The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 24, June 17, 2007, Article 34

AMUSING COIN DEALER ARTICLE

The News Democrat Journal of Missouri published a very readable
and sometimes amusing profile of David Siebert, a coin dealer in
rural Festus near St. Louis.

"Siebert said a lot of times people have coins and have no idea
what they are worth.

"'A lady called and said she had some coins that she didn't think were
worth much,' he said. 'I went over there and she had a huge conglomeration
of stuff with about six or seven gold coins, but every one of them had
a hole in it or was damaged. I ended up giving her $4,000 or $5,000
for them and when I went to leave she made me take the paper that was
in the boxes they were in. 'You bought the trash, too,' she told me.'

"Siebert said when he got home, he discovered a beautiful, rare 1857
Dahlonega coin in the wadded up paper worth about $4,300.

"'I went back down there and knocked on the door,' he said. 'I held
up the coin and said, 'This was in the trash and I need to pay you
for it.' She told me I had paid them enough money, but I told her
I was going to give her $3,700 for the coin.

"In addition to buying and selling coins, Siebert has even been
somewhat of a detective.

"'I got a call from a guy who had some coins stolen, and he gave
me a detailed description,' he said. 'He told me there was a scratch
on Miss Liberty from her head to her thumb--and other details like
that.'

"The next day he received a phone call from a man, who claimed to
be a Katrina survivor who wanted to sell him some coins. Siebert
agreed to meet the man in a public place.

"'When I looked at the coins, I noticed the same scratch and other
details on them the guy who had called me told me about,' he said.
'I told the man I would buy the coins from him, but that I needed
to go to my bank to get the money first. I told him he needed to
ride with me.

"'Instead of going to the bank, I drove him straight to the
police station."

[Loopy spelling: The caption of the photo shows Siebert viewing
a coin through a magnifying loupe, but spells it as "loop".
-Editor]

To read the complete article, see: Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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