Boston ANA Report: Parts 1 and 2
DrPete
Posts: 1,497 ✭✭✭
I spent from Tuesday about noon until late Saturday at the ANA show in Boston. I wore many hats including: Collector, dealer helper/numismatist for Harry Laibstain Rare Coins, auction bidder, husband, dinner guest, and many others.
Boston: This is a great place to visit with the only real down-side being the cost of hotel rooms, and convention food/drink. I know some people were able to use the discount services of Priceline, Orbitz and the like with prices paid per night at named "decent" hotels running from $49 (this person gets the Marriott employee rat) to $269 (a more typical Boston hotel rate). My room rate was not bad and a short walk from the Hynes Convention Center. The great varitey of restaurants near the convention center, both those in the Prudential Center, those just up on Boylston Street and many others within short walking distance, or an easy subway ride away, is nothing short of amazing. Boston is a great walking city with so much history. Collectors showed up at this show and the table was consistently busy most of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then slowed down Friday and Saturday.
Popping out of gopher holes: One real adventure I experienced coming in to Boston was in regard to trying to use the Mass Transit System or "T." I thought I would try to be a little greener, and maybe save a few bucks using mass transit (a total foreign concept in Michigan). On a map on a computer back in Michigan, the T system looks great; you land at Logan Airport, the Grey line is connected to the red line, the red line is connected to the green line, the green line connects you to the convention center, and voila, there you are. Unfortunately, there are some minor details that such a simplistic map doesn't tell you. Firstly, the Grey Line starts out at the airport as a free range roving bus, and I waited a good 20 minutes to catch this bus. A second bus was right behind it. After a series of stops at various points, the driver stops this bus, gets out and puts up the "antennae" electric connectors so that we can then operate on electrical power and enter the "underground." The ride from the airport to the connection to the red line takes about 20 minutes with the various stops. Finally, things really get moving. I have my checked bag and my carry-on and climbing stairs at the subway transfers on this hot day (up to 88 degrees) starts getting a little tiresome. I make the transfer at Park Station to the Green line, catch a very full train, standing and try to watch the stops only to find out I overshot the Convention Center by one. I rectify the situation and then get out for Hynes Convention Center. Out of the ground I pop like a gopher, the sunlight blasting me with NO idea where I am in relation to the Convention Center and my hotel. I make an educated guess to the correct direction and see the Berkelee School of Music, and once near there I see my Sheraton hotel, what looks like a good five blocks away. Off I lug my bags, wondering why I ever thought mass transit was such a good idea, it took me a full hour from the airport and I was dripping wet when I checked in. I took a cab to Logan this morning when I came back.
ANA Show: This show was a lot of fun for me in a lot of ways. Being an avid Barber half dollar collector, and fellow mint state collector with Dr. Duckor, I was sorry to see him sell his set and part with his great coins, but it was also a great opportunity for me to pick up some coins for my set. When I first completed my set it was in third place on the PCGS registry, behind the number one set of Dr. Duckor and the number two set of Dale Friend. Dale's set sold in January of 2009. That means I now have the privilege of being the current number one set listed on the PCGS web site, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Dave Wnuck who occasionally teased me about that when walking by our table. Much of my time was spent helping out at Harry Laibstain's table, an activity I enjoy greatly.
I am runnning out of time to write at the present. To be continued.....
Boston: This is a great place to visit with the only real down-side being the cost of hotel rooms, and convention food/drink. I know some people were able to use the discount services of Priceline, Orbitz and the like with prices paid per night at named "decent" hotels running from $49 (this person gets the Marriott employee rat) to $269 (a more typical Boston hotel rate). My room rate was not bad and a short walk from the Hynes Convention Center. The great varitey of restaurants near the convention center, both those in the Prudential Center, those just up on Boylston Street and many others within short walking distance, or an easy subway ride away, is nothing short of amazing. Boston is a great walking city with so much history. Collectors showed up at this show and the table was consistently busy most of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then slowed down Friday and Saturday.
Popping out of gopher holes: One real adventure I experienced coming in to Boston was in regard to trying to use the Mass Transit System or "T." I thought I would try to be a little greener, and maybe save a few bucks using mass transit (a total foreign concept in Michigan). On a map on a computer back in Michigan, the T system looks great; you land at Logan Airport, the Grey line is connected to the red line, the red line is connected to the green line, the green line connects you to the convention center, and voila, there you are. Unfortunately, there are some minor details that such a simplistic map doesn't tell you. Firstly, the Grey Line starts out at the airport as a free range roving bus, and I waited a good 20 minutes to catch this bus. A second bus was right behind it. After a series of stops at various points, the driver stops this bus, gets out and puts up the "antennae" electric connectors so that we can then operate on electrical power and enter the "underground." The ride from the airport to the connection to the red line takes about 20 minutes with the various stops. Finally, things really get moving. I have my checked bag and my carry-on and climbing stairs at the subway transfers on this hot day (up to 88 degrees) starts getting a little tiresome. I make the transfer at Park Station to the Green line, catch a very full train, standing and try to watch the stops only to find out I overshot the Convention Center by one. I rectify the situation and then get out for Hynes Convention Center. Out of the ground I pop like a gopher, the sunlight blasting me with NO idea where I am in relation to the Convention Center and my hotel. I make an educated guess to the correct direction and see the Berkelee School of Music, and once near there I see my Sheraton hotel, what looks like a good five blocks away. Off I lug my bags, wondering why I ever thought mass transit was such a good idea, it took me a full hour from the airport and I was dripping wet when I checked in. I took a cab to Logan this morning when I came back.
