November 2019 Baltimore Coin Show

EVillageProwler

My haul from the Whitman Coin Show in Baltimore, MD, USA, was slightly disappointing in that I was unable to buy much due to having to save for the upcoming holiday season as well as the big coin show in NYC in January.
I arrived on Thursday, the first day of the show, with two main objectives: two sell two coins, and to submit many coins for out-of-holder imaging and a few re-grades at the same time. One coin sold, and submissions done.
The booths for PCGS and NGC were near the US Mint booth, and the US Mint had a huge line of folks waiting to buy some new issue that is listed on eBay with a head-shaking premium. I don't get this at all. In the Bible, it is written that the love of money is the root of all evil. Word!

I also went to select dealers to view coins that I had already mentally noted as items of interest. All those items ended up on my MAYBE list due to funding constraints and needing to plan things well. I also found out that a really nice pair of Charles I Halfgroats were really too small for my tired eyes. The other coins I eyeballed for later consideration were a nice (but not as nice as the price suggests) Thrymsa, a nice William I penny and three Viking pennies.

Dinner was nice; we went to a place that served Blue Crabs, Snow Crabs and shrimp steamed with Chesapeake Bay seasoning. To anyone starting out in this hobby: while the focus is on coins and related material, a close second is the social engagement with others in this hobby and industry. The folks we meet, and the friendships we make, can really enrich both our collections as well as our lives.

Friday brought recognition that all of those Thursday lots were not for me, at least not for now. Back at the show, I hit up more dealers and found one eye-catching Naples Charles IV (Charles V, HRE) Half Ducato. It is untoned, and hard to image in the hotel room. For those unfamiliar with this type, it is normally very poorly struck. My coin is very flashy, with excellent portrait detail. A few folks asked me if this is a "mint state" (by US TPG standards) coin, to which I responded that it is probably a AU58 to MS62. It will stay raw for a while because it needs to rest on my window sill to look a bit more its age.

ITALY, Napoli (Regno). Carlo I di Spagna (Carlo V, Sacro Romano Impero). 1516-1554. AR Mezzo Ducato. Napoli (Naples) mint; Giovan Battista Ravaschieri, mintmaster. Struck 1548-1554. Laureate and cuirassed bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder; (IBR) to left / Crowned, double-headed eagle with coat-of-arms on breast. MIR 135.

I also bought an attractive Anglo-Saxon penny that I had been eying for a while but had considered too low grade for my collection. Seeing it in hand made me appreciate it more.

ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of All England. Æthelred II. 978-1016. AR Penny (19mm, 1.48 g, 9h). Helmet type (BMC viii, Hild. E). London mint; Æthelmær, moneyer. Struck circa 1003-1009. + ÆÐELRÆD REX Λ(NG)L, helmeted bust left / + ·ÆÐ EL·MÆ R M’Θ LV(ND), voided long cross with triple-crescent ends and pellet at center; in each quarter, trefoil on pile. SCBI 7 (Copenhagen), 683 (same dies); North 775; SCBC 1152. Good VF, one minor peck each side, flan a little wavy. Good style and attractive iridescent tone reminiscent of the Baldwin basement parcel.

Now I await my niece and her BF for a nice Italian dinner in town before going home in the morning.

Abuelo

Thanks for the review. I was there too, with very limited funds so bought nothing. But visited few dealers and saw nice coins. Maybe at NYC...

amwldcoin

As to your comment about the Mint releasing a new product. Seemed like a no brainer to me to spend 3 hours to make over $800.00! That couldda bought ya a nice coin!

EVillageProwler

@amwldcoin said:
As to your comment about the Mint releasing a new product. Seemed like a no brainer to me to spend 3 hours to make over $800.00! That couldda bought ya a nice coin!

That's great, if every person who lists on eBay sells.

Zohar

Great write-up EVP and well done with the newps. I miss these shows and its great to get these updates from you.

amwldcoin

LOL! I sold it at the show to onna the flippers for cash! 5 minutes cost me $300.00! Yes if I couldda got it to the dealer 5 minutes earlier he would've paid $1200! 5 minutes after I sold it a dealer walked up willing to pay $1400.00 because he needed 1 more for his submission! Do I agree with created rarities?(if they are?) NO! But I'm certainly not going to pass on an easy buck!

@EVillageProwler said:

@amwldcoin said:
As to your comment about the Mint releasing a new product. Seemed like a no brainer to me to spend 3 hours to make over $800.00! That couldda bought ya a nice coin!

That's great, if every person who lists on eBay sells.

EVillageProwler

@Zohar said:
Great write-up EVP and well done with the newps. I miss these shows and its great to get these updates from you.

Thanks Z. You can do the next action report in NYC.