Report from Baltimore
Ronyahski
Posts: 3,117 ✭✭✭✭✭
Back from the Baltimore show today and here are a few random observations:
1) Board members are well informed and timely informed. Most dealers had no idea that PCGS is about to start grading Roosies with FT. I looked at the whole floor for 67-68 slabbed pieces and found very few, David Schweitz and Angel Dee had some. If I were more ambitious I would have started to scoop up all the full struck coins, but alas, I am not. I starting thinking that it might be a good opportunity for those board members out there attending the show... until I heard Wondercoin being paged over the loudspeaker...too late!
2) Pardon my French, but the Bowers auction sucks. For what I was looking for, nothing...nothing to be found (didn't get to the Trade Dollars). Not alot of high grade pieces although there seemed to be a decent amount of nicer pieces in lower grades. Maybe the auction activity hit a dry spot! (ANA looks better), maybe B&M is suffering with you know who gone, I dunno.
3) Today, I was particularly looking for high-end Liberty Seated proof. As usual, Legend had a few, they were spoken for; U.S. Coin, who is usually good for some, had none; as hard as he looks, Mike at Whitlow had none; Albanese had none (toned); NHRC had one o.k., Iskowitz had several dazzling knockout cameo pieces (he usually does, but I am a tone guy); the usual other suspects had none. Steve Leber had a 67 Barber in UCAM that looked like a modern, like someone sprayed on the frost, one of the nicest coins I have ever seen (but again, I am a tone guy) I bought one coin today, an 1881 Proof Seated Quarter in PCGS67, but only because I called a dealer, (who I acquainted through these boards, and asked if he could bring the coin to the show). Glad I called, else I was going home empty handed. Awesome, awesome coin!
4) Some of you know that I love Franklins, but prices are way down, though prices seem to have recently stabilized.
5) Slim pickings on MS and Proof Liberty nickels.
6) Wish I knew more about gold, because I saw alot more higher end pieces than usual.
7) Bobzaps is one of the best Washington quarter guys out there. At first he was excited to find alot of real high quality Washingtons available out there on the floor... until he heard that asking prices for these were for a grade higher, and the coins were all recent submissions. Nowadays, I don't want to say anything disparaging about the slabs these coins were in... but I'll give you a hint, the slabs start with the letter "P".
8) I saw several modern proof Washingtons, Franklins, etc. with jaw dropping black and white contrast on them... in Cameo grade. Again, what are the grading services thinking? All of a sudden, I want to be a crackout artist.
9) I asked several dealers today how it was going with PCGS and how they felt about the recent grading efforts of the grading service. One dealer mentioned something about a crab's hiney (huh?), and the remaining responses I cannot talk about because I would like to provide another update to this board after my return to Baltimore on Saturday.
Regards
1) Board members are well informed and timely informed. Most dealers had no idea that PCGS is about to start grading Roosies with FT. I looked at the whole floor for 67-68 slabbed pieces and found very few, David Schweitz and Angel Dee had some. If I were more ambitious I would have started to scoop up all the full struck coins, but alas, I am not. I starting thinking that it might be a good opportunity for those board members out there attending the show... until I heard Wondercoin being paged over the loudspeaker...too late!
2) Pardon my French, but the Bowers auction sucks. For what I was looking for, nothing...nothing to be found (didn't get to the Trade Dollars). Not alot of high grade pieces although there seemed to be a decent amount of nicer pieces in lower grades. Maybe the auction activity hit a dry spot! (ANA looks better), maybe B&M is suffering with you know who gone, I dunno.
3) Today, I was particularly looking for high-end Liberty Seated proof. As usual, Legend had a few, they were spoken for; U.S. Coin, who is usually good for some, had none; as hard as he looks, Mike at Whitlow had none; Albanese had none (toned); NHRC had one o.k., Iskowitz had several dazzling knockout cameo pieces (he usually does, but I am a tone guy); the usual other suspects had none. Steve Leber had a 67 Barber in UCAM that looked like a modern, like someone sprayed on the frost, one of the nicest coins I have ever seen (but again, I am a tone guy) I bought one coin today, an 1881 Proof Seated Quarter in PCGS67, but only because I called a dealer, (who I acquainted through these boards, and asked if he could bring the coin to the show). Glad I called, else I was going home empty handed. Awesome, awesome coin!
4) Some of you know that I love Franklins, but prices are way down, though prices seem to have recently stabilized.
5) Slim pickings on MS and Proof Liberty nickels.
6) Wish I knew more about gold, because I saw alot more higher end pieces than usual.
7) Bobzaps is one of the best Washington quarter guys out there. At first he was excited to find alot of real high quality Washingtons available out there on the floor... until he heard that asking prices for these were for a grade higher, and the coins were all recent submissions. Nowadays, I don't want to say anything disparaging about the slabs these coins were in... but I'll give you a hint, the slabs start with the letter "P".
8) I saw several modern proof Washingtons, Franklins, etc. with jaw dropping black and white contrast on them... in Cameo grade. Again, what are the grading services thinking? All of a sudden, I want to be a crackout artist.
9) I asked several dealers today how it was going with PCGS and how they felt about the recent grading efforts of the grading service. One dealer mentioned something about a crab's hiney (huh?), and the remaining responses I cannot talk about because I would like to provide another update to this board after my return to Baltimore on Saturday.
Regards
Some refer to overgraded slabs as Coffins. I like to think of them as Happy Coins.
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Comments
Your auction assessment (B&M Baltimore vs. ANA Heritage) is exactly the opposite of my conclusion, but I think that it reflects our differing collecting interests. The Baltimore auction is fairly strong in 19th century branch mint gold, including some key New Orleans pieces that are on my wish list. The Charlotte auction is very weak in gold.
Have fun and save the New Orleans gold for me!
Robert
sincerrely michael
Some dealers, ah - let's see - expressed an opinion that, well perhaps their coins were being graded, ah, well, lets just say that they weren't buying champaigne and celebrating - ah, but I won't say which company, ah I mean who didn't give them the grades they, ah, well had kind of hoped for. But, one dealer was basically happy, but 7 or 8, well, ah had a different opinion. Many, ah, those things, "bodybags" everywhere - but I didn't say this - no, everything was great (for whoever is listening in).
I was not buying champaigne, but , well, I really can't say why. But, ah, one person (lady) who, ah I'm not sure about attitude, but uh, I think I agree with her, and I never agree with her - but I can't really say what I mean.
Met Mark Feld, very nice person.
Won't say who wasn't buying champaigne - but don't think many bottles were sold. Overall.
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Classics - Yes, there was some monster toned Frankies out there, a 58-D in PCGS 67FBL, a monster 51-P in 66FBL for $1800; a 48D in 66FBL; a 50-D, they have gone from about $11k to about $6k right now. A few common date pieces, when sometimes shows have less than a few. Market prices have their ups and downs. If you are looking to buy into the Frankies, I would say right now is a great time to buy.
Regards
I don't think David Hall meant that if you report truthful negative news regarding PCGS and also offering sensible suggestions to improve it that suddenly you are going to get censored. But fair is fair, derogatory comments about PCGS without any suggestions for improvement does get a bit tiresome for me to read.
So lets hear what is really happening in Baltimore but at least be balanced about it in that there are some positives regarding PCGS or in the absence of any positives what are the positive suggestions for the future for PCGS in whatever subject matter we are talking about.