There is no doubt that the internet has changed the World. For the coin trade it has created far reaching transparency. Nowadays every collector can easily take part in auctions around the world and note realised prices. Thus an equal marketspace has been created and the dealer has become superfluous. Or hasn’t he?
Lets take a closer look at a few aspects.
- An auction is always cheaper than a dealer.
Not all auctions are cheap and you can also pay too much at an auction. A dealer has a good understanding of this and has on top of that often acces to other sources as a result of which he can make collectors interesting offers.
- The service of an auctionhouse is the same as that of a dealer.
An auctionhouse organises an auction a few times a year and publishes a catalogue a couple of weeks in advance. Sometimes it has a stock with unsold coins for sale. A good dealer on the other hand keeps you informed of marketdevelopments all year round, does research for you, knows your fields of interest and adapts his communication to you accordingly. Thus a good dealer contributes actively to your collection.
There are of course many other advantages a coindealer can offer to a collector, on which more another time, but a good relationship with a coindealer certainly has an added value for a collector and can bring him or her a lot of advantage.