The topic of coin show etiquette comes up every now and then. Collectors sometimes wonder what the best way is to approach and interact with dealers at a coin show. Every dealer is likely to vary in the way they do business with the public at a coin show. Here’s what I have to say on the subject broken down by the type of interaction.

How to Approach a Dealer – Pretty much common sense should prevail here. If a dealer is clearly doing business with someone else, don’t interrupt and expect to be bumped in front of the other person. Patiently wait a little while, or check back later, or perhaps just scribble a note asking the dealer to call you when he or she is free and slide it over to them. Obviously include your name and number.

So, what about a dealer who is not interacting with another customer? As long as they see you there, they will come over. If they don’t, move on to the next table; they don’t deserve your business. On occasion I might be behind the table by myself and have my nose buried in an auction catalog working on bids or figuring a deal at our back table. If I (or any other dealer) don’t seem to be noticing you, just give me an “Excuse me?” or anything else to get my attention (short of throwing one of the pens we give away at my head). We’re there to do business, so please don’t walk away without giving us a chance.

Selling a Coin – Here’s where I’m sure many dealers will diverge on their preferences. If you are looking to sell a coin, then you should know the price for which you’re willing to sell it. If someone offers me a coin, I will ask them how much it is. I’m not a big fan of the response “Well, I don’t really know.” How can I possibly buy the coin from you if you don’t know what you’ll sell it for? Bottom line…come prepared.

Now, of course I understand you want to maximize the sale price of your coin. I’d prefer you to be honest and just say you’re looking for offers. I will usually make an offer if it’s something I’m particularly interested in. If I’m not, I may very well just ask you to come back with a firm price once you’ve received what you feel are enough offers. I can then simply pass or play.

Negotiating a Deal – We come to the coin shows with every intention of selling as many coins as we can. If you see something in our case or one of our many boxes that are of interest to you, please ask us for a price. If it’s a coin we’ve had in our inventory for a little while, we are almost always willing to work with you on the price.

I routinely get asked: “What’s your best price?” It’s an understandable question and I am happy to respond with my best price. If that price is too high, you can simply pass on the piece. No hard feelings! If the price is acceptable to you, we should have a deal! What I (and many other dealers) find annoying is continuing to hammer me for a better price when I’ve already quoted it. Perhaps some dealers like this little game, but I certainly don’t. Ask my best price too many times and I may very well raise it over what I initially quoted you.

Don’t Walk Behind a Dealer’s Table Without Permission – Self-explanatory.

Don’t Transact Business at a Dealer’s Table Without Permission – You shouldn’t expect to be able to take up the front of a dealer’s table so that you can transact business with someone other than that dealer. I know this sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised at what some folks do at these shows. If someone just wants to quickly show you a coin, then ask the dealer if it’s okay to use their light for a moment. As long as I have a light not being used by someone else at that moment, then I’m always happy to oblige. But if it goes further than just looking at a coin, then you should find somewhere else to transact your business.

Kellogg & Company was one of the private minters that helped fill the need for coins in commerce in California when the United States Assay Office was being established. There are two designs that imitate the U.S. Liberty $20 gold coin. They have the date 1854 or 1855 and the legend SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA TWENTY D. appears around an eagle with outstretched wings and a shield on its breast. Sun rays with stars are above the eagle’s head. Kellogg & Company dissolved in 1854 but was reestablished as Kellogg & Humbert at which time a $50 gold coin was produced.

Not to be confused with Kellogg's cereal...

We are flying down today to Baltimore for the Whitman Coin Expo. We're doing a day of pre-show business tomorrow before the show starts on Thursday. If you plan on attending,  you'll find us at table 844. Hope to see you there!

The following text was found on an online coin forum. The medal that is imaged is ours.

On August 26, 1933 Senator Huey Long was attending a party at the exclusive Sands Point country club on Long Island, New York, which is not far from New York City. Huey got shall we say "loaded" and as a result had to perform a bodily function as is often necessary for those who overindulge. The story varies, but one version was that upon entering the men's room Huey found that every stall was taken. Somehow he ended up relieving himself on the pant leg and shoes of another gentlemen who was using the facility. That gentlemen responded by landing a well-placed roundhouse punch giving the Louisiana senator a shiner, aka a black eye.

The owner of Colliers Magazine was so pleased by this incident that he offered to raise funds to award Long's assailant a gold medal for his deed. A gold medal was stuck by the Medallic Art Company, which is well known among numismatists for their more distinguished products. I have read that a black tie affair was held at the American Numismatic Society headquarters on the night that the medal was unveiled. In addition to the gold medal a few silver and a larger number of bronze medals were produced. 

The Lafayette dollar was a silver coin issued as part of the United States participation in the Paris World's Fair of 1900. Depicting Lafayette with George Washington and designed by Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, it was the only U.S. silver dollar commemorative prior to 1983, and the first U.S. coin to depict American citizens.

The Lafayette dollar is interesting for several reasons. Some 50,000 pieces were prestruck in December 1899, using five different die pairs. As it was not legal to strike a coin in advance of the date shown on the dies, the Mint circumvented the question by stating that the coin really had no date (which brings up another question: was it legal to mint a coin without a date?). On the reverse of the Lafayette dollar appears the inscription PARIS 1900, which was not the date of the coin, according to Mint officials, but, rather, was the date at which a statue, also depicted on the reverse, was to be erected in Paris.

Another interesting thing about the Lafayette dollar is that only 36,000 were distributed. Most of the rest of the 50,000 mintage went to the melting pot, some of them not until the 1940s. Had collectors of the 1930s and early 1940s known that the Treasury Department had on hand thousands of Uncirculated Lafayette dollars there would have been a great rush to buy them, but no one was aware of this, and only after they were melted was the situation disclosed in a government report! What a numismatic shame.