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Just back from the Mid-America show Chicago
agentjim007
Posts: 6,256 ✭
I know you guys want all the details so here goes..........show sucked.
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Jade Rare Coin eBay Listings
Two local dealers that I spoke with that flew out to Chicago, had high hopes. Doesn't sound good.
C'mon Jim! You must have found, or seen, SOMETHING that caught your eye!!!!!
LSCC#1864
Ebay Stuff
For a show of this size, I expected many more interesting items. Instead, I got that eyes glazed over look fairly quickly scanning over case contents. I did see the occasional nice item(to my tastes) -- early gold, a few classic proofs, an MS65 Pan Pac $2.50, and 2 or 3 $50 slugs.
By far, the most interesting table was Texas Bullion Traders with cases of all eye-catching material. There was one other table against the far wall from the entrance with raw copper that I found interesting. There were alot of tables with slabs only. Other than that, nothing memorable.
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
<< <i>Maybe I shouldn't reveal this but....... I met MadMarty and....... he's not really "mad", after all. Well, at least not as "mad" as I'd expected, based on Clankeye's portrayals of him in "Good Morning Class". >>
It's only when he has a few beers in him and he whips out his wizzard's sombrero that you have to start worrying
Notice the cultist tee-shirt, who knows what it means????
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
Were you the old guy with the long grey beard carrying a suspicious black bag that was being 'escorted' out by those 4 police officers??
dragon
No not me but I think I saw the guy your talking about. Wearing a really heavy coat and carrying a Pantera bread bag. I saw him looking at large cents. I did notice a security guard right next to me every time I looked up. I was mentally preparing myself for an internal search.
TBT
I am glad I went to the show. The highlight was being able to spend some time chatting with Mark Feld. He sure is good at what he does and does not mind sharing his knowledge with others. I also talked to Julian Leidman-also a great guy, and said hello to Laura from Legend-she was busy maybe or was not impressed with me saying hi, but I did my part.
Jay
<< <i>maybe or was not impressed with me saying hi >>
probably this as I introduced myself a while ago and she said she really does not know anyone on the boards. It is used as a marketing tactic.
GSAGUY
<< <i>and said hello to Laura from Legend-she was busy maybe or was not impressed with me saying hi, but I did my part. >>
<< <i>probably this as I introduced myself a while ago and she said she really does not know anyone on the boards. It is used as a marketing tactic. >>
3 "DAMMIT BOYS"
4 "YOU SUCKS"
Numerous POTD (But NONE officially recognized)
Seated Halves are my specialty !
Seated Half set by date/mm COMPLETE !
Seated Half set by WB# - 289 down / 31 to go !!!!!
(1) "Smoebody smack him" from CornCobWipe !
IN MEMORY OF THE CUOF
It was great to meet you yesterday at the show. I would like to address one of your assumptions you posted on this public board and offer you a challenge. It is one thing to disagree with a dealer about their coins originality or origin of toning but to make blanket and baseless statements is unprofessional and unwarranted.
You did not ask about our coins or inquire about their toning at the show. Why? I would be more than happy to talk with you about any coin in my cases, as education is only self-improvement.
My challenge is for you to come in today or in the morning (Sunday) and lets talk about the coins you have issues about.
Thanks to everybody for stopping by our table at the show. It is always a pleasure to meet fellow board members.
TBT
dragon
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
Didn't mean to sound accusatory, as I don't present myself to be knowledgeable about NT or AT...... Just wondering out loud........ Apology offered........
3 "DAMMIT BOYS"
4 "YOU SUCKS"
Numerous POTD (But NONE officially recognized)
Seated Halves are my specialty !
Seated Half set by date/mm COMPLETE !
Seated Half set by WB# - 289 down / 31 to go !!!!!
(1) "Smoebody smack him" from CornCobWipe !
IN MEMORY OF THE CUOF
Jay, there is no denying that Laura does not have superlative people skills. I have been on friendly terms with her and George for a few years now, so I can probably get away with saying this. But, in a high-end rare coin dealer, are you looking for someone who is busy, professional and procures very nice coins or someone who will get down on you and then smile when done?
Don't read anything more into her demeanor than simply that she is there to do her job. She is not there to impress anyone nor is she there to be impressed by anyone. If you want someone to help you find nice coins, then she'd be an excellent candidate. If you want someone to help end the Middle East violence, then she is not for you.
probably this as I introduced myself a while ago and she said she really does not know anyone on the boards. It is used as a marketing tactic.
