Santa Rosa Show Report

CalGold

Not a whole lot to see or buy. Don Rinkor's DMPL inventory looked depleted. I guess he has found selling easier than buying.

No really attractive original toned coins.

Lots of raw low grade stuff. Lots of dipped white stuff.

The only coins I left the show with are my pocket change. I guess I'll keep them and start a collection of moderns.

Next week on to Santa Clara.

CG:

dizzyfoxx

I sure hope Santa Clara is better!!!

carl

Not to detailed of a report. Must not really liked that one to much. How many dealers? How crowded? Where is that Santa Rosa thing anyway? Good luck at the next one.

WTCG

Carl, the Santa Rosa coin show was held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, CA. Santa Rosa is a city about 50 miles north of San Francisco with a population of 155,000.

I was there today. Public attendance was very good at this 70 table show, as it always is at this show. The material offered for sale ranged from garbage to mediocre, but the dealers who had a bourse table reported strong sales.

I had one experience with one self-proclaimed dealer that may be worth mentioning. It almost ended up with me running over to a Kinkos to print flyers proclaiming how much of an idiot this guy was. Good thing for him I didn't have enough time to do so.

dwssws

<< <i>I had one experience with one self-proclaimed dealer that may be worth mentioning. It almost ended up with me running over to a Kinkos to print flyers proclaiming how much of an idiot this guy was. Good thing for him I didn't have enough time to do so. >>

Cladiator

How often is this SR show done?

RYK

I had one experience with one self-proclaimed dealer that may be worth mentioning. It almost ended up with me running over to a Kinkos to print flyers proclaiming how much of an idiot this guy was. Good thing for him I didn't have enough time to do so.

Are you going to leave us hanging on the details?

Cladiator

<< <i>I had one experience with one self-proclaimed dealer that may be worth mentioning. It almost ended up with me running over to a Kinkos to print flyers proclaiming how much of an idiot this guy was. Good thing for him I didn't have enough time to do so.

Are you going to leave us hanging on the details? >>

Even though I wasn't there I can almost be positive I know who he's talking about lol

stephunter

My son and I made the 2 hour trip from Sacramento for the show and had a good time. I must say that I did have a hard time finding anything that was interesting in my budget. Although I did come up with nice seated half from Eugene Bruder that I will post later when I have some time.

CalGold

Gene Bruder did have some interesting material. 1840 rev 38, 1842-o rev 39, 1846 6/hor 6 in circ condition. 1837 pr 63 no stars dime.

CG

WTCG

All right...you've all asked for it...

In the corner of the room was a bourse table occupied by Jack Free of Santa Rosa, CA.

I walk up to the table and I noticed that he had several coins that were the same grade, type and service as 40 that I had with me and 200+ back at the office. I asked how much he wanted for those coins, and he names me what I feel are outrageous prices. I ask Mr. Free if he needed any more, and he told me that he would always buy as many as I could find for him at $15 less than his sale prices and he would pay me in green cash, in his words. I believed that $15 back of his asking prices were much too good of a deal to pass up, so I proceeded to remove the 40 coins and I began to invoice them to him.

As soon as he noticed that I was pulling out coins to invoice to him, Mr. Free stated that his buy offer was only an hypothetical, and that he didn't realize that I actually had any coins that were to be for sale! I reminded him of his buy offer, and he refused to honor them. At first Mr. Free denied that he ever verbally stated any buy offers, but a dealer friend of mine who was next to me at the booth also reminded him that he did in fact make an offer to buy coins. Mr. Free threatened to call bourse security to have me removed, but since I am on friendly terms with the show organizers they refused to follow up on his requests. By this time he had his back turned towards the wall with his ears covered refusing to look at me, publicly humiliating himself in the process. I gave Mr. Free a crash course in dealer ettiquete in front of about a dozen of his potential customers.

Bottom line...Jack Free, a part time and wannabe dealer from Santa Rosa, CA is a liar and should not be trusted. Know better before you begin to deal with him. Considering the bulk of the inventory he carries, I don't think many of you would want to anyways.

Cladiator, the Redwood Empire Coin Club show is held once a year, usually in February or March.

DennisH

Sounds like a real piece of work.

JSsson

I was present at the coin show in Santa Rosa on Saturday as well, with my son with me. I found several coins that I was looking for, mostly Morgan dollars and a few gold coins. I also ended up buying a few coins that I don't usually collect, such as a few circulated Bust Half Dollars. I'm beginning to enjoy the early Bust type coinage, but they often come so varied in grade and appearance that I still don't have the slightest idea on how to grade them! On Saturday the people in attendance seemed rather high, with the aisles being hard to get around from time to time because of the crowds. My favorite dealers were also set up, which is always a good thing, and from talking to them it seemed like they were all having very brisk sales. The host coin club does a great program for kids, so I took my young one with me to the show and he had a great time with the treasure hunt and the free State Quarters from the host club's table. While my son was participating in the kids programs, I took some time to study how dealers "worked" shows, and I spent a few moments following WTCG around while he conducted business. It's interesting to see deals being conducted from a dealer's point of view as opposed to a collector's view.

I thought I was imagining things, but I guess I really wasn't when I witnessed a part of the incident with J. Free and WTCG. Although I didn't see the entire exchange, I must say that Jack Free was acting extremely immature and unprofessional in front of Wei and several of his customers. It's incomprehensible to me why somebody would not honor a buy offer when they clearly stated one. I don't think I will be dealing with Jack Free any time soon in the future as I don't like dishonesty. Overall, my son and I had a great time, and we'll look forward to coming back next year. Also, of the three times I've been to this show, this was the first year that it didn't rain continuously during the show.

stephunter

By the way, here is the seated half that I bought at the show. I'm did not capture the luster or the colors but the picture gives you a general idea.

BlindedByEgo

Anybody ever see Jack Free at another show since?