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Charmy's Nov 2011 BALTIMORE SHOW REPORT w/Lots of Pics!
ThePennyLady
Posts: 4,441 ✭✭✭✭✭
I just got home from Baltimore and am beat, but I've been trying to post my report for the last couple days, however, I kept getting distracted, then the power died on my computer, then it got to late, etc. Any way, here's my report - now I'm headed off for a good night's sleep!
I arrived in Baltimore Wednesday early evening, and went down to Little Italy for dinner. We went to Sabatino’s, had a nice bottle of wine, then stopped by Shula’s bar where we ran into several other dealers who had just arrived in town. We tried to order a round of Irish Car Bombs but they were out of Guinness – can you believe it! So I switched gears and had a very tasty Lemon Drop martini. I then called it a night since I’d been up since 4am to catch my 6:45 am flight, and I wanted to acclimate to the 3-hour time change.
Here’s a view of the city from my hotel room at the Sheraton about 3 blocks from the convention center….
The show opened to dealers at 8am on Thursday, and everyone was hustling and bustling to get set up before early birds and the public were let in.
And I’m all ready for business!
Here’s the bourse after the public was let in at noon. We had a steady stream of people throughout most of the day, so we were kept busy most of the day.
Mark Feld was one of the first people to stop by our table – I was even able to capture him when he wasn’t scowling!
AnkurJ also stopped by – it was great to finally meet him, he’s a very nice and friendly guy!
Larry/LittleBear also came by to give Todd some coins to photograph and chatted with us for a few minutes – what a really entertaining guy!
Todd arrived in Baltimore before I did so he went to the store to get some supplies like water, etc. He was kind enough to ask me if I wanted anything and, of course, I asked if he could pick up a bottle of wine. Since Todd doesn’t drink wine, he began listing off the different labels for red wine they had at RtetAid. He found some really funky labels, so I just asked him to get some Robert Mondavi since you can’t really go wrong with any of their wine. Well, he really surprised me by getting some Mondavi PLUS this “boutique” wine because he really liked the label.
And the cork….
The Moose wine wasn’t bad at all! He also picked up some absolutely wonderful eggnog that contained two different whiskys, rum, and bourbon. Now, as I mentioned, Todd doesn’t really drink alcohol but at the end of the day he did have a small cup of this delicious concoction - as did Mark Feld!
Several more forum members stopped by:
This is Jeff/Breakdown, one of the nicest and kindest people on the planet – and not to mention, of course, he’s a big fellow tom Petty fan!
Mike/Goldbully stopped by with his box of 25th anniversary sets on his way to the PCGS table.
Matt/BillyGoatsGruff who now works at Pinnacle, is always a pleasure to see, especially to watch he and Todd banter back and forth!
Jeff/Coppercolor wanted to stay under the radar so I just took a picture of his hand and the new coin he just bought from me!
Tom/BigMoose
Chris/HalfHunter
Mike/MFH and his newps!
Scott/MsMorrisine and his son Ethan – notice the boxes - he just returned from submitting his anniversary sets to PCGS!
Mike/NE Rarities - Another fellow wine lover!
Charles/Kaz
Here is the dedicated group of forum members who was responsible for the wonderful Seated Liberty display….
Darryl/ClassicSilver, Jerry/SeatedDime, Len/Coinasaurus, Stephen/Spetty [correctly spelled] (Speety’s Dad), John/Crypto74, Steve/Mr.HalfDime
I bought a circulated Indian cent in a SEGS holder, so I asked Gene Bruder who is just across the aisle from me if he would crack it out for me! Many of you probably know that SEGS holders are the toughest holders to liberate a coin from, but Gene did it quick lickity split!
This is just an interesting fan/windmill sculpture in front of the convention center that spins…
Behind the windmill was this guy singing and playing the drums using 5 gallon buckets – he was quite good!
After the show, a group of us met back up at Shula’s bar before dinner. I made a quick stop at the ladies’ room and when I got back to our table, there was a woman sitting at our table chatting with Rick. I assumed she was in the coin industry but after she introduced herself she said she was alone at the bar, noticed Rick also sitting alone, and decided to “pick him up”! Actually, she was there for a health care convention, and her friend had other plans so she didn’t want to be in the bar by herself (which I completely understand). She was a delight and ended up joining us for the whole evening!
After Shula’s, we all piled into one of the other dealer’s van who had driven to the show, but there were only seats for 4 and we now had 5 people, so of course, the new girl had to sit on someone’s lap!
After Shula’s we headed to L.P. Steamers for dinner – wow! If you like seafood, this is the place to go! But don’t wear your best shirt, and be sure to use the bib they provide – also, you’ll need plenty of wipes when you’re through!
