My Alamo Coin Show Visit Today

richardshipp

Well, I attended the ACS today in San Antonio, TX. First coin show I've been to since childhood (a long long time ago). I was advised to park close in but everyone else must have got the same tip; because by the time I arrived I parked about 47 miles away . After a little hike, I made it to the entrance and forked out my $1 for admission and my "rob me" sticker. So far so good.

Upon walking through the doors and going in a couple of tables and looking around; I was overwhelmed. Wow, thats a whole mess of coins. I had my mental list of what I'd like to pick up and decided to do a quick once through to see who was where and what they had out. Did I mention "man what a bunch of coins" .

As I strolled through one of the center aisles; a BUST HALF literally is screaming at me from its slabbed state in a glass top case. I put on the brakes, spun and went in for a look. Holy Crap !!! Its the most beautiful coin I think I'd ever seen. Wish I could tell you the date or grade or anything about it, but I think I went into shock. I know it was in an NGC slab and I think it was graded a ms64*???? I wiped the drool from my face and tried to compose myself. I knew I was in the wrong league for a beauty like this but here came the dealer who inquired if he could help. I stuttered and stammered and kind of pointed at the Bust which now looked EVEN NICER than before. The dealer whom was ever so polite informed me that the Bust was a 1/0 Top Pop, none finer, and a star to boot. I found out that I could own this coin of a lifetime for $60,000. Now I have no idea if that was a good price or not; but all I can tell you is it looks like a MILLION. I expressed my thanks for just telling me about the coin and moved on.

I see a few folks I've met around this area with tables set up, at least I recognized somebody whether they remember me or not didn't really matter. I completed the circuit without so much as one coin bought. I had spotted a few that I'd go back and check out, but had not found what I'd come for so I had to go into the "ask em if they got one mode". The hunt was on for a 1936 Texas Commemorative MS66. Table after table the answer was no. Then came across a table with a 3 piece 1936 set but they won't break it up. At about the point of giving up someone says yep I got one. From 2 feet away I knew I'd have to own it. PCGS MS66 with a look that really appealed to me. Done Deal, Mission #1 accomplished.

Now where was that buffalo nickel that I'd seen???? I'd wanted to pick up a high grade buffalo nickel as low priced as I could, mostly to be able to use as a judge for comparrison to my others. Found a real pretty NGC MS66 1938D with some subtle but very pretty tone. Mission #2 accomplished.

Now to find a Bust Half that didn't cost 60 Grand. After some effort, I stumble across an 1834 raw that looks original to me (but I'm real new at ths so???). At any rate I see right off the bat why it wasn't slabbed, even though it has what I think is a pretty nice strike, color, and condition. SCRAAATTCHH across the Obverse is obvious. I still like the coin and now I own it. (pretty reasonable price too).

Last on the list was a $5 Liberty raw. I kind of count this as part of my bullion purchase, but since there are so many to choose from, I took some time and tried to pick out something without a lot of hits. Mission #4 completed.

Now the question was, if I could get to the car and home without being mugged. I walked the 47 miles back to the car and did the every now and then look behind me.

All in all a great time and I found everyone to be very helpful and polite.

I'll get some pics up later. For me anyway, its a lot harder taking nice pictures of coins than it is in finding them.

Hope you enjoyed the story and thanks for all the help you all have been to me as I've gotten back into this hobby.


Edited: Originally said the nickel was PCGS when in fact its an NGC.

Edit: Pictures Added (I know the pictures aren't great, but they are what your stuck with)

Leiana

Sounds like you had a lot of fun!!

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures.

-Amanda

AU58WALKERS

sounds like a fun show

Bear

Thank you for your ecxcellant report.

I enjoyed reading about your adventures.

291fifth

Nice report. My prediction, though, is that you are going to wish you had passed on the coin with the obverse scratch. This isn't the time to be buying problem coins. Just my opinion.

RichieURich

Sounds like you had great fun at the coin show! And, an excellent show report!

Coxe

Sounds like a successful show. A 180 from the Anaheim one. Can't wait to see where Long Beach weighs in. I am expecting average attendance.

richardshipp

Pics added to OP.

Leiana

Neat looking coins.

The scratch on the bust half is not too bad, I mean it IS a circulated coin.

Now the buffalo looks like an RPM (repunched mint mark). Is it?

