Coin Show Etiquette (from a Dealer's Perspective)

I mentioned on another thread that I was working on an article about coin show etiquette. Keep in mind, this is from a dealer's perspective but I think it will really serve any collector well to keep some of these ideas in mind when they attend coin shows. It certainly can't hurt, and most likely will help in any encounters you have with a dealer at a coin show.

Anyway, after reading this, I would welcome any comments or thoughts you may have.

Coin Show Etiquette
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Recently, I wrote a couple articles having to do with difficult customers, so I thought it might be helpful to remind collectors about some simple coin show courtesies and etiquette, as well as give a few pointers to those new to attending coin shows. Of course, courtesy goes both ways; however, if you want to try and get the best deal and/or build a relationship with a dealer, it can only help your position if put your best foot forward, come prepared, are knowledgeable, courteous, and most of all behave professionally.

So I’ve gathered information from other dealers and collectors, as well as my own experience and list here some "do’s and don’ts" that may be useful to practice while you hunt for that perfect coin!

Preparing for the Show

• Bring cash with you – many dealers don't take credit cards, especially for bullion coins
• Organize your reference material and notes ahead of time – make a list of the coins you are seeking, and sure you keep your notes and price lists organized so you can find them quickly so as not to waste time at a dealer’s table flipping through pages to find something
• Make a list of dealers and their table numbers that you want to visit – if dealer lists are available ahead of time, map out the dealers who might have the specific material you’re looking for

Arriving at a Dealer’s Table

• Don’t step between or behind a dealer’s table – this area is for the dealer and their helpers only and is off limits to non-badge holders
• Don’t interrupt a dealer – if a dealer is already involved with another customer, either wait or come back later
• Don’t block another customer’s access to a dealer’s table – be courteous so that other customers may also peruse the dealer’s coins
• Don’t spread your notes, reference books, or briefcase on a dealer’s case – it may block other potential buyers’ view of the dealer’s coins
• Let the dealer know what your interests are – unless you’re just browsing, tell the dealer specifically what you are looking for and even your budget guidelines
• Don’t ask to see the coins currently being shown to another customer – wait until the customer is completely finished looking at and discussing that coin before you make inquiries
• Don’t place food or beverages on top of the dealer’s case – put them on your lap or on the floor

Viewing a Dealer’s Coins

• Keep the coins separate from your reference material and bags – books and papers have been known to be good places to slip a coin or two and many dealers have lost coins this way, so try to bring the minimum amount of paper onto the table
• Only ask to see a coin if you’re seriously interested in purchasing it – don’t ask to see a coin just to compare it to one you already have or just purchased
• Don't monopolize dealer "junk boxes" – keep your time sifting through dealer’s junk boxes limited to around minutes so as to let others have a chance to go through them
• Don’t reach into a dealer’s case – unless the dealer specifically tells you it’s ok, do not reach for a coin in a dealer’s case, let the dealer retrieve it for you
• Handle coins properly – hold all coins, even slabs, by the edges
• Don’t take photographs of a dealer’s coins unless you get permission – for security purposes, some dealers may be opposed to having their coins photographed and some coin shows ban photography altogether
• Keep any coins a dealer hands you on top of the case – don’t put them on your lap or down below eye level, and don’t step away from a dealer's table with unpaid for coins even for a moment
• When you hand a coin back, make sure the dealer knows you have given it back – don’t just leave it on top of the case and walk away
• Put a coin back exactly where you got it – when flipping through boxes or bins, be sure to replace it in the proper box or tray if you don't end up buying it
• Don’t criticize a coin if you don’t like – just hand it back and say thank you
• Be cognizant of taking up too much of a dealer’s time asking questions – many dealers will take the time to answer questions and offer advice, but don’t be burdensome - keep in mind they are there to sell coins so don’t sit in front of their cases asking a lot of questions when the dealer has other customers waiting
• Make sure you haven’t left behind any coins you brought with you – when you leave a table, double-check your pockets, bags, and papers to make sure you have all that you brought with you, including your loupe and especially any coins

Negotiating

• Don’t choose the highest quality coins in a dealer’s case and then expect to pay a wholesale price – dealers usually have to pay strong prices to acquire quality pieces, so don’t insult them by choosing their best coins and wanting to buy them at wholesale or Grey Sheet prices
• Have realistic expectations – do your homework because if you have unrealistic expectations, it can lead to insulting offers and bad feelings all the way around
• Don’t try to negotiate when the price is fair – ask the dealer for the price, and if you think it is fair, then pay it, don’t keep trying to negotiate; besides, if an offer is made and a counteroffer received, the original offer is no longer valid and the dealer doesn’t legally have to honor the original offer, so you may lose the deal altogether
• Don’t try to haggle if you cherry pick a coin – many dealers don’t mind if you happen to “cherry” pick a coin from them (meaning, you find a rare date or variety that was unmarked), but as mentioned above, don’t try and negotiate if you happen on a good buy
• Don't ask a dealer to put a coin on hold – unless you are serious about purchasing a coin, offer to place a deposit on the coin to hold it, but it is not fair to ask a dealer to keep a coin out of their inventory while you continue to shop around and never even go back to inform the dealer you changed your mind
• Don’t buy a coin then try to return it because you found something else – if you try to do this, most likely you will lose the ability to conduct any further business with that dealer, and possibly others

So the next time you’re at a coin show, if you keep these tips in mind, hopefully you will be more successful in your hunt for coins but at the very least, you will be appreciated and respected by the dealers you encounter!