This is what the table looked like when we were through – I’d hate to be the one who has to clean up this mess!
And they gave us this handy tool to thwack open the crab legs, but I think it would also be very handy to have at the shows to keep Todd in line – I call it a “Todd Behavior Correctional Device”!
Since we had such a great time last time we were in Baltimore, after dinner, we went back to Howl at the Moon down at the Power Plant district. A few other dealers also joined us there. As it was the last time we were there, it was a blast!!!
Me and my new BFF Pam (or should I say Rick’s new BFF!)
Some of the dealers in our group
Out table is not far from PCGS and NGC, and they both seemed to be quite busy with people submitting their ASE 25th Anniversary sets . PCGS eve had a long line in front of their table when I stopped by.
Although this photo does show it very well (I happened by right after a few people finished but NGC was quite backed up to!
Again, this picture doesn’t show how crowded Stack’s Bowers’ table was at the beginning of the show during the auctions.
The show was even busier on Friday than Thursday. This is a plastic palm tree that one of the dealers had at his booth not far from ours.
We were pretty low key on Friday night - we went to La Travola restaurant in Little Italy for some tasty garlic-filled dining, along with a great bottle of wine.
Here is the long line of people waiting to get in the show on Saturday morning!
There are bottles of wine on display at the restaurant – I forgot to take a photo of the one we drank
Ron Sirna (ANA Legal Counsel) stopped by and showed me this cool German medal he found that depicts some cute bunnies. Apparently, it was a medal that was awarded to someone for “outstanding bunny raising”!
I even managed to find a couple new pretty coins for my own collection…
I also picked up this batch of Conder tokens from NGC – I was quite pleased with the grades I received (I’ll post Todd’s photos of these beauties when I get them). I also bought a few more and dropped them off for grading.
And here is a bunch of newps I bought at the show ….
There was lots of public in attendance the whole time, and as usual, there were peaks and valleys, but overall, it was a successful show for me - and I know it was one of Todd’s best shows too. He barely sat down! Based on some of the coins I sold, it seems that some of the higher end collector coins are increasing in demand: 1912 MPL PCGS MS64, 1922 No D PCGS AU55, 1955/55 PCGS MS62 BN, and several other better date Indian and Lincoln cents. If this show is any indication, the coin market is definitely alive and doing well!
Now I’m going to put coins on the back burner for a few days while I head to Glamis with my hubby to do some offroading, relaxing, eating, drinking and enjoying time with our friends. Hope to see some of you at the Houston Money Show in a couple weeks!
I arrived in Baltimore Wednesday early evening, and went down to Little Italy for dinner. We went to Sabatino’s, had a nice bottle of wine, then stopped by Shula’s bar where we ran into several other dealers who had just arrived in town. We tried to order a round of Irish Car Bombs but they were out of Guinness – can you believe it! So I switched gears and had a very tasty Lemon Drop martini. I then called it a night since I’d been up since 4am to catch my 6:45 am flight, and I wanted to acclimate to the 3-hour time change.
Here’s a view of the city from my hotel room at the Sheraton about 3 blocks from the convention center….
The show opened to dealers at 8am on Thursday, and everyone was hustling and bustling to get set up before early birds and the public were let in.
And I’m all ready for business!
Here’s the bourse after the public was let in at noon. We had a steady stream of people throughout most of the day, so we were kept busy most of the day.
Mark Feld was one of the first people to stop by our table – I was even able to capture him when he wasn’t scowling!
AnkurJ also stopped by – it was great to finally meet him, he’s a very nice and friendly guy!
Larry/LittleBear also came by to give Todd some coins to photograph and chatted with us for a few minutes – what a really entertaining guy!
Todd arrived in Baltimore before I did so he went to the store to get some supplies like water, etc. He was kind enough to ask me if I wanted anything and, of course, I asked if he could pick up a bottle of wine. Since Todd doesn’t drink wine, he began listing off the different labels for red wine they had at RtetAid. He found some really funky labels, so I just asked him to get some Robert Mondavi since you can’t really go wrong with any of their wine. Well, he really surprised me by getting some Mondavi PLUS this “boutique” wine because he really liked the label.
And the cork….
The Moose wine wasn’t bad at all! He also picked up some absolutely wonderful eggnog that contained two different whiskys, rum, and bourbon. Now, as I mentioned, Todd doesn’t really drink alcohol but at the end of the day he did have a small cup of this delicious concoction - as did Mark Feld!
Several more forum members stopped by:
This is Jeff/Breakdown, one of the nicest and kindest people on the planet – and not to mention, of course, he’s a big fellow tom Petty fan!