JBS, of the few things I've learned in my nearly 4 decades of being alive, there is two I'd like to share at this moment. First, don't be so hasty to judge a person unless you've walked a mile in his (or her) shoes. Second, if you have nothing nice to say about someone, then say nothing.
Specifically keeping my second point in mind, I will refrain from commenting about you.
As for your comment about using the boards as a marketing tactic, certainly many smaller and vest-pocket dealers use this place to garner more market share. But, if you look at Legend's typical inventory, you'll see that the vast majority of the regulars here would not be so interested in Legend's offerings. I'm sure there are forum members here who do buy from Legend, but I gotta believe that these customers -- in general -- didn't get to know of Legend through this place.
Your suggestion that Legend's presence here is solely to gain market share is way off mark. Laura's comments here tend to be more controversial than you'd expect if all she wanted was to get more customers from here. I know exactly why she posts here, and it is far different from what you think.
EVP
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
<< <i>BTW, I looked at TBT's stuff and its amazing......... I wonder how long and hard they had to look to find Morgans, ASE's, and Kennedys with IDENTICAL toning !!!!!!!! >>
Actually, for anyone unfamiliar with them, TBT did "look long and hard" ... they built up their business from the bottom up, one beautifully toned coin after another. They've gained a well-deserved reputation for quality product and excellent, friendly service. I've been visiting their table and watched dealers and collectors come to them with their choicest specimens. Mind you, I don't collect toned coins, but I've had the pleasure to watch their enterprise grow and have heard many good stories over the several years I've known them. They love what they do -- the best kind of work to be in -- and every time I visit, they're always excited about their latest finest piecests and and not-for-sales. They have the "Askari Seal of Approval™" in my book!
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
Its like EVP said, you want GREAT coins ....deal with Laura. If you want to have your hand held, look elsewhere!
I posted on the other side of the street about her picture being on Coin World and she offered to pound my head in
Of course, she might have just found an icon she liked, too!
Check out the Southern Gold Society
We never did find Marty, mb, or anyone else. Spoke to Julian for a moment. I wish I'd known Mark was going to be there as I'd really have liked to speak to him. I don't know who said this show was mostly darkside but nothing could be further from the truth - I'd say the show was 80% lightside.
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
that she has a soft spot for bears.She really doesnt have the time to
be on these Forums, but she does it because she cares about the hobby and
the members. She may be gruff, but you will always get an honest answer from her
about any question you ask her. A really fine lady to do bussiness with.
Camelot
I thought that there were lots of great coins and dealers from all over. They advertised that there were dealers from 26 states. I had a good time talking with Gus Tiso, Anthony Swiatek, Rick Snow and a bevy of regional dealers.
There were lots of great coins: Early commems, 1936-42 proofs, plenty of gold in any grade you wanted, Morgans galore (of course) including a couple in PF68. Man, oh man, are those gorgeous?! Another dealer was there with two cases full of nothing but little piles of Australian gold nuggets of every conceivable size and shape.
My only beef was with the crowd at the convention center. I couldn't park in the $1.50 Metra lot due to all of the other shows going on at the same time. The lot was packed with sports card and antique shoppers who had the same idea. Instead, I got nailed for $11 across the street (half of which I'm sure winds-up in some politician's pocket). Rosemont has quite a reputation.
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
Andy
First POTD 9/19/05!!
julian liedman was right up front, greeted us w/ the usual pleasant "hello". a few nice coins, but jule's, you might be losing your touch just a bit, dude. & he spent a bit too much time on the phone, so i casualy glanced at his stuff. 1 thing i don't like is that he doesn't put prices on the coins - you have to ask - but he's always done that. tends to put off some folks, like my buddy (who went to the show w/ me).
morgan dollars? what i saw at this show was the biggest freakin swarm of disgusting, blast-white oceans of morgan dollars that i've ever seen in my life! i don't know what the he11 has gotten into these people, but is there any such thing as an undipped morgan dollar any more? the ONLY oasis in this sea of chemical soup was texas bullion traders (TBT). excellent display, outstanding coins w/ plenty of wonderful color. they seemed to have good traffic, so i didn't get to see anything up close. 1 complaint - you need more denom's, guys!