 

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Good rules to follow. Thanks for posting.

 

Cammy you forgot to add in that one must choose the right wine to get the best deals.

 

Those are good rules of etiquette. One question for you:

Is there a length of time a perspective buyer spends at the table taking up the dealer's time in which it is sort of expected that a purchase will be made? I realize that there is no obligation to buy, and the buyer can always walk, but is there a duration of time that dealers expect to spend in order to get a sale? Thanks, TC

 

Very good points Charmy, all of them. You even covered my pet peeve with certain collectors. Those who sit at a dealer's table and spread papers, reference books, and lists all over the case...and then sit there for long periods of time. It irritates me to no end when I can't see what a dealer is offering, especially one who always has coins that interest me. Sometimes I'll leave and come back later, and they're still there. It's rude and ignorant. I rarely sit at a table when I'm looking, I prefer to stand to the side so others have access to the dealer's offerings. On the rare occasions when I do sit, I make myself as "invisible" as possible and never put anything on the case itself. Thanks for posting Charmy, all your points are right on.

Bruce

Bruce

 

Good rules. I've stopped going to coin shows, at least until the bullion craze dies. I was tired of waiting 15 or 20 minutes for people to get done talking to dealers about bullion and where it was going and on and on and on...even if that dealer didn't deal in bullion! I have better things to do than wait behind people like that.
Guy

 

Topcat, it will depend on how busy the dealer is. However, if you are discussing a specific coin or coins to purchase, you should be able to ask all the questions you have before you spend your money so you don't regret your purchase. But as mentioned in my list, it is best to come prepared so you don't unnecessarily waste your and the dealer's time. That being said, if I had to narrow down a time frame, perhaps 15 minutes should be sufficient to spend discussing a particular coin.

I have had customers come back 2, 3, and even 4 times to look at a specific coin. I don't mind showing a customer a coin multiple times, but after 3 times it does get tedious. At that point, I advise the customer that they will probably regret not buying that coin if they already came back 4 times to visit it!

BRandM, I sometimes have to ask my customers to move their material so as not to cover my coins, and they usually don't mind. As far as standing, when I'm showing one or two coins, I don't mind handing them to someone who is standing. However, I am more comfortable having customers at my table sit down if they are viewing several coins at one time. That way I can keep better track of my coins, because many times I have seen people get distracted when someone stops by to chat with them, or someone else wants to show them something and they unintentionally start to walk off while they have my coins in hand.

 

Great post.

 

Those are good points, but you missed a few,

If a dealer hands you a high value coin, dont toss it in the air and say call it.

Do not put coins in your mouth, this is important for infant numismatists to remember.

 

Thanks to everyone that added to this post! Great points!

 

Coleguy, I agree that it is difficult to deter some folks who like to chat, and I try to be polite to everyone who stops by my table. I usually learn a thing or two when talking to people who want to discuss something other than pennies, however, of course the main reason I attend the shows is to sell pennies, so when I notice someone who may want to see a coin, I try and find a polite way to deter overly chatty people and excuse myself to help other customers. But sometimes it is the customer who may need to be a little more assertive without being rude.

 

would it be wrong of a customer to "eavesdrop" to see if the conversation is about coins, and if the conversation is not, the customer says to you, "excuse me, may i see the 1897 snow-1 coin in your case?"

 

Great advice Charmy, though some of us need to have it beat into us with a stick......

 

In my opinion, not at all. I think that is perfectly acceptable and the best way to handle a situation as described above where a customer wants to see a coin but another person is engaged in chatty coin talk. It also gives the dealer an "out" to go back to helping customers who may actually want to see and possibly purchase a coin!

 

how long at the junk box?

 

Nice post. These are all good rules, indeed. And it was very nice meeting you at the Baltimore Whitman show [last April.]

For me, the newest pet-peeve is when a dealer verbally criticizes a particular variety on a collector's want list. Twice at shows, the same dealer did this when I asked him if he had any. Medium grades of these specimens start in the hundreds, as demand for them is relatively high, and I was prepared to acquire any he had to offer.

Anyways, at the first show I let the criticism roll off my back, and I still made a $600 purchase involving other specimens that he had on my list.

The second show, when I asked about the same variety, he again criticized them. This time, however, I chose to put back other types of specimens I had planned on purchasing from him, and walked away.

At the end of the day, it did work out for the best, Two other dealers had the same types/varieties that I was going to buy from him, plus more, and I ended up buying up all that they had.

 

In regard to this point

Don’t place food or beverages on top of the dealer’s case – put them on your lap or on the floor

I would suggest not bringing any food or, especially, beverage into the bourse area at all. If you are drinking something and put it in your lap it's in an unstable place, and if you put it on the floor, you or someone else might kick it over.

 

If you have a history with a dealer, you get better treatment. I've had 'em stop talking to other customers and ask to help me. Rude? Maybe.Business is business. Time is money. I'm a collector interested in coins.

 

Nice work Penny Lady. Well said. As a collector I can't stand it when folks camp out and cover showcases with stuff. Most dealers try to be super nice and say nothing to upset a customer but they should at times. There have been a few times I wanted to just ask the person if I could look under all the stuff they had on the case. That might be rude and I never did it but I sure wanted to. It must be tough as a dealer to hold back telling folks how they should be acting at a show.

 

Overall who is ruder, dealers or customers?