Impressions of the Blue Ridge Show in Dalton, GA, Plus a Newp.
FC57Coins
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We spent Friday rummaging through the Blue Ridge Show in Dalton, one of the better regional shows in the country, and I must say that I expected to see more quality goods than appeared to be available. Sure enough, there were coins to be had, but a lot of it too was the same tired old stuff that you see on a regular basis. Met up with board friends Dahlonega, Tassa, FatMan, and met Cratilus who has an awesome Barber half set. Prices seemed strong on the floor with very few bargains to be had, still there were some goodies here and there. One of the ones that I picked up was a gorgeously toned Norse Medal (thick). I've not dabbled too much with these, but the album toning on this coin attracted me so I took the chance. It'll be going to PCGS for grading soon.
Anyone else have comments?
Anyone else have comments?
0
Comments
Ken
I've never seen one of those that nice! Congrats & enjoy!
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
I enjoyed the show. I spent very little yet purchased more coins at this show than I have at any other. I bought a few rolls of the keelboat nickels, a dozen or so toned Roosevelts and a toned Washington.
I also added another Morgan to my collection-a white one this time-a semi PL 1881-S in an NGC MS64 holder.
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Same tired old stuff.
Glad to see you were able to get a nice purchase. I recently mentioned that I've always wanted a thick Norse.
1. The show attendance was down from previous Dalton shows, although usually Saturday is a stronger day for attendance. I'll be interested to hear from the gang today.
2. There was an unusual calm over the bourse. No frantic dealers running around jumping in front of collectors, yelling across the floor. But in the calm, the dealers were very friendly and laid back. It was kinda like everyone was on valium. I am guessing it was the calm after the ANA Pittsburgh storm.
3. I was expecting to see lots of fresh material to be displayed from the Pittsburgh show but as Frank mentioned above most was the same old stuff. However, to my surprise there was a notable absence of ms65+ commems on the floor. Even the tired washed out dull commems entombed for life in gem slabs were missing. That doesn't mean I was unable to find some nice coins, I just had to search a little harder for one, and I was able to depend on friends to dig up the others.
4. Met Cratylus for the first time and took up his offer to go to dinner with some of his coin friends. I was surrounded at the table with Barber Half enthusiasts and they made a great case for the series. Saw some wonderful original XF sets in Dansco Albums. Among the other dinner guests were the President and Officers of FUN. I mentioned that Ft Lauderdale might be too far and I may not attend this year. They made a great case for making the longer trip. They mentioned it will be the 50th Anniversary Show and although all the details have not been finalized that it should not be missed. They sold me, I'm going.
5. My purchases: Strange day for purchases. If someone told me I would be coming home with a 1885-S Morgan (which I haven't collected the series in many years), and 1925 Stone Mountain (which I already have in higher grade) I may have suggested they had consummed some of the valium mentioned above.
First, this Antietam was expected. I knew I would be coming home with either a D-mint Gold Dollar or a nice commem to add to my set. Between the Antietam and the Stone Mountain I guess the theme for the day was "The War of Northern Aggression". The coin has a lovely light champagne tone which doesn't really show in the image below.
Second is this very nice Stone Mountain. I purchased it from board member Dahlonega who found it in a local coin club auction. It is the first audio coin I own. When you shake the holder you can hear the horses hooves hitting the ground as they trot along.
And the final coin of the day is this morgan. Also bought it from board member Dahlonega. It speaks for itself.
<< <i>Tassa picked a very nice half dollar which she then gave to me. When I asked her why she didn't want to keep it - she mentioned something about not being able to stand the thought of STMAN thinking poorly of her for owning a toned Kennedy >>
Finally, the 1885S Morgan has more luster and brilliance than just about any other coin I've ever seen. So - it seems to me that Mr. Morris did quite well, even though he didn't pick up his "Dahlonega" dollar
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1. I concur with some of the other opinions about the subdued atmosphere of the show. There were not a lot of buyers/sellers strolling the aisles. Being that this is one of the larger shows in the SE, I was very surprised at the lack of turnout. Perhaps Saturday was different; I can only tell you what I saw on Friday. The dealers were all very calm and much more eager to chit-chat than they normally do at a show of this size.