ANA Show: This show was a lot of fun for me in a lot of ways. Being an avid Barber half dollar collector, and fellow mint state collector with Dr. Duckor, I was sorry to see him sell his set and part with his great coins, but it was also a great opportunity for me to pick up some coins for my set. When I first completed my set it was in third place on the PCGS registry, behind the number one set of Dr. Duckor and the number two set of Dale Friend. Dale's set sold in January of 2009. That means I now have the privilege of being the current number one set listed on the PCGS web site, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Dave Wnuck who occasionally teased me about that when walking by our table. Much of my time was spent helping out at Harry Laibstain's table, an activity I enjoy greatly.
I am runnning out of time to write at the present. To be continued.....
Dr. Pete
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I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
know what you mean about subways...
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
The Platinum Auction including Dr. Duckor's Barber halves:
Practically my first stop on arriving in Boston, after checking into my room and chucking my dripping wet dress clothes for shorts and a golf-type shirt and strap sandals, was to go to lot viewing and look at the 74 coins that made up the Dr. and Mrs. Steven Duckor collection of Barber halves. After getting my bidder number and settling in, I was able in about an hour to take my time and look over the coins and make notes about them in my catalog and start the process of figuring out which of the 44 coins that would improve my set, yes that's right, well over half of the coins would be upgrades, I should pick. I knew the coins were highly graded, highly sought after and would bring strong prices, especially the key date coins and those that were extra special. Even without the third party grading, the 05-P stuck out as an amazing coin. That issue and about 15 others showed up on my "whittled" down list of coins to consider, well, that's better than 44! There were a lot of coins that had received plus grades and no one yet knows what that will mean, and prior to the auction we expected coins with MS 67 plus and MS 66 plus to go for strong money, and I think it is safe to say that they did so in nearly all cases. I also compared notes with a few other individuals, including Harry Laibstain, to try to get the best opinions on which coins to focus my bidding on.
I had been in touch with Steve Duckor before going to Boston and on Wednesday morning I had the pleasure to review his coins, one by one with him in lot viewing. The Heritage catalog as prepared by Mark Borkardt was a fantastic work and a great reference on high grade barber half dollars, better than any other catalog featuring them before now. A few of Steve's acquisitions and stories I was already aware of, but the real fun came in the passionate discussion of a coin topic of mutual love and respect. Regardless of how the auction would later transpire, this time spent together would always be a highlight and a great memory.
It seemed like it was no time before the auction night actually arrived, and for platinum night, the room was rather small and chairs were tightly packed in. I got in a good 15 minutes early, found a spot with three chairs, one would be for Harry Laibstain and the other for my wife, attending her first ever coin auction and planning to keep me in check and from overspending (enter your own thoughts here). The auction was supposed to start at 6 pm but it was about 6:15 when the first lot went off and when I turned around I could not believe how packed the room was with many people standing in the back. The room was full and abuzz! It would be about 170 lots before we got to the start of the Barber halves. I tried not to be too nervous and even did not eat any of the nice food provided by Heritage as I did no want any degree of tiredness once the lots started going. Heritage does an amazing job of putting bids together from such diverse inputs with a lot speed of as many as 150-200 lots an hour, usually a little less with Platinum coins as they are composed of bigger ticket items.
As we got to the Barber halves, I could see Dr. and Mrs Duckor sitting up front next to David Akers, his mentor, and Dale and Stacey Friend sitting nearby, as well as other dealers I knew would be actively bidding on these great coins. I watched carefully as the 92-P got bought by David Hall, the regular 92-O went to someone, then the micro O went for, what I thought, a very reasonable $70K hammer; I expected more. The first coin for me to seriously consider after doing my homework, was the 92-S. I had settled upon a number and it went for the next bid above that. I am not sure I would have snagged it at the next increment, so I didn't push on that one. Later in the auction I thought about how I missed out on that one, although I still don't know what it would have taken to win it against the other bidder. Fine, I had other fish to try to get. Next up for me was the 94-P which is an amazing coin, but the price on that one went up fast and furious and I let it go, too. Next for me was the 95-S and that was one I REALLY wanted. We fought long and hard and got it. My wife by then was getting the hang of it and knew I was telling the truth that I had no idea what coins I would buy nor how much they would cost. We did set a limit, though. Great dates like the 96-O and S and the 97-O and S would all bring strong money, although I thought the 96-O went for less than I expected. I had a surprise on the 98-O as I put in an internet bid before the live auction and it opened on my pre-bid and close on it--I had another one! That was two in rather short order, too. My other pre-bids gone blown away before the live part commenced.
