Recent Denver Coin Expo report (somewhat belated)
dcarr
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I had a table at the recent Denver Coin Expo, as I usually do twice a year. This is a medium-sized show.
This time around I did not have a lot of new products to offer, but there were some. I also brought some cheaper "junk bin" items that were not products of mine, such as a bunch of cheap 25-cent to 50-cent foreign coins in 2x2s and a little bit of collectible currency, for examples.
The first two days of the public show (Thursday and Friday) were a little slower than past shows. The wet weather possibly affected the attendance a little bit. The last day of the show (Saturday) is usually a little slower than the other two days. But this time Saturday was more active than I expected.
Overall, I was surprised that I sold a fair amount of junk-bin type stuff (more than I expected).
I didn't get much chance to look around at other offerings. But I was able to buy a few things.
A friend sold me these two General Motors 25th anniversary (Century of Progress) art deco medals by Geddes. The largest size I already had and is fairly scarce, but these two smaller ones (38mm and 28mm) are actually harder to find than the big one:
That same friend also sold me his collection of Moreschini Mint items. Dr. Moreschini was a dentist in Pueblo Colorado and he operated a small private mint on the side (circa 1976), using his hand-engraved dies. The highlight of the collection is this 10-gram 999 gold medal for the Colorado Centennial and the US Bicentennial (I think this is the only type of gold piece that he made):
But my favorite thing I bought is this 37.5mm WW1 "Mizpah" piece which is constructed like an opium Trade Dollar. The inside has a metal retaining ring holding down a clear window and a fabric backing. Obviously it was made to carry a small photo or the like:
That is all.
Comments
Some great buys. Thanks for sharing.
I had a table at the recent Denver Coin Expo, as I usually do twice a year.
The Denver Expo now has a show twice a year? When will the next one be, if I may ask?
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
I would try my best to attend the next Denver show unless the Mint decides to show off the ten LANGBORD 1933 double eagles they got to keep. In that event, I wouldn't go even if I lived next door to the building they have the show in.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
Thanks for your show report @dcarr.
Nice acquisitions... I like that gold Colorado medal... dual celebration....Cheers, RickO
I've never seen the "GM MEN'S CLUB" medal before. I still learn new things on this board almost every day!
Love the MIZPAH piece! Never saw it before.
I worked in coin shops in Chicago for over 25 years, where I saw a lot of Century of Progress stuff, but I never saw that "Men's Club" piece.
TD
Thanks for the report.
Great pieces and info Dan. Glad to hear sales went well.
I'm a big fan of the art deco and automobile tokens so it's great to see the GM collection.
This is the first I've heard of Dr. Moreschini and his mint but that looks like a great piece. I did some quick searches and found the following, including that he was based in Texas.
There was a talk on the November 9th meeting of the Colorado Springs Numismatic Society (CSNS) by Terry Cr:
http://cscc.anaclubs.org/csns_newsletters/2014_11_csns_newsletter.pdf
A pair of silver and gold-plated silver medals were auctioned by Collectors' Auctions, Ltd. (CAL) at the Greater New York Coin Convention on Sept 7-8, 1990. Robert J. Myers was the auctioneer:
Issued by Moreschini Mint (Texas dentist). Scarce! Unc. 2 pieces. Each 16.8 grams $45-60
The WW1 "Mizpah" looks great. It brings some sense of what it was like to be deployed and on the front lines. I wonder if it made it out to a theater and back. Love that it works and the condition of Uncle Sam's side.
Thanks for posting!
Thanks for the report, Dan. The Denver show is one that I frequently attend living in Colorado, but had to miss this one due to an extended business trip. I always come away with something and thank you for sharing your very cool NEWPs.
OINK
I'm not sure why a "Texas" reference was stated - that is not correct. Moreschini was definitely based in Pueblo Colorado and never in Texas.
The Langbord coins were shown by the US Mint at the 2006 Denver ANA show. I thought it a bit crass that they would parade the coins around as the proud new "owners" of them.
The ANA show comes to Denver about once every 10 years (2006 and 2016 are the two most recent).
The Denver Coin Expo is not directly connected to the ANA. As I stated, it is a medium-sized show and there is no US Mint presence. PCGS and NGC do not attend either. ANACS has a table due to the show being local to them. The Next Denver Coin Expo is scheduled for 26-28 September 2019.
The Next Denver Coin Expo is scheduled for 26-28 September 2019.
Thank you for this information.2006 is the year I left Denver after having lived there for over 30 years.
I was in attendance at the 1996 ANA show in Denver.Still have the ANA souvenir penny dated 1996 in a plastic flip holder. It's as bright as the day they gave it to me.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
Great report