Charmy's 2022 FUN COIN SHOW REPORT w/tons of Pics!
ThePennyLady
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Sorry this is a bit late, it's been a very busy week trying to dig out since I returned from the FUN show. IT was a really great show, and I was very busy with both sales and purchases. I worked hard trying to find coins for my customers as well as to fill holes in my inventory. The market is still quite strong, especially the penny market which remains very popular. Nice quality better dates have been harder and harder to find and are getting very strong prices. In some cases, I've been having to pay over the PCGS guide prices just to acquire quality key and semi-key dates. In any event, it was a very active show and from all accounts, very successful!
As with every FUN show I've attended, I was very excited to be once again participating in this show as it's always the best show of the year!
I left beautiful sunny Orange County for Orlando on Sunday since I had some pre-show business to take care of. For those of you who are interested in the aerial photos, planes take off from the John Wayne airport and fly up very fast to help with noise abatement, then they level off and (depending on winds) usually head west over the ocean before they turn around and head back east (or north or south), again to minimize noise over very expensive houses. There's also a curfew so no planes can take off or land before 7am or after 11pm.
I flew over the Rockies, and changed planes in Dallas - they still had their Christmas decorations up at the airport. I was very pleased that I had no flight delays or cancellations and my trip was smooth sailing!
Then it was on to warm 80 degree Orlando, even at 8:30pm when I landed! I stayed at the Hilton which was connected to the convention center and was supposedly the closest hotel to the North Concourse. The hotel was beautiful and not very busy when I arrived.
So Monday morning I took my bags across the connecting walkway to the convention center. It was a gorgeous day!
When I entered the convention center, I was told the North Concourse was on the complete opposite side from where the walkway connected to the convention center and that you had to go down the elevator, outside and walk all the way around the entire convention center (there was no way to get to the North Concourse through the convention center). Boy, I wasn't expected to have to drag those bags that far - I'm guessing it was about a mile all together - but I did and was so glad when I finally arrived at the security room and could stow those heavy bags! Had I known how far it was, I definitely would have taken an Uber! Now I was free to do my business, go out to dinner, etc., without worrying about my bags. I also spent some time on Tuesday at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa since I basically had that day all to myself.
Set up for the dealers was Wednesday at 2pm so I again walked the mile or so over the convention center, but this time I didn't have to lug my heavy bags with me. I checked in at registration, got my bags and waited along with a throng of other dealers for the doors to open!
Before many dealers arrived!
It didn't take long for all the dealers to crowd around the escalators and the elevators!
Set up was quick for me, then I wondered around the bourse floor to start buying coins. It was great to see many folks I hadn't seen in two years! I found quite a few Pretty Pennies to fill in gaps in my inventory, as well as some for my customers. These are all the coins I bought throughout the show!
I brought a nice bottle of my favorite Rombauer which I had up in my room, as well as two wonderful bottles of Del Dotto - a Sangiovese and a Cab - that I shared throughout the show. The Del Dotto was amazing, and me and my customers and dealer friends really enjoyed both bottles!
That night a group of us went to Maggiano's for dinner and enjoyed some more scrumptious wine! Maggiano's is right across from the Crooked House tourist attraction.
Ron Mirr, Greg Allan, Me, Neil Ulrich
The show opened to the public on Thursday morning at 10 am, so I arrived early to take some photos and also to process the coins that I had purchased the day before.
Me and by buddy Abe!
Not long after the show opened, a loud buzz filled the room - it was really great to hear that buzz because it meant there was a lot of business going on!
I soon became very busy, and forgot to take photos of some of the folks who stopped by. However, I did get these two:
Phil/Habaraca
Gabriel Green/Quality Rare Coins
This is Stewart Bley's amazing collection!
PCGS was set up right across from Stewart's booth - they had a "lounge" set up so customers could fill out their forms without taking away from others who were all ready with their submissions.
The day seemed to just fly by, but of course I did manage to have some of my Del Dotto wine, and shared it with a couple of folks who stopped by. Then it was time to head out to dinner. This time we went over to Delmonico's with my good friends Karl and Joanne Stephens and Al Boulanger (foreign coin dealers).
We started off with a really nice Cakebread Chardonnay, then had a tasty bottle of Prisoner Cab that went well with my scrumptious Marsala steak and pasta! Delmonico's was very popular among the dealers as there were a few other tables filled with dealers from the show. And I can see why it was popular, the food was delicious and so was the wine!
