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CICF Report

MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,332 ✭✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
Just a few observations:

1. Coins sold very well.
2. Except for the auctions, quality material was in very short supply.
3. More so than ever, many major European dealers skipped the show.
4. Everybody hates the venue, especially the Europeans that don't appreciate traveling great distances to do an "airport show".
5. After doing Central States in the same venue the week before, I found the second week unbearable.

If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.)
Andy Lustig

Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.

Comments

  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 23,451 ✭✭✭✭✭
    what was hot and selling?

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • Aegis3Aegis3 Posts: 2,907 ✭✭✭


    << <i>If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.) >>



    Speaking as a former Chicagoan, it will make the show much less accessible by transit. (To make myself clear, I do not view that as a good thing.)
    --

    Ed. S.

    (EJS)
  • secondrepublicsecondrepublic Posts: 2,619 ✭✭✭
    As a Chicagoan who lives in the city, I would love to see the show downtown rather that out near O'Hare. That area is just so bland. And it sounds like the foreign dealers would also prefer to get the chance to see more of this great city rather than be stuck in an airport hotel.
    "Men who had never shown any ability to make or increase fortunes for themselves abounded in brilliant plans for creating and increasing wealth for the country at large." Fiat Money Inflation in France, Andrew Dickson White (1912)
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,332 ✭✭✭✭✭
    what was hot and selling?

    Certainly, Poland and Russia remained on fire, although I had none for sale.

    I had a group of Portuguese and Brazilian gold that moved quickly to four or five different buyers. That surprised me a bit.

    Good Mexican also seemed to sell better than expected, although I wouldn't quite call it hot.

    I also had some off quality (but valuable) British and Swiss that moved "too easily". I guess that was more of a function of exchange rates than anything else.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • MacCrimmonMacCrimmon Posts: 7,058 ✭✭✭
    What Suburban shopping mall? Sounds like they're backtracking.
  • percybpercyb Posts: 3,328 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.) >>



    Speaking as a former Chicagoan, it will make the show much less accessible by transit. (To make myself clear, I do not view that as a good thing.) >>



    I live in Chicago. You never want the venue downtown...The cost to get there and stay downtown is much too high. It's a hassle to get around downtown....It'd be like having a show in Lower Manhattan....forgetaboutit
    "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." PBShelley
  • gecko109gecko109 Posts: 8,231 ✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.) >>



    Speaking as a former Chicagoan, it will make the show much less accessible by transit. (To make myself clear, I do not view that as a good thing.) >>



    I live in Chicago. You never want the venue downtown...The cost to get there and stay downtown is much too high. It's a hassle to get around downtown....It'd be like having a show in Lower Manhattan....forgetaboutit >>




    I agree with Percy. I actually live IN Chicago, and if the show were held downtown, I'd think twice about going (actually the main reason I dont visit Harlan J. Berk very often). You will have to pay a minimum of $20 for parking anywhere in the downtown area, not to mention the congestion of getting there, and leaving. I was quite happy with the venue this year. The room was the perfect size to negotiate every table in less than 2 hours, and go back to the tables that interested you enough before you left. It was my first darkside show, and I came away very, very happy!
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,332 ✭✭✭✭✭
    While the airport venue may be better for locals, a downtown venue would attract more international dealers. To me, it's obvious that this would be to the advantage of all attendees, even the locals. Especially because otherwise the show is likely to die within a few years.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • gecko109gecko109 Posts: 8,231 ✭
    I can agree with that also Andy. But anyone who flew in from another country to do a 3 day, 70 table show just might need their head checked. 70 tables is not a major show IMO. Its a large "local" show, but not worthy of a plane ride in excess of 12 hours. I wonder if that is contributing to the show's demise as well?
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,332 ✭✭✭✭✭
    But anyone who flew in from another country to do a 3 day, 70 table show just might need their head checked. 70 tables is not a major show IMO. Its a large "local" show, but not worthy of a plane ride in excess of 12 hours. I wonder if that is contributing to the show's demise as well?

    Of course it is. But the trend could be reversed if the show moved back downtown, and the show could return to its former (larger) size.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • percybpercyb Posts: 3,328 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i> But anyone who flew in from another country to do a 3 day, 70 table show just might need their head checked. 70 tables is not a major show IMO. Its a large "local" show, but not worthy of a plane ride in excess of 12 hours. I wonder if that is contributing to the show's demise as well?

    Of course it is. But the trend could be reversed if the show moved back downtown, and the show could return to its former (larger) size. >>



    There are horror stories about Chicago's traffic snarls that might frustrate any one from anywhere else on the globe. Cab rides, dinners downtown, hotels expenses might make the cost prohibitive....

    The only exception I can think of is the exchange rate to the dollar where the cost for international dealers might be less that for any US dealers.
    "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." PBShelley
  • 3Mark3Mark Posts: 593 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Just a few observations:

    1. Coins sold very well.
    2. Except for the auctions, quality material was in very short supply.
    3. More so than ever, many major European dealers skipped the show.
    4. Everybody hates the venue, especially the Europeans that don't appreciate traveling great distances to do an "airport show".
    5. After doing Central States in the same venue the week before, I found the second week unbearable.

    If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.) >>



    I agree with you Andy on all of the above, except I didn't go to Central Statesimage When I manned the table for Steve, we got calls for most of the former Warsaw Pact country coins along with Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. We had virtually none of these. The Chicago show is a far cry from the New York International. Final observation, quality coins generally sold for moon money.
    I'm traveling on memory and running out of fuel.
  • dizzleccdizzlecc Posts: 1,113 ✭✭✭
    Nice report, thanks for sharing.
  • worldcoinguyworldcoinguy Posts: 3,019 ✭✭✭✭
    Good reports - thanks for the thoughts.

    Does anybody know how big the show was 10 years ago when it was downtown in the Mechanise Mart? I only lived in Chicago 2 years in 1997 and 1998, but it seemed to be much bigger than 70 tables at that time.
  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 23,451 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Some shows are not defined by the number of tables but who attends and has tables...

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • wildjagwildjag Posts: 1,335 ✭✭✭


    << <i>
    4. Everybody hates the venue, especially the Europeans that don't appreciate traveling great distances to do an "airport show".


    If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.) >>



    I agree, having loud airplanes landing all night of Friday was really bad. I thought the crowd was light all weekend and I found quality material I collect lacking compared to last year
  • bidaskbidask Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>
    4. Everybody hates the venue, especially the Europeans that don't appreciate traveling great distances to do an "airport show".


    If the show promoters stumble on this thread, consider it a plea to move the show to downtown Chicago! (The move to a suburban shopping mall next year is not going to solve anything.) >>



    I agree, having loud airplanes landing all night of Friday was really bad. I thought the crowd was light all weekend and I found quality material I collect lacking compared to last year >>

    What do you collect that you did not see much of this year?
    I manage money. I earn money. I save money .
    I give away money. I collect money.
    I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.




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