BRNA show report.
golden
Posts: 9,830 ✭✭✭✭✭
The Blue Ridge Numismatic Association show is held each August at the Dalton Convention Center. The Center is located on a hill just off of the Interstate and has plenty of free parking.
The show is normally held the week after the ANA show. This year there was a conflict, and the show is being held this week. The show normally runs Friday to Sunday. This year it runs Thursday to Saturday with dealer set up on Wednesday. The show normally opens to the public at 10 AM on the first day. This year the website and the postcards that they sent out said that the show would open at 1 PM on Thursday.
I left home on Thursday morning to drive to the show. Since it opened later, I decided to skip my usual breakfast stop and eat lunch at Dalton before I went into the show. I arrived at the convention at 12:55. I got my name tag and immediately noticed that there was not a crowd waiting to go inside. I asked about the opening and was told that they had let the public in at 10 AM. Really? I heard that there were only about 3 ready to go in at 10.
I first stopped to see Darrel and his Barber coins. We had a nice chat and he showed me his latest Seated Dollar. As I went around the room, I noticed that several dealers were just arriving to set up and there were several other tables where the dealers had not arrived yet. The crowd was small, and the atmosphere was subdued. That was in stark contrast to the MNS show two weeks ago.
I looked at an 1843-D $ 2 1/2 Gold piece in PCGS XF-45 in an old holder. the obverse and the reverse looked totally different. The obverse looked ok but the reverse was weakly struck and was crusty. I passed on the coin. I stopped to see Grant Campbell. He had not picked up any new Dahlonega gold since I saw him two weeks ago.
I saw several foreign coins that I have been looking for, but they were it NGC holders. I do not want to take the chance and the time to attempt to cross them.
Some prices for Ricko: Silver Eagles were at $32, common circ Silver Dollars were $29, and Krugerrands were $1860.
I saw one dealer with 11 National Gold Bank Notes. Holy crap! I have never seen that many in my 52 years of going to coin shows.
One dealer had 4 rolls of circulated 1912-d Nickels at $100 per roll.
Another dealer had an uncut sheet of National Bank notes from my home state. He has had it for at least a year and a half. The price is really not that bad, but I did not get up the nerve to buy it. I really should.
I looked at an 1834 Large Cent in PCGS AU-55. It was very nice, and the price was ok. It was the variety with the double profile, and I just do not like that, so I passed.
After several hours at the show, I had found nothing and headed for home. I stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel. I arrived home just before dark.
If the show starts on Thursday next year, I will not go until Friday.
Comments
I’ll be there tomorrow!
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
Fingers Crossed! At least there was not a mad exodus of dealers today! Hoping most stay so Saturday doesn't become the way Sundays became.
Moving the show to this early in August has hurt the attendance so far. Most schools are starting around this time. Same early dates next year.
@golden always nice to see and chat with you!
I think that starting the show on Thursday is a huge mistake.
Popping down tomorrow from Knoxville
Thanks for posting your report.
Sounds like you got to see some cool stuff, even if you didn’t find anything you needed.
To add, the double profile on the large cent you noted isn’t a variety per se; it’s caused by die bounce during striking, and it’s relatively common on multiple dates and die varieties of large cents coined in the 1830’s.
Several dealers mentioned that starting on Thursday and changing of the week did throw things off a bit. There was also St. Louis 2 weeks ago, then this show, then WFM in another week- a bit of coin fatigue from the dealer aspect possibly.
@golden ... Thanks for an interesting show report. Good details noted. You should get that sheet of bank notes... Price is likely negotiable. Cheers, RickO