The restaurant had some great cartoon drawings on all the walls 
Friday morning I again arrived early so I could take some more photos around the bourse and get some more work done before the public was let in.
The PCGS table (that's Tom Reynolds submitting coins)
David Lange and the NGC folks
ANACS folks
Tony at Northern Nevada Coins
Wizard had a huge area full of supplies in the back of the room!
There were a lot of great exhibits this year - here are some that I found interesting:
This is a plaque showing the past People's Choice winners (you'll note lil' ol' me is on the list under 2014!)
David Lawrence Rare Coins had an amazing display of coins from the D.L. Hansen collection
When 10am rolled around, there was once again quite a crowd of folks who streamed in!
Once again, the bourse floor became very active very quickly!
Steve Feiertag/Winesteven stopped by to say hi
Me and my copper weenie bff Greg Hannigan/Coin Cube Trading
Greg and his beautiful wife Cecelia
Greg also brought over a great bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle cab from the Washington area - Greg is such a generous sweetheart!
Speaking of sweethearts - here's one of the BIGGEST sweethearts in the world - Dino Koromvokis
And this is one of the hardest working women in numismatics - Mary Lynn Garrett
My foreign coin dealer friend Al Boulanger brought over a nice bottle of 2014 Syrah to share with me
It happened to be my friend Karl Stephens' birthday so his boothmates got him a cake and champagne to celebrate!
That night a bunch of folks from Coin Cube Trading got together at Spencer's Steakhouse for dinner - left front going back and back RT to the front: Cecelia Hannigan RC, Greg Hannigan RC, Mark Borckardt, Pierre Fricke, David Huang's friend Eric Lindholm, David Huang, Joyce Fricke, Dino Koromvokis, me, Isaiah Hageman. 
I splurged and had this very yummy steak and lobster tail, though I could only eat not even half of it.
And I shared this tasty dessert with Dino
Suddenly, it was Saturday, my last day! I had an 8am meeting so I had to pack up and get to the convention center early. After the meeting, I "manned" my table and worked on a few things before the public was let in. I was surprised by how many people were at the show, and there seemed to be more families than usual which was great! I ended up doing quite a bit of business, but soon it was time to pack up and head to the airport. I was entertained by a beautiful sunset as we headed out of Orlando!
I was very tired but very happy to be headed home after a long busy week!
As always, I was very glad to be home with my hubby and my chubby Penny!
That's about it - next up - the San Jose Coin Show, the Long Beach Show, and the Vegas Show!
Comments
Great report as always.
Looks like a good time. Some of those displays must be amazing.
Jb-rarities.com
IG: jb_rarities
I really enjoy your show reports.
I do get caught in between the coins you purchase, display and the wines.
I salivate on each picture.
It is nice to see the faces that go with the names that I communicate with on this forum.
Again, thanks and I await your next show report.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
Who on the boards could that be?
Great report, even if the only photo showing an airplane is of an Airbus 😉
As always, a very nice show report.
Thanks for taking the time.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
Nice show report. Good to see all the people coming out for the show. Getting hungry from all the pictures of the delicious looking food...
Great report thanks.
Great report as usual, thanks for taking the time to post it. Looks like things are starting to get back to normal. Sorry I was unable to attend again this year.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
Very nice report. I appreciate the work you put into them.
MY GOLD TYPE SET https://pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/complete-type-sets/gold-type-set-12-piece-circulation-strikes-1839-1933/publishedset/321940
Been waiting patiently for this. FANTASTIC!
Dave
The previous show report had a mention of some possibilities were passed because of the prices.
Did you have any passes this convention?
I don't understand what you mean?
The Penny Lady®
I remember (correctly?) you mentioned passing on some coins because of the ask price.
I was wondering if there were still strong asking prices at FUN.
Or maybe I’m remembering wrong
Thanks for your great report.
You have excellent wine taste. Del Dotto rocks.
There are always coins I pass on, for various reasons, including pricing. But that is nothing new. What is new is that I paid stronger than I usually do for some sweet coins at this show because they were not only scarce but really nice.
The Penny Lady®
Ah. Some bad memory and misinterpretation
Here is what I was thinking of from the Whitman show:
It sounds like the market is moving, on many levels
Great report as always! Thanks for posting Charmy
TBD
Thank you for a great report as always!
