Norman, OK Coin Show Report

UpGrayedd

This will be my first attempt at writing a coin show report, so I apologize up front because it won't be as polished as what you are use to.

The Norman, OK Coin Show was held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds on October 20th and 21st. This was the second annual Norman fall show. I believe they also held a spring show earlier this year, but I missed that one because I was working cattle. I did attended last year's fall show when it was held on OU's campus. However, I decided not to write a report then because it left something to be desired, and I didn't want to be a discouragement. I'll just say I am glad they moved to a new venue with more space and better lighting.

Unfortunately, I had to work on Friday and missed the first day of the show. I left early Saturday morning and headed to Norman. I was originally worried about game day traffic (the Sooners were playing at home), but fortunately it wasn't that bad and I arrived a little after the show opened at 9:00 am. I didn't count how many dealers there were (like I said I'm new at writing these) but all the tables were full and it seemed like a decent amount of dealers for a small show.

When I first arrived I took a quick trip around the bourse to see if I could find anything for my slab collection. I saw several PCGS doilies, a couple of NGC white labels (I'm not sure if they were 2.0's or 2.1's, I didn't even ask to see them after hearing the price), and a $20 Liberty Head in a PCGS Regency slab with the felt bag. Unfortunately for me, they were all priced at more than I was willing to pay and so it was time for the main reason I came to the show.

I brought several coins to try and sell that were either duplicates or no longer fit my collecting interests. I was able to successfully sell a 1909-S VDB ICG AU55 and a Buffalo 3 Legger ICG XF45. I made a small profit on the two coins and left plenty of meat on the bone for the dealer as well. However, this dealer whom I've done business with before, was uninterested in purchasing an 1875-S in a NGC AU details slab at any price. I know that problem coins are harder to sell, but I was almost giving it away and still couldn't move it. This same dealer told me that more inventory isn't always better and that he was considering scaling back to one table for future shows. I asked how this show had been going for him. He replied slow and that he had only sold three coins the day before. Hopefully the coins I sold him helped make his show better.

I was also unable to sell several PCGS and NGC slabbed world coins I brought. I couldn't find anyone at the show purchasing world coins except by the pound. I guess I'll save these for the ONA show next spring or possibly the ANA show in 2025.

Last but not least it was off to my second objective, which was to submit some coins to ANACS for grading. I brought several lower value coins I just wanted slabbed for preservation purposes and my own personal collection with no intention of selling. I submitted several Byzantine anonymous folles, and once I get them back I will have a slabbed set of A through J (13 coins total). I also submitted a 1982 Lincoln Cent struck off-center on a straight clipped planchet. I originally bought this coin with an old ANACS type 5 photo cert and wanted to get it slabbed to complete the package. In addition to these coins I also submitted three Mel Wacks counterstamped coins and a mystery world coin.

It is an unusual 1894 Italian 20 Centesimi. I originally shared this coin on the dark side a while back without much luck. Even with the research fees and grading fees I'll only have about $65.00 total in the coin, so it's well worth it to me in order to find out what I have even if it ends up just a piece of junk. During the submission process I also enjoyed visiting with the ANACS rep George who was very helpful and just had fun talking coins and collecting with him.

After submitting the coins it was time for one last trip around the bourse. I still didn't find anything I couldn't live without so it was time to shake the Sooner dust off my feet, go home to feed cattle, and watch my OSU Cowboys beat the West Virginia Mountaineers.

While I definitely think the market for collector coins in the shallow end of the pool where I play is slowing down, I had a great time looking at coins, talking about coins, and selling a few.

BStrauss3

@UpGrayedd said:
When I first arrived I took a quick trip around the bourse to see if I could find anything for my slab collection. I saw several PCGS doilies, a couple of NGC white labels (I'm not sure if they were 2.0's or 2.1's, I didn't even ask to see them after hearing the price), and a $20 Liberty Head in a PCGS Regency slab with the felt bag. Unfortunately for me, they were all priced at more than I was willing to pay and so it was time for the main reason I came to the show.

That dealer has had them for at least half a year at various shows. It's like a traveling showcase of rare holders. He knows what he has, but he wants over full retail for them and nothing has sold.

yosclimber

1875-S

What denomination?

UpGrayedd

@yosclimber said:

1875-S

What denomination?

