Does anybody have a mid-day report from Mid-America show?

tmot99

Looking to see if there are any reports from today yet. I will be going tomorrow afternoon and wanted to know what is hot.

PerryHall

Yea! We want a show report!

longtimecollector

By the afternoon, all the good coins will be gone, and you'll have nothing but "MODERN CRAP" to look at !!!!!!

lordmarcovan

I'm not there, but here is my report:

There are an awful lot of Morgan dollars in that room.

coinguy1

The show seemed quite busy today, compared to the other times I've been here.

Like most other shows I attend, this one offered a very small relative number of truly special, non-generic, non-ho-hum coins.

Generic gold type coins do not appear to have heated up noticeably as they have often done in the past when gold rallied, as it's done recently. If spot gold stays at or exceeds its current levels, I expect generic gold type coins to pick up, in activity and price.

Most of the ANR auction lots which were of interest to me had already received stronger on-line bids than I was prepared to place.

All for now.

PerryHall

<< <i>By the afternoon, all the good coins will be gone, and you'll have nothing but "MODERN CRAP" to look at !!!!!! >>

tmot99

Thanks Mark. Where will I find you tomorrow afternoon? I'd like to meet you. I am hoping to hit the show about noon.

ccex

I attended the show today from opening time at 10 AM until about 1:30. I stood in line well before 10:00 with quite a few collectors. A few feet away was Laura Legend talking busily on a cell phone If her conversation had ended before 10:00 I would have asked her to autograph her picture on the front page of the current Numismatic News that the publisher (and show sponsor) was giving away.

I found the selection to be better than last year, probably because I took time off from work to get there before everything that's both appealing and affordable had been sold. My first walk around the bourse was more pleasant than usual, with nationally known dealers taking the time to ask me what I was looking for or if I was selling. Even the lone Accugrade seller was very friendly, while deciphering the grade on my 1st generation Accugrade Photoslab (he implied that the "commercial 63 weak strike on the slab meant cleaned choice AU).

Once I had made notes of who seemed to have the best selection of what I was looking for, the aisles were noticeably more crowded. I didn't see as many people viewing auction lots as I have in the past. Also, I noted that some of the regulars at this show were absent this year. (I had a couple of questions for ANACS) I did get to check out coins from almost all of my favorite dealers, though and had time to gaze at many gorgeous coins way beyond my means. Today was the first time I have seen more collector traffic than dealer-to-dealer activity at a major show since I came back to coin collecting six years ago.

By noon I had spent only $36 on a two circulated Barber coins. Then I went back to Silvertowne, where I had spotted a couple stacks of reasonably priced ANACS graded gold coins with which to nicely fill the last four holes in my Dansco type set. I bought the nicest two, and got a discount to make the price exactly equal to the cash in my pocket (!) Last year, they had nothing left worthy of my type set by Saturday morning. I wrote a check for 1/3 of the total, since I still had a few more tables to get back to.

I almost left with that cash in my pocket, but decided to meet Dennis from Jade Rare Coin. He manned the table by himself, juggling 2 or three customers and his cell phone simultaneously. He was very patient with me while I checked out all his Barber coins. During the search I spotted an interesting 1851 gold dollar love token which will fill one more hole in my type set for a little while. He also sold me a couple mid-grade Barbers I was looking for and left me with enough cash to visit my favorite jazz club tonight after work.

Like the last two years, I heard several dealers say that it was easier to sell than to buy, but also heard more small talk and less deal-making than in the past. Like most others there, I was NOT inundated with coins I wanted to and could buy. Almost all the flashy coins in the display cases were priced high, and the huge majority of the dealers' other inventory either had problems or was more worn than what is already in my collection.

tmot99

Well, here is my response to my own post. I felt the show was much better than last year in the way of traffic, selection, and selling opportunities. As usual, lots of Morgans. If you wanted a Morgan, you sure had the chance to buy one. There were a few coins that I would love to go back and buy (and I may on Saturday if they are still there). I was surprised to see a LOT of early type stuff available and some at affordable prices (even though 'affordable' is still out of my current range). There was any selection of draped bust material and flowing hair material. I like the Long Beach show better, but that's only because there are some dealers that go there that specialize in seated material which is my preference.

It was a pleasure meeting Mark Feld, Brandon (poorguy), Dennis, Laura, and Julian. If anybody is going to be around tomorrow, let me know.

Overall, a great show.

bushmaster8

I agree, far better than last years show.

AlaBill

Thanks for taking the time and effort to give us back home folks a report. I read all of the show reports.

291fifth

Were there any dealers in ancients there?

tmot99

Yes, Pegasi was there and I think I saw a few others. Pegasi have been the best people to work with and always willing to educate me on ancients. Others have always been really short with me. Therefore, for my 12 Caesar set, I have only bought from them.