now, jump over to g.r.tiso's case, & what i saw made my stomach churn w./ disgust. virtually ever stinking single 1 of his morgans was a blast-white bleach-blond piece of pcgs genericizied, plasticized, anesthetized, dippedicized, younameiticized boring piece o' crap. the only redeeming thing about this guy's booth is that he was almost pleasant , actually taking a couple seconds to step away from his laptop & saying "hello". not to me, of course, but to the rich-dressed gentleman in front of me. i thank my lucky stars that i don't even like morgans all that much, but the show seemed really, realy weak on seated & trade dollars. even peace dollars were difficult to find, unless they were blast white.
i owe something of an apology to legend. every time i went by their booth, which was about 3 times, laura wasn't there, so i didn't get to harrass her any. but, i will say that they seemed to have turned quite a few coins since last time i saw them, & they have more original coins on display now. much better. last show where i saw them, they had an awful lot of dipped crap. hope laura didn't have any more kidney stones to deal with! couple of very outstanding gold coins that were actually original, too.
harry laibstain - great display as usual. i've slammed hlrc a few times, but really, he's a pretty good guy. got a couple quotes from him that were a lot lower than i'd expected, ie. he seemed willing to wheel & deal. he had an unc bust dollar, 1799 for $18000+ in anacs ms-61. great luster, but the danged thing was polished & looked practicaly dmpl to me. WAY too high,imo. so why do i mention it? interesting comparison: jason carter had a 1799 bust dollar, ngc-62 that was artficially toned. his asking price for 1 poitn higher slabed? 26,000 ?!?!?! what the heck are these dealers thinking???
wasted 20 minutes at coleman foster's table looking through his stuff. man-oh-man, what a load of crap. used to be able to chreyy SOMEthing once in a while, but i gotta say, maybe coleman's stuff is a reflection of a market gone bad, but i've rarely seen such a load of vomit-inducing scrubbed up, damaged, putrid coins in my entire life, yet there were dealers lined up for miles! i don't get it. the coin market is in a very strange position these days.
tom reynolds, the usual gorgous display of large cents. the man is & continues to be a consistently great vendor at these shows, but his traffic eerily slow. anthony terranova also, several intriguing colonials to look at, but i get the odd feeling that he's been carting some of the same coins around for months now. still, if you want museum quality, that's the place to go. jonathan kern left to early for me to get much of a feel for his stuff.
baley's recent threads on draped bust halves got me to looking for the 1801, 02. sun-city coin had a 1802 bust half in icg ef-40 holder, & that thing was the most pathetic, disgusting vomit-laden piece of dogmeat i've ever seen in my life. it was obviously harshly cleaned & horribly retoned, it looked like an electric prune that had been barfed up by an armadillo. yuck! i had to turn away from it to avoid being sick all over this guy's case. & he's a jerk, too. just kept staring off into the rafters while i was standing 3 feet away. move down the aisle about 3 booths or so, i looked at jade coin's 1801 & 1802. by the time i got there, they'd alreaedy sold 1 of the 1801's (so i was told), they had 1 left. stunning coin, absolutely postiviely a 100% original coin, graded only "vf-20+". problem? they're price was DOUBLE retail! the 1802 was just ok, not a terribly oriignal coin, but their price reflected it. somebody else on the flow had a 1801 slabed in ms-62, & i don't remember who it was (my buddy actually saw it), but that was just about it for those dates. in fact, i saw 12, count 'em TWELVE 1815's, & only FIVE of EITHER 1801 or 1802. i told you those dates were extremely rare!
went to lunch & saw mad-marty a few more times wandering aimlessly across the bourse floor. i think he was carrying around a slab box full of slabs that he was trying to dump. not quite the picture that clankeye paints , like i said, he wasn't singing or anything, but sure is an animated guy! what were you selling in that secret slab box, mad-marty? doughnuts? lunch was just plain awful. $2.25 for a little bitty soda??? c'mon! & crappy bbq pork sandwiches? is this the best chicago can do?
wandered over to jack beymer, cantankerous as usual, but his wife is always nice to me. they were doing a brisk business while i was there, so i looked at some of their standing-lib quarters. nothing that i could AFFORD, but most of their coins were too high grade for me anyway. i am looking to up grade my 1923-s to 1 that has a more solid date, so i decide to check out cline's coins. not pleased at all w/ his selection. don't know if this has secretly been a "hot" series, but unless you want a slabed ms-64 FH+++ for 20% over retail, you can forget about it. nobody stocks these coins in F/VF, except for the common dates. i just want an average coin, aren't there any anymore? checked out a couple more places, then gave up.
