My Summer Vacation (aka ANA Show 2024 Report): People, Airplanes, and Even Some Coins
airplanenut
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My Summer Trip to the 2024 ANA Show
by airplanenut
It's been a long time since i went to a major show... FUN in 2015. The PNNA show held twice a year in Seattle is good for a regional show, but it's by no means big. Attendance at a big show is often combined with something else in the area, so when I realized this year's show was in Chicago, I couldn't say no. My best friends moved to Chicago two years ago (and I'm close with much of their extended families, also in the area), so I had a free place to stay and people to see outside the show. Perfect.
I left for Chicago on Wednesday night on the redeye from Seattle to O'Hare. I've taken this flight dozens of times, and it sucks every time. 3 hours 40 minutes gate to gate, and my night's sleep is supposed to fit in there. Ugh. Good news is I passed out the second we took off, and remained asleep until some significant turbulence woke me up in our descent. We got past that, I passed out again, and I woke up on touchdown at pitch-black 4:12am. Sitting in the exit row, my window shade was down, and that meant the first thing I saw was the Silkway 747-8F waiting to cross our runway. A 747? Now THAT is the right way to start a day!
I hiked over to baggage claim and after waiting about 5 minutes, my bag was out, a nice 23 minutes after arrival at the gate. That's perfect because Alaska guarantees your bag within 20 minutes, and that meant a $25 credit was coming my way. 4:45am on day one of the show and I'm already ahead! I got my car (and saw a Kalitta 747-400F from the train to the rental car place) and while the show was basically at the airport, I opted to drive half an hour away to drop off my stuff. And take a nap. Pretend refreshed, I headed out to get to the show at the 10am opening. Oh, and my friends live under O'Hare's final approach, so I saw an Atlas 747-400F on my way back. Spotting a trend?
I made it to the show with a few minutes to spare so I could register and head in right at opening. My first stop was Stack's because it was right in front of the entrance and I had to pick up a recent auction win. Remember this, it will come up later. The show was HUGE. This wasn't my first rodeo, but either I forgot how big the big shows are or this one was just bigger. I started my trek up and down the aisles to see what I could find. The answer was people. I'm a picky buyer, and over time I've learned to be happy keeping my wallet in my pocket rather than buying something just to say I bought it. The coins are great, but the big draw of a show like this is the people. Friends I haven't seen in years, or some folks that I've known online for a long time but never met before. As I walked the aisles, I had conversations that lasted 10, 20, even 30 minutes (and some that were a quick hello when someone was busy). At one dealer's table, a friend of his came by and the dealer noted we're both from Seattle, so I may have even made myself a new local coin friend.
I saw plenty of neat coins of all types, but not a lot that fit both what I was looking for and my budget. The Walking Liberty Half Dollar is a design I love, and it's one of the few coins I don't mind having duplicates of. I saw a few that I really liked, but for a mark or two in the field. A few years ago I bought a coin with a mark in the field that I didn't think would bother me, and it was all I could see. I flipped that coin quickly and broke even, but even had I taken a loss, it would have been valuable tuition. I've gotten much better at saying no to coins with marks in open areas, and two more coins just got added to that list. One other standout is a coin I'll remember because of its price. A common-date Walker in 64/CAC with some attractive color. Pretty, but not a monster by any stretch. I looked up the going rate, doubled the high end, and thought that could be a fair price. I asked the dealer for his price: 5 times what I came up with. I politely passed and probably looked like a bobble head as I shook my head walking away from the table.
By the time I made it to the far end of the show, dealers were already packing up for the evening. I did make it to the last aisle, but a few tables were already covered. Day one ended with no purchases, but that's okay. I didn't originally have plans that evening, but a few days before the show a family member (the kind you're close to, but don't see often) lost her father, so I went to make a surprise visit. The 45 minute drive took 90 minutes, and while I expected to stay an hour, I didn't leave until well after 11pm, getting back to my friends' place after midnight and going to bed (a real, stationary one) at about 1:15. A long day, but a good day.
Friday morning began with a very important errand. Chicago has one of the best kosher butchers (particularly famous for their salami and sausages), and I needed to stock up. I got there right at opening and made my first big purchase of the trip.
Meat in my friends' freezer, it was back to the show, where I started at the far end and went the other way. Since I had talked to so many people on day one, I spent more of the day looking at coins and walked the bourse a few times. The first coin I got excited about was a nice, original XF 1851-O 3CS. Jump back about 20 years and I was at a different big show when a friend told me to look at a specific coin in auction lot viewing under a loupe. I did and reported that it was very nice indeed (a high-grade IHC worth around $40k). Then he gave me his Eschenbach loupe and told me to look again. Would you know... there was an X carved on the cheek. I bought an Eschenbach shortly after that and it's been my go-to ever since. Well, I liked this 3CS with my eye, but grabbed my loupe. A few little green spots, possibly growing. I'd have seen them immediately in a photo, but not with my naked eye. I passed on the coin and appreciated my loupe earning its keep again. I did eventually find two Standing Liberty Quarters with nice color to buy, so in the end I didn't walk away empty-handed. Photos will come eventually. This is another series I love and I can have duplicates. I'm still hunting for one with even more color, but I'm happy with both of these.
Remember my Stack's pickup? I bid on two items a couple weeks ago. I did a lot of research to determine what I thought fair prices would be, and while I won the second one, the first one absolutely blew my mind with its price. I dropped out after bidding over 3x what I thought it should go for, and had I won it would have been among the most expensive pieces in my collection. Well, sometimes things work out. As uncommon as it was, another in a slightly lower grade popped up on eBay a few days later, ending Friday evening. I set a nuclear snipe and won with a lot of room to spare, paying less than 25% of what the Stack's piece went for. Why bring this up? First, even if I hadn't gotten anything at the show, I still got something great that weekend. And second, that price difference between the piece I lost and the one I got covered the two quarters I bought, plus all my travel expenses, and then some. I'm good with that.