A number of other lots went by, some of them with fantastic coins and the ones I liked the best brought the strongest prices. Oh to buy the 00-O, the 01-O, the 01-S! Not this time. The coins everybody was waiting for then came up, the 04-S in 67 and the 05 in 68plus. I had estimated some years ago that an 04-S half in PCGS 67 should be worth $140K. This one with the hammer and juice brought $138K, real close. Then the 05-P would amaze us all. I would not have been surprised at a hammer of $70K or even $100K, but the hammer of $115K was totally amazing. I have already read elsewhere that Laura Sperber of Legend bought the coin, and it is already sold. WOW! My next purchase would be the 07-P and I had a dog-fight to get that one, and was about to give up when my wife intervened and gave the symbol for cut-bid (she's a fast learner) and we pulled it off. I was told by others in the room that the combination of me shaking my head no, my wife giving the cut bid signal, and Harry trying to get our answer to the auctioneer was rather comical. The fourth and final coin for me was the 08-O in 67, supposedly there are 12 in MS 67 by PCGS, but I have seen precious few of this date above MS 65. I knew that I was DONE and went way over what I rationalized spending. However, when a great opportunity arises, one has to stretch or one is left with nothing. I had told Steve Duckor before his sale I expected his sale to bring $2 million with juice. I was told by Steve that the total is $2.2 million.
THE DAY AFTER:
Before the ANA, my wife and I were invited to dinner with the Duckors, Friends and some others at a nice restaurant in Cambridge, called Craigie's on Main. We had a great dinner and I got to know these people much better. I will remember and cherish that dinner, treated by the Duckors. David Akers, Mark Borkdardt, Todd Imhoff were also with us, and Matt Duckor, Steve's son, picked out the restaurant and the wine. I don't think I ever had a five hour dinner before, but I don't think I ever had a more enjoyable dinner, either.
AND BEYOND:
The rest of my stay was a bit less exciting for me compared to the auction-related activities. I did finally get to meet Q David Bowers and that was a neat thing for me. We bought and sold coins at HLRC and I really enjoy doing that and meeting the many great people one meets in transacting coin transactions.
THE END
of all those Barbers.
Peter,
It was great seeing you again and I congratulate you
on your newps. Also, it was my pleasure meeting your
lovely wife and I enjoyed hearing of the auction antics.
Thanks for your support as well. Hope your trip home
was uneventful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Hi Dr. Pete:
Great report. Your passion for this series and for numismatics really came through in your writing.
BTW -- when I mentioned about your now having the #1 set of Barber Halves, I was only teasing a tiny bit. Mostly I was acknowledging your accomplishment. It is a huge, very difficult series, and you are as focused a collector as I have ever met.
A hearty congrats!
Rgds,
Dave W.
Oh, and you should probably change the title of this thread to: "Boston ANA Report: Parts 1 and 2 -- UPDATED!".
Coin Rarities Online
I knew you were teasing. It was great meeting your lovely wife and kids, too. No teenage daughter wants to be told they look like their dad. Mine sure didn't. Don't keep them so sheltered from the rest of us.
My writing would be a little cleaner grammatically if I proofed after I wrote, but the intents are all there. I do love those Barber halves. I will take your suggestion and try to edit the thread title if I can figure out how.
We have not pm'd each other since 2005 since I had done nothing to expand on my holdings of my single purchase of the Duckor/Price 1910 PCGS MS-65 barber half way back then.
As you may remember, I was quite satisfied with that pleasing coin and it became my type coin and of course, it was stickered a year ago.
Sometimes it is so nice to be able to say ok, bought that one and now I am done.
But I recall you clearly had higher aspirations even back then and I congratulate you on your acquisitions and also thank you for sharing this with all of us.
--
<< <i>If you thought public transit was a hassle, try driving the same route. That's where the fun begins. >>
Boston. The first time I went there, I drove. And I flew back. And no, that was not planned...
Stewart Huckaby
mailto:stewarth@HA.com
------------------------------------------
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75261
Phone: 1-800-US-COINS, x1355
Heritage Auctions
And now is the time for a little glory. Your Gem Barber half set will be tops for a long time, and congrats are in order.
The best part of the Duckor sale was watching your sweet wife get involved in the bidding for one of the great coins you bought. While you and Harry were thinking about the next bid, she, on her own used the signal for a cut bid, it won the lot, and now she is a real co-conspirator.
So, Congrats to both of you. And to you individually for a great show/auction report
Congrats Pete!!!
Steve E.