Which of you are really afraid.............

[truthteller]

to enter a coin store if it is not on the first floor or street level. When I was younger, I would only go to shops that had a store front. For some strange reason, a trip up the elevator to a coin office made me very leary. In fact, I remember when I was 18, looked in the phone book for a local coin store, went to the building, up the elevator and found out it was an office. I was about to go in when I got the ebbie jebbies and left without opening the door. Later, I found out the office was a telemarketing front that got shut down by the Feds. On the other hand, I remember going to an office building in downtown San Francisco(Hobart Building) and walking up 4 flights of stairs in a rather antique type of building, 1930's era, only to find a real coin shop where an office used to be, with showcases and everything. In fact, the coin dealer was rather friendly and his clientle was rather sophisticated. I spent a couple of hundred bucks and came back several times.

 

TRUTH

[kranky]

I never felt that way. When I was a kid I would take the bus downtown and make the rounds of the five coin shops there. Three were storefronts, one was a section in a large department store and the last was on the 8th floor in a high-rise office building. It didn't bother me.

 

I never bought anything, but it was always fun to see coins in person (through the display case) that I never got a chance to see any other time.

[DonHeath]

There used to be a nice coin shop on the 5th floor of Macys (circa 1968). I think that was the only one I visited that required an elevator.

[Wihlborg]

Hi Truth,

 

It doesn't bother me. I have been in that situation a number of times over the years when going to stores I have never been to before, and not just for coins. I usually go in and look the place over. I have found that most times they are just like a real storefront shop. If not I don't go back, I have no reason to.

 

I am from New York through, so maybe I'm used to it more than someone from a smaller city would be.

 

John

 

[braddick]

The only coin shops I've seen here in Southern California have store fronts and are street level.

It never occured to me it could be any other way.

[gmarguli]

Nope. However, what really scares me is when I go to a coin shop for the first time and they have both the ANA & PNG logos on their storefront. My sphincter clenches when I see that.

[PovertyRow]

When I was about 14 my friends and I, who used to get rolls from the bank (this was abouy 1964) decided to take the torlley to the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. We figured "man that sounds impressive!". We were met at the entrance by an armed guard sitting at a desk. I said "Can we get rolls of coins here?" He just stared at us and shook his head once to the left and once to the right. We went back to Watertown Savings!

[chrisfuccione]

 

Reminds me about what happened to me last year. I had a few hours to kill and the Boston Federal Reserve Bank was in the area that I knew I had to stay around. Remembering they had a coin collection there I got all packed up with a few loupes a camera, and a few reference books. I put all this in a backpack. I was ready to go and do some research.

 

I got as far as the front desk. I put my backpack on the metal detector and proceeded to the security guards. In all my glory I asked where their coin display was. They got very suspicious of me and they started to ask me all types of question such as my name and address. They also went through my pack to see what was in there. Once they saw what was in there they started to laugh because they realized that I was really there to look at the coins and not to cause trouble.

 

One of the security guards saw I had a pack of butts in my shirt pocket as he was escorted me out of the building. Once outside I gave him a cig. And he told me that since 9/11 they had to shut down the collection because of security reasons. CHRIS

 

[gmarguli]

what really scares me is when I go to a coin shop for the first time and they have both the ANA & PNG logos on their storefront. My sphincter clenches when I see that.

 

I had a request to clarify what I wrote.

 

I am not a big fan of the ANA or PNG. Some of the scummiest dealers are members of both organizations. However, some of the best dealers are also members of both organizations.

 

I feel that the PNG is a biased "Good Old Boys" organization that is more geared toward allowing dealers to put a sticker on their storefront to buy credibility rather than an organization that actually works to better the hobby. They protect their own in my opinion. I soured very much after learning about the decision in favor of TAGZ and against Legend for what I believe to be nothing more than truthful opinion that if anyone else other than a PNG member said, no one would give second thought to.

 

The ANA, while they try to project themselves as an organization that betters the hobby, I do not believe this is the case. I do not like the fact that they took a $3000 donation from ACG and refused to have even the teeniest bit of courage to address this publicly. I do not like that they allow some dealers I feel are extremely unscrupulous to be ANA members and attend ANA shows and advertise in ANA publications. I do not like the fact that their governing body, which averages about 130 in age, likes to keep things as usual instead of shaking things up and promoting the hobby to younger people.

 

People, especially less experienced numismatists, should NOT assume that just because a dealer is a PNG & ANA member that they are to be avoided. However, they shouldn't assume that they are good dealers just because they are ANA & PNG members. Take each one on an individual basis. There are some great ones and there are some awful ones. If anyone has a question on a specific dealer, ask here or your fellow coin collectors. I'm sure you can quickly get a good opinion on a particular dealer. Just never believe that just because a dealer has a sticker from some organization on their storefront that this makes them a good dealer.

 

[truthteller]

The best thing about being an ANA dealer is that if you get kicked out, you are really, really bad.

 

 

TRUTH