Good catch, I accidentally left out a key piece of information, sorry about that. It is an 1875-S Twenty Cent piece. I bought it a long time ago when it was all I could afford. I have since upgraded to a NGC XF40 1875-CC for my type set.

braddick

Great show report- better than many.
Thanks for sharing!

Edited to add:
How many cattle?

U1chicago

Nice report-written like a pro!

I’ve had the experience of some coins just not finding any buyers even if you are willing to give it away. A few later sold on eBay, were combined with something else that was profitable, or I used them as giveaways (when the price wasn’t super high).

UpGrayedd

@braddick said:
Great show report- better than many.
Thanks for sharing!

Edited to add:
How many cattle?

It's a family operation so they are not all mine, but we run a 300 head commercial cow-calf operation. We just weaned calves so I have to feed them every day for the next 30 days.

oih82w8

Dang, in my own backyard too! Oh well, working for the man.

Thank you for your report!

braddick

Somehow I just got this visual thinking of you feeding all those calves.

golden

Thanks for your show report.

Smudge

Thanks for your report.

johnny9434

Cool report but some thing smelled here 🤧

ShaunBC5

I wish they’d had a show when I was still there. Thanks for the report. Maybe I’ll be in town for a show in the coming years.
Boomer Sooner! 3 weeks til Bedlam.
( I’m a Sooner in a mostly Cowpoke family…cheer for both unless we’re playing)

UpGrayedd

@ShaunBC5 said:
I wish they’d had a show when I was still there. Thanks for the report. Maybe I’ll be in town for a show in the coming years.
Boomer Sooner! 3 weeks til Bedlam.
( I’m a Sooner in a mostly Cowpoke family…cheer for both unless we’re playing)

Hopefully you can make one sometime in the future or possibly the ANA show in 2025.

Last one (Bedlam), at least for a while. It's a shame, even though my Cowboys are usually on the losing end I am going to miss the rivalry.

UpGrayedd

@johnny9434 said:
Cool report but some thing smelled here 🤧

We say it smells like money.

GoldFinger1969

You didn't give an exact number...but I take it there were 30-40 tables/dealers present ?

Would you say most of the dealers had Morgan Dollars and various kinds of gold to sell as opposed to Small denomination coins ?

DRUNNER

Superbly done . . . and I loved the pic! Maybe I should re-learn the photog download thingy here and post a shot or two.

I like the show reports as more 'data points' in an ever-changing market. Yours was well done, in the eyes of this rube.

Oh . . . . we have just a bit more in common than first thought. I have a place in WY (off I-80 between Evanston and Ft. Bridger). Others run the animules . . . about 300 beef and 2 sheep flocks (2000 and 2300). I just go up there to get my mind free of the high school ragamuffins and to shoot a little bit (just steel plates . . . not the animals).

I'll look for more reports . . .

Drunner

UpGrayedd

@GoldFinger1969 said:
You didn't give an exact number...but I take it there were 30-40 tables/dealers present ?

Would you say most of the dealers had Morgan Dollars and various kinds of gold to sell as opposed to Small denomination coins ?

I forgot to count the number of tables (rookie mistake), but I would say 30-40 tables would be an accurate guess based off my memory/size of the room.

There was an abundant supply of Morgans as you would expect, but there were plenty of other collector coins in various denominations (both slabbed and raw) as well as bullion.

I'll try to do a better job of assessing the overall inventory next time. This time I was primarily focused on rare plastic, and just glanced over everything else. I was hoping to find someone selling the coin not the holder, but everyone there was aware of the plastic premium.

kaz

Thanks for an excellent show report!

Walkerguy21D

Thanks for sharing your show experience with us!

GoldFinger1969

@UpGrayedd said:
I'll try to do a better job of assessing the overall inventory next time. This time I was primarily focused on rare plastic, and just glanced over everything else. I was hoping to find someone selling the coin not the holder, but everyone there was aware of the plastic premium.

You did an overall great job, congrats !

Yes, next time look for Morgan Silver Dollars, Saint and Liberty Double Eagles, and any other coins that you see at multiple tables in volume. Also of interest: generic bullion from various countries (or worn pre-1933 gold) as more people are buying bullion gold and silver.

divecchia

Rookie or not, that was a nice show report.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

Donato