Mike/Goldbully stopped by with his box of 25th anniversary sets on his way to the PCGS table.
Matt/BillyGoatsGruff who now works at Pinnacle, is always a pleasure to see, especially to watch he and Todd banter back and forth!
Jeff/Coppercolor wanted to stay under the radar so I just took a picture of his hand and the new coin he just bought from me!
Tom/BigMoose
Chris/HalfHunter
Mike/MFH and his newps!
Scott/MsMorrisine and his son Ethan – notice the boxes - he just returned from submitting his anniversary sets to PCGS!
Mike/NE Rarities - Another fellow wine lover!
Charles/Kaz
Here is the dedicated group of forum members who was responsible for the wonderful Seated Liberty display….
Darryl/ClassicSilver, Jerry/SeatedDime, Len/Coinasaurus, Stephen/Spetty [correctly spelled] (Speety’s Dad), John/Crypto74, Steve/Mr.HalfDime
I bought a circulated Indian cent in a SEGS holder, so I asked Gene Bruder who is just across the aisle from me if he would crack it out for me! Many of you probably know that SEGS holders are the toughest holders to liberate a coin from, but Gene did it quick lickity split!
This is just an interesting fan/windmill sculpture in front of the convention center that spins…
Behind the windmill was this guy singing and playing the drums using 5 gallon buckets – he was quite good!
After the show, a group of us met back up at Shula’s bar before dinner. I made a quick stop at the ladies’ room and when I got back to our table, there was a woman sitting at our table chatting with Rick. I assumed she was in the coin industry but after she introduced herself she said she was alone at the bar, noticed Rick also sitting alone, and decided to “pick him up”! Actually, she was there for a health care convention, and her friend had other plans so she didn’t want to be in the bar by herself (which I completely understand). She was a delight and ended up joining us for the whole evening!
After Shula’s, we all piled into one of the other dealer’s van who had driven to the show, but there were only seats for 4 and we now had 5 people, so of course, the new girl had to sit on someone’s lap!
After Shula’s we headed to L.P. Steamers for dinner – wow! If you like seafood, this is the place to go! But don’t wear your best shirt, and be sure to use the bib they provide – also, you’ll need plenty of wipes when you’re through!
This is what the table looked like when we were through – I’d hate to be the one who has to clean up this mess!
And they gave us this handy tool to thwack open the crab legs, but I think it would also be very handy to have at the shows to keep Todd in line – I call it a “Todd Behavior Correctional Device”!
Since we had such a great time last time we were in Baltimore, after dinner, we went back to Howl at the Moon down at the Power Plant district. A few other dealers also joined us there. As it was the last time we were there, it was a blast!!!
Me and my new BFF Pam (or should I say Rick’s new BFF!)
Some of the dealers in our group
Out table is not far from PCGS and NGC, and they both seemed to be quite busy with people submitting their ASE 25th Anniversary sets . PCGS eve had a long line in front of their table when I stopped by.
Although this photo does show it very well (I happened by right after a few people finished but NGC was quite backed up to!
Again, this picture doesn’t show how crowded Stack’s Bowers’ table was at the beginning of the show during the auctions.
The show was even busier on Friday than Thursday. This is a plastic palm tree that one of the dealers had at his booth not far from ours.
We were pretty low key on Friday night - we went to La Travola restaurant in Little Italy for some tasty garlic-filled dining, along with a great bottle of wine.
Here is the long line of people waiting to get in the show on Saturday morning!
There are bottles of wine on display at the restaurant – I forgot to take a photo of the one we drank
Ron Sirna (ANA Legal Counsel) stopped by and showed me this cool German medal he found that depicts some cute bunnies. Apparently, it was a medal that was awarded to someone for “outstanding bunny raising”!
I even managed to find a couple new pretty coins for my own collection…
I also picked up this batch of Conder tokens from NGC – I was quite pleased with the grades I received (I’ll post Todd’s photos of these beauties when I get them). I also bought a few more and dropped them off for grading.
And here is a bunch of newps I bought at the show ….
There was lots of public in attendance the whole time, and as usual, there were peaks and valleys, but overall, it was a successful show for me - and I know it was one of Todd’s best shows too. He barely sat down! Based on some of the coins I sold, it seems that some of the higher end collector coins are increasing in demand: 1912 MPL PCGS MS64, 1922 No D PCGS AU55, 1955/55 PCGS MS62 BN, and several other better date Indian and Lincoln cents. If this show is any indication, the coin market is definitely alive and doing well!