Much appreciated!!
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Very nice report.
Thanks for taking the time to give us another great show report. It sounds like you had a great show. It's funny that you said that you left sunny Orange County for Orlando which is in Orange County, Florida.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I always enjoy seeing the floor and "meeting" the folks you spend time with...
So now I'm curious, all the wine you've ever described has been delicious... Have you ever had any bad wine?
I'm not a huge wine aficionado but I've tried some wines I'd just as soon spit out than drink.
I guess I'm just waiting for the first show report that says this bottle of wine sucked....
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
@ThePennyLady .... Thank you for another marvelous show report Charmy.... Great pictures of the show, people, coins, food and - especially, some lovely Cabernet's.... Even with the many cancellations, the show was well attended by both dealers and public. Thanks again, Cheers, RickO
Another much appreciated report and photos. That lobster and steak looked like a well deserved reward for all the effort that went into flying across country for FUN.
Great report Charmy!
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say Hi, but your table was swamped with customers when I stopped by and I didn’t want to interrupt business.
And what a crew of copper gods (and goddesses) at Spencers! Mark Borckardt is probably one of the most knowledgeable folks on eac today, and was an early mentor of mine before Bowers/merena snatched him up ~1990 and he moved away.
Thanks for another awesome report. Glad you had a good show.
I also intended to say hello but you were busy whenever I was in your neighborhood.
We were at the same hotel and indeed it was a bit of a hike to get to the bourse.
Fortunately the weather was spectacular.
-Mark
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
Great pictures and report!
Thanks for the great report, as always!
steak and lobster, now im hungry. nice report charmy wtg
Great report. Good to meet you.
Thanks for not hurting my feelings about my NGC Indian head penny
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
I always enjoy seeing your Coin Show reports, thanks for taking the time to share!
It's all about what the people want...
Thanks for taking the time to compile your show report
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Great report! I've especially wanted to see this report as I've lately gotten into Indian Head Cents.
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Dipping your toes into IHC….nice!
I guess you won’t be needing that 1908 Saint with motto anymore then. 🤪
MY GOLD TYPE SET https://pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/complete-type-sets/gold-type-set-12-piece-circulation-strikes-1839-1933/publishedset/321940
Great report as always. Glad to hear Lincolns are hot again.
Not to hijack your thread, but your friend Karl could be the twin brother of actor Bill Macy..
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/2819
Great read, thanks for posting!
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
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I'm considering doing the whole set.
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Nice report, thanks for posting it! It was great to see you at the show!
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Awesome! More of a travel blog than just a coin show report. I always feel like I take a little vacation after reading your reports. A couple of non-coin comments - the Caymus and Prisoner are two of our favorite reds! Yum. And I used to fly in and out of Orange County airport every week. I always loved those takeoffs. As close to an aircraft carrier launch as I'll ever get.
Thanks for taking the time to post the great adventure.
Tim
Thanks Charmy, nice report and great pictures
Many successful BST transactions with dozens of board members, references on request.
Great report...thanks for taking time to post! Good choices of wines too...
K
Thanks.
The average age seems to still be going down but not many 20 or 30 somethings.
Maybe it's harder for younger workers to break away right now.
Not to go off topic, but just to address your question. While paying more for a bottle of wine does not guarantee it will be high quality, in my opinion it minimizes risk. Combined with the fact that the wines I’ve seen over the years in Charmy’s photos tend to be from top producers of those varietals. That too minimizes risk. Finally, the knowledge and technology of winemakers today is much better than years ago. So while each of us will like some of those wines better than other wines (and the specific vintage for the area the grapes were grown matters quite a bit too), nowadays it’s not too often with those parameters to come across a wine that doesn’t taste good.
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Sorry about the off topic discussion about wine, but let me just say that like many other foods/drinks, some people won't like the same wines I do, and vice versa. I recently went wine tasting with my kids to Napa and we hit 8 different wineries, most of which wines I've had before. I have to say that we were very shocked that two of the wineries we went to that are well known and higher end had wines that we didn't like at all - and at one of those wineries we only had their top reserve wines ($120/bottle). None of us cared for that wine at all. At another winery, we had their $30-$40 wine and we all loved it. So, yes price can usually indicate that you're having a better quality wine, but it doesn't necessarily mean you'll personally like the taste. You have to find what tastes good to you.
The Penny Lady®