2. I didn't see as much new material as I thought there would be, especially with the show being right after the Pittsburgh ANA show. However, I was still able to make a few nice purchases. I scored a nice 1913-S Type II Buffalo Nickel in XF40+ with a full horn and also a 1937-D 3-legged in VF30. They were the last two coins I needed to complete the set (I don't do the overdates). In my primary series, the Barber Halves, I was only able to locate one piece I needed or that would've upgraded a date I currently have. I got a fairly decent 1897 in VF35. It's not exactly how I like my midgrade halves to look, but it does match the set I'm assembling and it will definitely work until I can find a slightly better example of that date. With the two dates I purchased online the week before the show (a 1906-S XF40 from a gentleman in Canada and a 1905-O XF40 from Jim Dimmick on these boards), I only need two dates to finish this series in VF-XF: the 1892-O and the 1893.
3. It was great to finally meet FatMan (John), FC57Coins (Frank), and Tassa (Danaca). I wish Frank and Danaca would've been able to stick around to join John and me for dinner but they had to head back to Birmingham early. John introduced me to Dahlonega (David) and the three of us sat at David's table for about 45 minutes discussing coins and having a great time. David has a very impressive lustrous AU-MS set of Standing Libs that's he's been working on in his spare time. He has a great eye for beautiful coins. I was able to share my almost-complete VF-XF Barber Half set with them. Although the guys don't collect the series, they did seem to appreciate the work that has gone into assembling it.
4. As fun as attending the show was, the highlight of the day was going to have drinks and dinner with my wife, John, two of my coin buddies Mitch and Randy (fellow Barber Half fanatics), and the officers of the FUN show. Thank goodness I have a wife who accepts my hobby and lets me pursue it. She was a real trooper to sit through the evening with a bunch of coin guys! We ate a local restaurant called the Dalton Depot. It used to be an old train depot that they converted into a tavern and restaurant. The tracks run right behind the private dinner room that we ate in. Several times during our meal and conversation, a train went by and shook the floor boards and windows of the restaurant. An interesting atmosphere to say the least! The food was good, the beer was flowing, the company was excellent, and the conversation was about coins! It doesn't get much better than that!
5. I also want to comment on two of the coins that John picked up at the show. The Antietam is just spectacular. There is an iridescent golden tinge to the luster that is simply breathtaking in person. And that Morgan... holy cow! Talk about an amazing coin. The coin is not only the most lustrous coin I've ever seen, but at the same time it has ultra deep prooflike mirrors and a completely frosted cameo-like profile of Lady Liberty. How that coin escaped a DMPL designation is beyond me.
While I can't comment on the "market" or the availablility of "fresh" coins, here are my observations.
It was much less crowded than I had expected. I was at the GNA show at the same location in April and which was approximately the same size. Saturday at that show was much more crowded with alot more "buzz" in the air. I overheard several dealers complaining that business was slow.
For what I was looking for, prices seemed strong. I was upset that all the dealers I got prices from, except two, wanted 10% or so above Greysheet ask for MS65 Walking Liberty Halves in PCGS and NGC. I thought this was on the high side based on my review of recent sale prices on ebay, teletrade, and heritage. One dealer told me he couldn't even buy Walkers at "Ask", but I did find one dealer with plenty of them for sale at about 5% back of bid. Similar for MS64 Liberty Nickels. Didn't really compare other prices.
I saw lots of key dates around, especially 1909-S VDB's in 65RD, for some reason.
More NGC than PCGS slabs in general. Also lots of ANACS, PCI, SEGS. Less NTC. Rare to see an ACG.
Many of the dealers started packing up for the evening or for good (not staying on Sunday) at about 3:00 pm. The show was open until 6pm. This was a bit annoying as I was unable to go back late in the day and follow-up on some coins I had seen earlier. I don't know if this is the norm or the response to the slowness. I feel sorry for those who don't get to attend until Sunday, because I bet 1/3 to 1/2 of the tables will be empty.
Nice report. I too enjoyed the dinner very much and yes, your lovely wife was a real trooper to put up with a bunch of coin collectors. I hope she spent a whole lot of money today shopping. You deserve it.
And thanks for the kind words for my coins.
Theop,
Thanks for the report. Yesterday was quite slow too. (Note to self: when scheduling coin shows avoid the week following a major show.) It is common knowledge that dealers are packing up earlier and earlier. I often wonder how many potential collectors come to shows for the first time on a Sunday to assess what the hobby is like and leave so disappointed they never start up. Something has to be done about it. I will not attend shows on weekends anymore, but I am fortunate to be in a position where I can attend during weekdays without putting my work in jeopardy.
I arrived late today, around 2:30 and dealers were already hitting the door; I agree this is very annoying. Seemed like alot less bustle compared to last year, and everything was pretty well picked through by the time I rolled in. Left the show around 5pm empty handed
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