A Sad Tale Of Early Holiday Silver

[Greastart]

An older customer was in and paid cash for her purchase. As she counted out her cash and handed it to me I couldn't help but notice she was handing me a couple of dateless buffs and that she had at least 4 more in her hand. She asked me if I minded her getting rid of the extra weight in her change purse. Stunned, I assured her I would gladly accept however many of those old nickels she wanted to get rid of. Additionally, I let her know that I'm fond of old or unusual foreign coins.

This is where it turns sad.

She said she had attended the jeweler's event the previous week and had gotten rid of ALL of her deceased husband's old coins. I couldn't help asking what she parted with. "Some old silver dollars, some newer Ikes, and various others. They even gave me $5.00 each for the older silver dollars...." "all the others like the dimes and quarters they gave me double what they were." (2 times face!!) PEA that's one bang head for each multiple of face value....just for you!

It took all I had to keep my trap shut!

Happy Holidays!

Grease

 

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[smokeythecat]

Several summers ago, I went to my credit union and casually asked while making a payment on the credit card, if they had any halves. They gave me this screwball look and said yes they just got some come on inside. They pulled out $70 in rolls (from what I remember), it's posted here somewhere) and the one tell was "playing" with some steel cents, I bought everything. They said an elderly lady had just come in a deposited them as her husband had died. They had actually suggested to her to go to a coin dealer and sell them there, but she didn't want to bother. So she knew better and still just deposited them. Most of the halves were Walkers with some Franklins and Kennedys thrown in. I came back the next day thinking she had cashed in dimes and quarters. She had but they had already sent them to the fed. It happens.

 

[mark1982]

That sucks. Three years ago I made a thread about a coin machine I was at the filled up after I dumped maybe $50 worth of halves in. It was a $500 bag I believe and when the teller pulled the bag it was completely full of silver and from what I saw all 90%. I was moving the bag around that was sitting on the cart and I saw almost no clad at all. Couldn’t buy it couldn’t have it couldn’t break the tellers at all. It was terrible. Like Smokey said it happens.

 

[Dozer D]

I just hate when some people SCAM the elderly especially.

 

[A2coins]

These people have no conscious and it will come back to them

 

[ArkieBassMan]

I just hate when some people SCAM the elderly especially.

I'll play devil's advocate. It was just this type of discussion I most enjoyed way back in the heyday of this forum, and I think I was more addicted to the forum than CRH itself.

"SCAM" is a little harsh. No one likes to see anyone, especially the elderly, taken advantage of, but the lady was in no way scammed unless she was given an improper assessment of the value of her coins. If she was merely given an offer that she accepted, then she just made a bad business decision. She certainly wasn't forced to sell. Was she low-balled? Absolutely. Cheated? Not in the least. For anyone that disagrees, just what is a "fair" price? Who gets to set this arbitrary number, and why do they get to set it? If I go to a yard sale and see a 14K diamond ring marked $1 mixed in with a bunch of cheap costume jewelry, am I scamming the seller by purchasing it? If I buy a roll of Mercury dimes for melt and find a 1916D mixed in there, do I have to return it or send more money? If I go to several WalMart stores and buy 150 "Monopoly for Millennials" board games for $20 a pop and sell them online for $60 each am I scamming both Walmart and the buyers of my board games?

Obviously the world isn't black and white. Its an - often ugly - shade of grey. To me, all the examples above are pretty much the same. Its sad for the elderly woman, but she likely wasn't scammed.

 

[Greastart]

I'll play devil's advocate. It was just this type of discussion I most enjoyed way back in the heyday of this forum, and I think I was more addicted to the forum than CRH itself.

"SCAM" is a little harsh. No one likes to see anyone, especially the elderly, taken advantage of, but the lady was in no way scammed unless she was given an improper assessment of the value of her coins. If she was merely given an offer that she accepted, then she just made a bad business decision. She certainly wasn't forced to sell. Was she low-balled? Absolutely. Cheated? Not in the least. For anyone that disagrees, just what is a "fair" price? Who gets to set this arbitrary number, and why do they get to set it? If I go to a yard sale and see a 14K diamond ring marked $1 mixed in with a bunch of cheap costume jewelry, am I scamming the seller by purchasing it? If I buy a roll of Mercury dimes for melt and find a 1916D mixed in there, do I have to return it or send more money? If I go to several WalMart stores and buy 150 "Monopoly for Millennials" board games for $20 a pop and sell them online for $60 each am I scamming both Walmart and the buyers of my board games?

Obviously the world isn't black and white. Its an - often ugly - shade of grey. To me, all the examples above are pretty much the same. Its sad for the elderly woman, but she likely wasn't scammed.

Truth be told, I have to agree. Nobody forced her to sell them at the event.

 

[cyberdan]

I just hate when some people SCAM the elderly especially.

That is why I am selling off my hoard now. I have informed my wife and daughter to stay away from coin shops and banks but you never know.

 

[cyberdan]

If I go to a yard sale and see a 14K diamond ring marked $1 mixed in with a bunch of cheap costume jewelry, am I scamming the seller by purchasing it?.

No not at all. I was at a yard sale and mixed in with a bunch of junk jewelry I saw a ring that looked interesting so I held it up and asked how much. The owner said one dollar, I said OK and paid. When I got back to my car I pulled out my loupe and sure enough inside the band were the letters PT and it was a heavy man’s band. She was happy with her dollar and I was happy too.

 

[Dozer D]

Cyberdan: not being familiar with jewelry, what does the PT stand for?

 

[PetesPockets55]

Cyberdan: not being familiar with jewelry, what does the PT stand for?

Platinum maybe?

 

[cyberdan]

Platinum maybe?

Yes, about $100 worth.