Friday was my last day at the show, and the rest of the weekend was with friends. But not before a Cathay Pacific Cargo 747-8F flew RIGHT OVER ME as I was leaving the show. Because one life cycle event wasn't enough for the weekend, my friend's brother (well, his wife) had a baby earlier in the week, so Friday night and all of Saturday were spent with the extended family. Not only did I get to spend more time with that part of the family than originally planned, but the one sibling that doesn't live in Chicago also came in, so I hit a lot of birds with one stone on this trip.
Sunday was unplanned, and would you know, it was the weekend of the Chicago Air Show. It had been a whole week since the Blue Angels were in Seattle, but why not go? I spent a few hours basking in the sun by the lake (and turning a bit RB) watching airplanes before grabbing my stuff and heading to the airport.
Of course, I can't stop just yet. As I got to O'Hare, a United 737 did a low-level go-around right in front of me. These are by no means rare or scary like the news would make you think, but you don't see them that often. It was fun to see. And of course, the train from the rental car place to the terminal meant another view at the cargo area (this time in daylight!), and, yes, more 747s.
As we taxied out at O'Hare, among the planes I saw was a British Airways 787-10. While this isn't a rare plane and it's one I see pretty frequently in Seattle, I still get excited when I see a plane I helped design in service. There was a pretty sunset, and off in the distance a pretty airplane, too.
I got home late on Sunday night, unpacked, and went to sleep. My bed was more spacious than normal, and working at home on Monday, the house was a bit too quiet and my day lacking interruption. When I finished work, I had a quick trip to bring things back to normal.
In conclusion, I had a great trip to Chicago. I saw lots of friends and family, lots of 747s, and even some nice coins. My next big show? Who knows. But hopefully in less than 9 1/2 years.
Comments
Tremendous report. So glad you could mix in seeing friends outside of coin friends. Makes your trip a AAA experience. Looking forward to seeing pics of your new coins!
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Thanks for the great report, I really enjoyed it!
That meat....yum!
Great report, thank you for writing it up!
Cool seeing you at the show -
I would have loved to see the Air Show - I last saw that when I was in college north of the city a long, long, long time ago.
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Great report! Funny, I did the exact same eBay maneuver while sitting at the show and it worked out equally well.
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Thanks for your report.
Wow!
Well written report.
Love the details. Esp bout your love for the airplane! 😆
I see, your "Avatar" should explain that. 😆 It must be nice to have friends to accommodate.
What butcher did you go to?
Better butcher's on the Southside.
That's where I live, right next door to the other airport, Midway!
You would love living near me. Planes constantly roaring by. The noise may not be that bad but one can easily see them taking off overhead. 4 blocks away.
Anyway, nice reporting on the Show and people too.
Next time in Chicago. We should meet up?
Thanks
Joey
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Sarcasm?
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Great report, and thanks for posting it, but these two points really spoke to me:
_ I've learned to be happy keeping my wallet in my pocket rather than buying something just to say I bought it._
_ I bought an Eschenbach shortly after that and it's been my go-to ever since._
It took me about 20 years to adopt these practices, but it’s made me a much better collector for it!
Nothing like a good sausage. Worth the trip right there.
Nice report! Thank you for sharing!
Great report.
I live in direct line to an airport. Planes go over every 2-3 minutes when the wind is right. Close enough that the landing gear is down.
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Really great report & a fun read! What more could we ask for? Friends, family, planes, meat & a coin show trip thrown in! Sounds like an awesome summer trip!
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
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😆
No, not at all. It truly isn't bad. Been here quite some time. One gets used to it.
They really don't fly overhead, either. More like off to the side where you can easily see them.
😆
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Awesome report, quality family time, and long-awaited meat... a fantastic trip! Thanks for sharing Jeremy.
Romanian, in Skokie. There may be other good butchers in Chicago, but Romanian is THE kosher butcher, so it's the place to be for me.
I don't live far from final/departure at SeaTac, so I get to see plenty every day, takeoffs or landings depending on which way they're going. One reason I like walking my dogs late morning/early afternoon is that a lot of the international heavies come in then. It's not too loud, but if it were louder, it probably wouldn't bother me (within some level of reason). I love having airplanes in view all day (except when those pesky clouds get low...)
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Cool,
Here is my views from my backyard.
Small sesna?
Bigger Baby!
Even Bigger
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Nice. I don't have to go far to see a Cessna or where those 737s are (and 757s, were) made...
And as I said, SEA final isn't too far away...
Wonderful report. You made me hungry with all that kosher meat. I need a potato knish and some smoked whitefish. You did it all. Peace Roy
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Oops, spelled Cessna wrong, sorry.
That tells ya how much I know about planes.
😆
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.A most excellent report. Just curious, how did the Kosher
purchase make it back to Seattle?
@airplanenut, that was a great read and I’m glad you enjoyed your show and trip so much.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
A truly interesting report with a different spin on the side, jets!!! I too went down to the beach to watch the Blue Angels on that Sunday, as well as attending the show on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. I appreciate you taking the time to pass along your trip and your experiences. I think my favorite livery is the 747-800 Cargo Lux. I spent some time under the wing of that one. She flies over my house now and then, can't miss her.
Great read
Aerial refueling
Everything was frozen and it was in the middle of my checked suitcase, insulated by clothes and some special Mylar bubble wrap I brought with me. Enough frozen stuff together stays solid for a long time—I routinely do this from the east coast.
Wow, just a great read.
Your meat pic had be thinking Charmy puts wines in her report, you should probably start labeling these all on future writes as they look good and got me hungry too.
Combined charcuterie show reports