It could be a D/D or a D/S. It *looks* like a D/D from the photo, but that could just be an effect from the lighting.

I really love the look of the Texas commem!

-Amanda

SDSportsFan

Nice pickups Richard!

I've always had good luck finding nice coins at the Live Oak shows. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the show today, but I'll be at the next one in November


Steve

richardshipp

Thanks.

I just looked at the "D" on the buffalo again with a bigger loupe. Honestly, I'm not all that sure what I'm looking for but I don't think it is a repunched MM. That being said though, the "D" is not crisp, and their looks to be a little "slag" (for lack of a better word) inside the "D" at the bottom???
What the picture doesn't show is that it has a real pretty color (gold w/ a hint of pink/purple). It is also has GREAT LUSTER!

etexmike

For your first show back after years, it sounds like you had a good time and success to go along with it.

Not bad pics either. Congrats on your pickups.

Appreciate the report. I just might have to make the drive down sometime for that show.

-------------

etexmike

Leiana

<< <i>Thanks.

I just looked at the "D" on the buffalo again with a bigger loupe. Honestly, I'm not all that sure what I'm looking for but I don't think it is a repunched MM. That being said though, the "D" is not crisp, and their looks to be a little "slag" (for lack of a better word) inside the "D" at the bottom???
What the picture doesn't show is that it has a real pretty color (gold w/ a hint of pink/purple). It is also has GREAT LUSTER! >>



I don't know, I have scoured my books and all I have a picture of is D/S.

-Amanda

AZLARRY

good report, thanks.

richardshipp

I wonder if anyone would be kind enough to look at the Bust and tell me what they think of it and what it would grade IF IT DID NOT have the scratch on the Obverse? I'm trying to learn this series.

I only paid $30 for it so I'm not worried about taking a bath or anything. Its more of a learning process.

My rookie guess is that (assuming it didn't have a scratch) it would be a F-12; and that it has an original look to it. Am I close?

Thanks.

ElmerFusterpuck

Hello - I was at the Alamo show today and saw the 1827 Bust Half in question. It WAS a knockout and was graded NGC MS-65*. It did literally jump out of the case. I did look at it and both sides were spectacular! Too bad no pictures. I was looking for bust halves and did see that 1834, but I didn't bite. Nice coin though.

As for the show itself, it was a pleasant way to spend a morning though I bought nothing; no compelling hole fillers. Gotta save myself up for Long Beach. The one thing I did notice about this show (and others too) is how many dealers *STILL* put their coins is PVC flips! I could smell and see the green goo forming already.

The attendance seemed pretty good and I did see people buying. However, the supply of really nice circulated type coins seems to be drying up, slabbed or unslabbed. Many of the ones I saw were ugly, dipped out or abrasively cleaned (and called AU to boot). There's the one dealer I see at every SA coin show: nice selection but outrageous prices. $400 for mildy toned Morgans and $75 dollars for MS-65 1959 Washington's - no way!

kranky

Nice report, glad you enjoyed it.

Barndog

Sorry I didn't get to meet any of you there. I was gone by 1:00-1:30. I stopped at my favorite dealer's table first and spent about half an hour there. He had one coin of interest, an 1833 LM-8 half dime (raw, AU, completely original). I decided to look at other dealers' offerings first. Walked the bourse of maybe 50 dealers and didn't find any other half dimes that were new (I've been looking at the same stuff in dealer cases at this show for about two years!) or impressive (the few half dimes I could find typically had problems). I looked through a few medals, checked some bust dimes looking for coins with cuds, and then found myself back at my first stop, where I purchased the AU half dime that had started my day. At $160, I was quite satisfied with my purchase. The die marriage is not rare (R-3), but this coin in a top-two slab at auction would have cost me closer to $200 (or more) with tax (Heritage is in Texas) and shipping. I did meet with a fellow collector of early silver and showed him a few half dimes I picked up over the past two months (including a nice 1831 LM-1.3 with a later die state cud in no-problem F-15). He and I had lunch and got to discuss half dimes, ideas for educational displays of half dimes at a future ANA meeting, family, and fellow collectors. It was a fruitful day in that I rarely walk away from a San Antonio show with a new coin in hand and the alternative to the show was planting Texas Mountain Laurel in the back yard with my wife.