PCGS Members Only Show Report

lermish · December 7, 2022 3:06PM

I flew to Vegas for the day to attend the show. My main reason was to submit coins for various services; it was literally cheaper to fly down from Northern California than to ship the coins registered to SoCal.

As many have mentioned in the past, this was a smaller, quieter show. But I enjoyed it! There was no rush chatting with dealers and other attendees and I had a really good time.

There wasn't a ton of inventory and most of it was swapping hands between dealers. Prices were very reasonable I thought. I did manage to find three coins for my type set that were exactly what I was looking for. Special thanks to Mark from Mark's Coins; I had asked him about a FEC. He couldn't find the coin he had just made in his inventory but he tracked me down as I was submitting coins to let me know he found it. It was exactly what I was looking for and I ended up buying it.

I chatted with Ben the Coin Geek, Seth from Witter coins, Andy from Angel Dee's, Jim from Rockin Coins, and several others. Everyone was pleasant and relaxed; I liked the vibe!

I caught the end of breakfast and they were just setting up lunch as I was leaving. Food looked reasonable but pretty standard for convention food. I did not notice any hot dogs.

The PCGS staff was very busy with submissions the whole time I was there but the ladies at the desk were pleasant and efficient.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this show for those who like to socialize in a relaxed atmosphere. It probably isn't the best show for a tough or eclectic shopping list.

goodmoney4badmoney · December 7, 2022 3:46PM

Nice report. Sorry about the lack of hotdogs

davewesen · December 7, 2022 3:47PM

interesting that it was cheaper submission then sending,
also you don't have to worry about shippers near christmas (once you gave coins to them).

lilolme · December 7, 2022 3:54PM

@davewesen said:
interesting that it was cheaper submission then sending,
also you don't have to worry about shippers near christmas (once you gave coins to them).

.
I know someone who flew to/from the show from central California on a SouthWest special and it was $29 plus tax each way. IIRC.

lermish · December 7, 2022 4:10PM

@lilolme said:

@davewesen said:
interesting that it was cheaper submission then sending,
also you don't have to worry about shippers near christmas (once you gave coins to them).

.
I know someone who flew to/from the show from central California on a SouthWest special and it was $29 plus tax each way. IIRC.

@lilolme said:

@davewesen said:
interesting that it was cheaper submission then sending,
also you don't have to worry about shippers near christmas (once you gave coins to them).

.
I know someone who flew to/from the show from central California on a SouthWest special and it was $29 plus tax each way. IIRC.

@lilolme said:

@davewesen said:
interesting that it was cheaper submission then sending,
also you don't have to worry about shippers near christmas (once you gave coins to them).

.
I know someone who flew to/from the show from central California on a SouthWest special and it was $29 plus tax each way. IIRC.

@lilolme said:

@davewesen said:
interesting that it was cheaper submission then sending,
also you don't have to worry about shippers near christmas (once you gave coins to them).

.
I know someone who flew to/from the show from central California on a SouthWest special and it was $29 plus tax each way. IIRC.

Mine is ~$100 roundtrip. Registered mail with insurance for two boxes of coins is $160. Easy choice.

spyglassdesign · December 7, 2022 7:45PM

I went to the one earlier this summer. I had the same experience... And learned a lot there from the dealers, and way more since then.

I half considered going to this one but decided I have other priorities (like making my mortgage 😅).

Glad you enjoyed it! I would certainly conside attending another especially if I have a batch of coins to submit. I'm only 2 hours from Vegas so it's just a day trip for me.

DisneyFan · December 7, 2022 7:52PM

Great report! Flying to a PCGS show is something to consider. Did they provide a list of dealers?

lermish · December 7, 2022 8:03PM

@DisneyFan said:
Great report! Flying to a PCGS show is something to consider. Did they provide a list of dealers?

Thanks! I looked but couldn't find anything posted in advance or a map because it is just one room. All of the big auction houses were there and some reasonably large size dealers.

spyglassdesign · December 7, 2022 10:09PM

@DisneyFan said:
Great report! Flying to a PCGS show is something to consider. Did they provide a list of dealers?

When I went earlier this year there was no such list. I'd say maybe 30 dealers or so. Pretty small overall but very relaxed atmosphere.

Catbert · December 8, 2022 3:46AM

Would like to go someday, but I’m not a member.

Walkerguy21D · December 8, 2022 4:52AM

Sounds like a great experience.

I have to ask though, how did you happen to choose an 1806 LC for your type set? That’s a tough date in a grade most date set collectors would love to have.

pointfivezero · December 8, 2022 5:18AM

Thanks for the report, @lermish. I’ve been following the Coin Geek’s posts as well.

Any plans to attend either of the Bay Area shows this weekend (Sac or South SF)?

Tim

ElmerFusterpuck · December 8, 2022 6:04AM

Thanks for your report, I've always loved these shows! I'm overdue to go back to one. I've found many a coin at a member show that never made it to a website or online inventory, and Mark has been the source for quite a few of them.

That 1806 cent is a prize, it took me many years to find one I liked for my date set.

lermish · December 8, 2022 6:23AM

@Walkerguy21D I was looking specifically for a DB cent. If I got lucky and found a 1799 in 1-3 I would have spent for it so I could do a 1799 mint set in addition to my type set. Other than that, I was looking for a VFish example. The dealer I bought this from had just made a bunch of really nice copper (beautiful fugio in 45) and I liked the coin. A better date was just a lucky coincidence.

@pointfivezero I will be at the Sac show on Sunday!

@ElmerFusterpuck Thanks:)