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Bay State Coin Show Report: Friday, December 1
airplanenut
Posts: 22,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
First, I'd like to just note that it's December... wow!
I went to the Bay State show yesterday for a few hours. It followed an exam and lecture, so the break was very, very well received. It's also nice for a local show in Boston, as my current schedule makes attendance at larger shows very difficult, even for the ones at home in Baltimore. I arrived at around 11:30, and promptly made my way in. Since I did not buying or selling at Baltimore (I did pick up one thing on eBay after Baltimore), I was hoping to pick up a few nice pieces, as well as sell a few others. Within 5 minutes of walking in, I picked up my first piece--the first coin I looked at, a pretty 1895 Indian cent. In fact, the last coin I bought at the March show was an 1895 Indian cent... hmmm. Now I have a proof and MS version.
Anyway, as I walked along, I noticed that the aisles at the show are INCREDIBLY tight. This was due in part because of the really thin aisles, but also a general bustle in the bourse area. A few tables had a fair number of people sitting down, and the chairs that went halfway into the aisle surely didn't help. If you've never been to the show, it's laid out as a messed up circuit. There are two main rooms, connected by a few hallways that have offshoot rooms. Every spot was taken, so there was no easy place to breath while walking around. As I continued, I also ran into Paul DeFelice of ICG, whom I promised to see when at Baltimore. It was good that I found him, since I needed to run a slab by Cameron, and Paul had Cameron's number. We had a nice chat before I went on my way.
When I made it to the larger of the two main rooms, I stopped by John Agre (ColonialCoinUnion) and Dave Wnuck's (I can't remember his ID
) table, where I was able to have a nice chat, and do some two-way show and tell. They always have some fantastic pieces, and are a pleasure to talk to. I walked around the show a bit more, and ended up selling a few pieces, taking an exceptionally toned 1964 JFK in a UN commemorative holder as a partial payment. I also found a very attractive 1884-CC dollar that called out my name. It's very rare for me to buy a white morgan (I own 2, now 3), but this was original, very flashy, and in a PCGS doily slab, which I very rarely seen, and have never owned. Plus, it was priced right 
I spent the remainder of the show talking with Caitlin, TomB, and John and Dave. My goal for the show was to pick up a nice NJ copper, but while NJ's were very plentiful, finding a nice one in my price range proved quite difficult. John was very helpful in teaching me a good deal about what to look for, and the advice was very much appreciated. Hopefully I'll pick one up sometime soon, but I don't need to rush it.
Since the show is also the C4 convention, copper is very plentiful, as well as most things early American and earlier. I saw many beautiful and original pieces, but also a fair number of dipped/cleaned pieces that were still holdered. I didn't ask prices, so I don't know if those were being sold at the discount they deserved or not. A few dealers had sizable stocks of toned pieces, and many others seemed to have a few here or there. From what I could see, most dealers looked busy throughout the show, and many proved to be some of the friendliest dealers I've dealt with at shows, enjoying a good laugh when possible. All-in-all, the show was highly enjoyable and a wonderful break from school. I picked up a few nice things, sold a few things, and felt the trip well worth it.
Jeremy
I went to the Bay State show yesterday for a few hours. It followed an exam and lecture, so the break was very, very well received. It's also nice for a local show in Boston, as my current schedule makes attendance at larger shows very difficult, even for the ones at home in Baltimore. I arrived at around 11:30, and promptly made my way in. Since I did not buying or selling at Baltimore (I did pick up one thing on eBay after Baltimore), I was hoping to pick up a few nice pieces, as well as sell a few others. Within 5 minutes of walking in, I picked up my first piece--the first coin I looked at, a pretty 1895 Indian cent. In fact, the last coin I bought at the March show was an 1895 Indian cent... hmmm. Now I have a proof and MS version.
Anyway, as I walked along, I noticed that the aisles at the show are INCREDIBLY tight. This was due in part because of the really thin aisles, but also a general bustle in the bourse area. A few tables had a fair number of people sitting down, and the chairs that went halfway into the aisle surely didn't help. If you've never been to the show, it's laid out as a messed up circuit. There are two main rooms, connected by a few hallways that have offshoot rooms. Every spot was taken, so there was no easy place to breath while walking around. As I continued, I also ran into Paul DeFelice of ICG, whom I promised to see when at Baltimore. It was good that I found him, since I needed to run a slab by Cameron, and Paul had Cameron's number. We had a nice chat before I went on my way.
When I made it to the larger of the two main rooms, I stopped by John Agre (ColonialCoinUnion) and Dave Wnuck's (I can't remember his ID
) table, where I was able to have a nice chat, and do some two-way show and tell. They always have some fantastic pieces, and are a pleasure to talk to. I walked around the show a bit more, and ended up selling a few pieces, taking an exceptionally toned 1964 JFK in a UN commemorative holder as a partial payment. I also found a very attractive 1884-CC dollar that called out my name. It's very rare for me to buy a white morgan (I own 2, now 3), but this was original, very flashy, and in a PCGS doily slab, which I very rarely seen, and have never owned. Plus, it was priced right I spent the remainder of the show talking with Caitlin, TomB, and John and Dave. My goal for the show was to pick up a nice NJ copper, but while NJ's were very plentiful, finding a nice one in my price range proved quite difficult. John was very helpful in teaching me a good deal about what to look for, and the advice was very much appreciated. Hopefully I'll pick one up sometime soon, but I don't need to rush it.
Since the show is also the C4 convention, copper is very plentiful, as well as most things early American and earlier. I saw many beautiful and original pieces, but also a fair number of dipped/cleaned pieces that were still holdered. I didn't ask prices, so I don't know if those were being sold at the discount they deserved or not. A few dealers had sizable stocks of toned pieces, and many others seemed to have a few here or there. From what I could see, most dealers looked busy throughout the show, and many proved to be some of the friendliest dealers I've dealt with at shows, enjoying a good laugh when possible. All-in-all, the show was highly enjoyable and a wonderful break from school. I picked up a few nice things, sold a few things, and felt the trip well worth it.
Jeremy
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<< <i>Nice report, Jeremy! Thanks for posting it. What interesting half cents and large cents did you see? >>
Nothing overly spectacular in my opinion, as in nothing out of the ordinary. There were a few nice brown pieces with great lustre that I saw, and many smooth-planchet circs. I didn't notice one chain cent, now that you mention it.
I'll try to have my own show report written in a bit.
jonathan
<< <i>I should have been at this show yesterday and today, but my wife's screwy schedule prevented it.
Yeah!! You could have met Caitlin!!
<< <i>
<< <i>Yeah!! You could have met Caitlin!! >>
Actually, I didn't know he was going so I would have missed him anyway. >>
Caitlin is a She!!