so i decided to get back to colonials. went over to "american heritage", & enjoyed a light converasation with david nieta, who i think is a underrated dealer. problem is, he has an awful lot of pcgs-slabed colonials, & their grading is phenomenally awful where these coins are concerned. i've heard that terranova is suppposed to consult w/ pcgs about grading these, belive me, they need the help. the only thing worse than pcgs grading colonials - is ngc grading colonials! holy cow, these guy are AWFUL! didn't see robert rhue at the show, but he's becoming over-commercialized/over-slabed as well, so i ended up buying ZERO colonials, which is unusual for me, even if it's something cheap.
my last stop was right back up front, at robert griffin's table, where i ended up making my ONLY PURCHASE OF THE ENTIRE SHOW - a lowly, humble jefferson nickel (raw) that cost me all of $13. that's all i had to show for 2 days of "browsing" this wonderful bourse. so if i had to sum up my experience at rosemont, just to make it simple, i'd ditto agentjim007's wonderfully descriptive & accurate opinion, in 1 word:
it sucked
K S
Thanks for the colorful report!! It seems to have been more colorful than most of what was at the show.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
the collectibles exhibition and you can see what is going on in these markets
and talk to the oufits who sell on TV. Many hobby related entities will have
booths at the coin show. Also many of the biggest name dealers will be there.
It's always a great place to make contacts but isn't as good for finding coins
unless you collect or deal in slabbed classic US coins. It isn't weak in world
coins but even here the depth isn't good. This show is typically weak for mod-
erns and raw coins. Tokens and medals are almost nonexistent.
K S
To those who are interested, I saw one coin all day that jumped out at me as being GROSSLY AT. It was in a case just to the right as you walked in the front door. The most unnatural color you could imagine in an album pattern. It was in an ACG holder - the only ACG holder I saw at the entire show.
I need to become a dealer, that's all I know. I recently bought an MS66 1922 Peace for $261. Out of curiosity I asked a dealer what he wanted for his 66. $550. Do they actually sell ANY? If so, I can just buy from Ebay, bring it to a show and double the price? The prices on anything nice were ridiculous.
2 Cam-Slams!
1 Russ POTD!
About MadMarty, did TBT hire him? Is MadMarty a professional numismatist now???????
Actually, I take it back, I did buy a coin from Mad Marty on Friday - a gorgeous toned Morgan dollar (I think he was selling it for Texas Bullion Traders).
Thanks to everyone who stopped by!
I found it just the opposite. I go to these shows to buy fresh inventory and to fill the needs of my customers. Don't ever set up a table.
I was able to buy, all PCGS certifed, a 1916 MS-64 SLQ with Full Head, an AU-53 1918/7-S 25c, a EF40 1795 half cent AND a AU-58 1794 half cent. Also a 1892-S Morgan in AU-53 prooflike surfaces with AU58 detail on devices, and in NGC bought a 1927S 25c in AU58 that's the real deal. Very tough in this grade.
Also took a tentative step into the amazing toned Morgan series where I got a fabulous 1884CC in PCGS MS66. No shake & bake here...this is original bag toning and I've occasionally seen it in shops years ago just before the dealer dipped it out! "People only like 'em white" they'd say.
I suppose if a collector has specific and esoteric interests, it's hard to find material like that even at a large show due to carry-on restrictions from the airlines, but nearly all the US coin dealers I spoke to said it was a fabulous show. I saw lots of folks in attendance except for Sunday morning. Some went home quite early because they were virtually sold out.
Naturally, there were boxes and boxes of ugly slabbed material as well as bushels of junk raw coins, but the dealer(s) famous for selling that stuff had their tables surrounded by both mail order dealers and shop owners who sell that crap to their unsophisticated customers. Always been that way.
I spent a bit over 90% of my goal, so I was quite pleased. Glad I went!
By the way, for those that care, I survived the coin-filled Lucite toilet seat incident and it remains in place.
Ira
Re the comments about Laura. I talked to her after the post about saying hi to her. She said she was very busy and concentrating on the person she was talking to. I would say to try again when they are not busy. I also do not think they use this board to promote. I do not think they need to. I have only been a member on this board for a few months. There is some great information on the board, and I hope we can keep it on a positive level.
Coin Junkie
cameoproofcoins.com