where I bought a type coin for my collection. In reviewing said coin at the well known dealer's table (who I had not dealt with previously), I discussed the coin with the dealer remarking upon that I felt it was a nice example for the type. He made the statement that he had just "made" the coin with PCGS and had just gotten it back and really liked the piece. I interpreted this as the coin was raw previously and now was in a UNC holder. I processed this information as the coin was fresh to the market. Not a significant piece of information nor did I rely upon this in making my decision.

 

I later discovered that the coin had a few months previously been sold via a Heritage auction in the same holder (the dealer's mark up was reasonable). I normally research this at the show on my smart phone prior to a purchase to ascertain relative value, but for some reason I did not see discover this then. Anyway, the "just made" comment bothers me (not my purchase price) and reflects poorly on the dealer's integrity IMO. Perhaps you will think me naive to be disappointed. It is my outlook to expect professionalism as a norm and to be disappointed when that is not the case. What do you think of this interchange?

 

What dealer tales or marketing hype have you heard when buying a coin? What was your reaction?

[MarkFeld]

Assuming that 1) you did not misunderstand the dealer and 2) that his misstatement was intentional, I think he was wrong and foolish to have said that.

 

I also feel that there was very little upside and considerable downside to his deviation from the truth.