Now I’m going to put coins on the back burner for a few days while I head to Glamis with my hubby to do some offroading, relaxing, eating, drinking and enjoying time with our friends. Hope to see some of you at the Houston Money Show in a couple weeks!
Charmy HarkerThe Penny Lady®
0
Comments
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
- Jim
AB
Another outstanding report, Charmy. You are the greatest!
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Coinfame,Kaelasdad,Type2,UNLVino,MICHAELDIXON
Justacommeman,tydye,78saen,123cents,blue62vette,Segoja,Nibanny
On a side note, I cant believe I missed so many board members!
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Again, thank you for your time and sharing your trip.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Would like to get my 25th sets graded. I would have hung out with guy playin the joint compound buckets.
Bet he has some good stories to tell. Thanks for the report.
The Todd behavior correctional device looks like it had to be used a few times seeing the cracks on it
Fly-In Club
My PCGS Registry Sets
EAC 6024
Larry L.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
For all of us that can't attend the major shows, a huge thanks for all the pics.
Mike
Thanks again for the wonderful pictures. I was there three days and am sorry I didn't get a chance to reintroduce myself to you. During the show someone commented that the PCGS staff was kind of grumpy. I made three submissions there and the staff was extremely helpful. So I didn't understand the comment until I saw your picture of the Anniversary silver stacked up. I submitted real coins for gradiing, and they must have been going crazy with all the big boxed sets. Have a great Thanksgiving!
;-)
Discover all unpredictable errors before they occur.
So, the gal from the bar isn't sitting on Rick's lap in the van. Who's that dealer? (Cute.)
Anyway, I left out something I really wanted to put in my report. There was a Whitman employee who had been with them for 10 years (darn, now, I forgot his name - perhaps if someone knows his name they can post it for me) but he was killed right after he got home from working the Summer Baltimore show. Apparently, a gang drove by and opened fire at his house while he was taking the trash out, but they got the wrong house. There was a crack house on the same corner one street over, so this Whitman employee was just at the wrong place, wrong time. Several people were shot, but he was the only one who died. On Friday, his mom came to the show and spoke over the intercom to thank all the coin people who helped her with donations for the funeral, cards, phone calls showing their support, etc. She was very emotional and touched by how close-knit the coin community is, and how much they cared about what happened to her son. I just thought I would share this.
Pakasmom - Rick was in the front seat so he missed out! The guy Pam is sitting on is Alan of Coin Carolina. He is a nice guy, and not a bad dancer!
Wei - I paid $3 to post the Chargers comment on that board, so I don't think you can categorize it as graffiti since it was a "paid" ad!
Hotfootspin - though Gene is definitely adept with his hands, I don't think you'd want what he used to crack out that coin used on your teeth!
TomB - I hadn't even noticed you were in those background shots - but hopefully they are obscure enough that you can remain incognito! Too bad I don't know how to "blur" you in the photo.
coinut1799 - yes, PCGS and NGC were slammed! Since the PCGS and NGC tables were not far from us, we saw many people heading over there with their anniversary boxes so I'm sure turnaround time was slowed down due to the quantity of submissions at this show.
Littlebear - I'm glad you like my flyer, I was pleased with how it turned out - Todd did a great job on it. I will try and post a copy of it, but it's a pdf format and I don't know who to covert it so that Photobucket will recognize it.
https://thepennylady.com/
I think Alan Grossclose was the one having the fun with Pam.
It is always fun having new people join our group, otherwise we'll only talk coins. I think Pam had a blast too.
coinut1799, this PCGS rep was handling my submission in these photos, and could not have been any nicer
She was helpful and put up with me taking her pic.
She even stacked the coins for a better pic.
Too bad I suck at pic taking.
I too want to thank Charmy for her wonderful show report, as it brings the show to those who cannot attend.
Pretty PCGS rep. taking her job seriously.(she actually mentioned that to me)
-- Dennis
Good to meet you at the Seated Coin Fest. Always fun to see your show report.
spetty
The palm is actually made of steel!
<< <i>Love your reports, every time!
So, the gal from the bar isn't sitting on Rick's lap in the van. Who's that dealer? (Cute.) >>
That's Al Groseclose (hope I spelled his last name right). He's a dealer from Charlotte, NC.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Eric
<< <i>Nice pics! Always wondered what the "island" looked like with the palm tree! Heard the owner talk about it, took the thing apart and helped him load before the previous baltimore.
The palm is actually made of steel! >>
Shottaker, I don't remember seeing the palm tree before - so what is the significance to the "island"?
https://thepennylady.com/
He has always had his own island at that show with the other dealer so that is why they have a palm tree. They have there OWN ISLAND.