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Weekend and after-hours spot: why Saturday’s number is a little weirder
Futures sleep. Shops do not. Weekend bids use a reference plus caution. That is not a secret menu. It is a closed market.
Gold trades almost around the clock until it does not. Your Saturday shop still has a door.
When the main market is thin or closed, a shop uses a reference plus a cushion. Spreads get a little wider. That cushion is them not wanting to wake up Monday underwater.
Spreads in chaos. Why buy and sell differ. Call ahead on large sales.
What you can do
If the dollars are life-changing, come back when the market is open and the shop is staffed for it. If you need money today, pay the weekend tax and do not write a review about “they used a fake spot.”
Ask what reference they are on. Ask if the bid is good for an hour. Then decide. Walking away.
Part of the coin shop counter wiki · visitors & collectors · NumisQ Learn