I know that the hobby of coin collecting often attracts some of the world's strangest and socially retarded people... but this is no excuse to treat others poorly. I recently went to a coin store in Denver, CO, and the owner didn't acknowledge my presence for THIRTY minutes. I asked to see a coin, and he begrudgingly obliged. When I asked if the toning looked fake or not, he harshly responded, "I don't know... you're the one that's buying it... it's your call". I am keeping this blog G rated, so I will refrain from following up with my thoughts on this. (For the record... the toning was obviously fake, but I just wanted to see if I could trust him or not)
As a 'younger' coin collector, I am often looked at as if I'm about to steal everything in the store. I'm sure you other collectors between the ages of 15 and 45 have had similar experiences. I try to be tolerant of this, as I realize I'm a young buck in a sea of grey hair... but at a recent coin show, a snotty dealer crossed the line again. I asked if I could see his buffalo nickels. He condescendingly snipped back, "They're busy... you can wait if you want to".
DEALERS: PLEASE do not treat any of your customers like this. First off, you never know how much money someone has to spend. Secondly, young coin collectors are the future of this hobby and of YOUR business. Many of us invest our time and our hard earned money into this addicting hobby of coins. I am sure all of us would like there to be a market when circumstances dictate that we sell a portion or all of our collections. THANK YOU.
