FUN 2011 Show Report
TomB
Posts: 21,126 ✭✭✭✭✭
FUN 2011 Show Report-
There have been no doubt scores of FUN show reports already posted and so this one might be completely redundant or boring, but I will add my experience to the boards anyway.
Most of us are likely quite a bit more familiar with Orlando than we are with Tampa and the change in scenery can make for an exciting time or one with additional angst. I don’t know Tampa well, but the convention center and hotels appear to be removed from the city proper and placed within an area that is rebuilding. This might keep entertainment options down, but may also make it easier to drive. I stayed at the Embassy Suites, which is attached via walkway to the convention center, and found the hotel to be a mixed bag. It was convenient and the rooms were gorgeous, but they charge $5 per bottle of water in the rooms, $20 per night for parking as well as an additional $20 if the car needed to be moved or accessed at any point during each day and $15 per night for internet access.
I arrived Wednesday in the AM and immediately set about to the Heritage auction lot screening room. Heritage does one whale of a job with their setup in that they process a large number of bidders and allow many in attendance bidders to have personal inspection of lots in a controlled lighting environment and with profession staff. I was camped out for about four or five hours in a row that had Keith Davignon (author of the reference tome on contemporary counterfeit Capped Bust half dollars), Larry Whitlow and Sheridan Downy as well as our own HalfCollector a few seats down. It is important to stress to folks that they can truly protect themselves if they have a knowledgeable, trustworthy person screen the lots in-hand since there were many coins that I thought might be quite nice via images only to find a fatal flaw while others appeared ho hum in images only to be wonderful. I inspected lots for several folks as well as myself and then went to my room to fork over the $15 for the one bar wifi access and inform those who had retained my services of my opinions on their coins of interest. After that, it was back to the convention center for photo ID and then to mill about the bourse as the first of the dealers set up. Dealer set up went until 8:00 PM, but I left early and attended the first session of the Heritage sale that started at 6:00 PM and lasted until slightly after midnight.
At the live sale I was able to win a fabulous Seated half dollar that was far and away the nicest coin of the type and grade I had seen in quite some time, if ever, and was pleased that the Heritage image of the coin made it look more or less like a flat, black disc. This kept internet bidding down, but allowed those who had taken the time to inspect lots in-hand to have an advantage in the bidding that was more pronounced than for other lots. This session of the auction was otherwise uneventful and had the typical few coins that sold for a rather surprisingly large sum while others appeared to be a nice catch for the buyers.
Thursday and Friday were the days where I did quite a bit of buying and selling on the floor and I found that the material that I brought with me was in high demand. Also, it was quite obvious that really nice type was quite scarce. Not once, not twice, not three times, but four times I had dealers mention to me that quality type was nearly nonexistent on the floor. I didn’t care for the layout of the floor of the bourse in that the “Budget Sellers” were placed several empty aisles away from everyone else and those selling foreign and ancients were also quarantined. Until mid afternoon on Thursday it seemed like there was a pall on the floor with the plummet in the prices of silver and gold, but this disappeared later on during the day. Here are some of the items or points of interest that might be useful for others-
1)More F and VF Barber half dollars are appearing in PCGS holders and this can be used to see the true difference in relative rarity between an F or VF of these coins and an EF or AU of these coins. The EF and AU coins are far scarcer and the price difference between the two grades would seem to be ready to get larger, in my opinion.
2) ICG ran a grading special and I noticed one dealer use the offering upon which at least two other dealers asked him to his face why he was wasting his money by making his coins less liquid.
3) The neat 1872 Church date set that was recently discovered and graded by NGC as well as written about on the boards has been partially crossed to PCGS and broken up with some coins already gone.
4) More late date CB quarters in F and VF are in holders now than in recent times.
5) Most MS64 graded Seated dollars look more like nice MS62 Seated dollars, in my opinion.
6)”Fresh” coins, however you might like to define them, definitely excite dealers and cause many to get giddy.
7) Quality type sold rather effortlessly for above Greysheet and this was oftentimes for substantially above Greysheet.
8) Nice commems (those that are superbly original, high end for the grade and with some extra quality, but that do not fall under the monster category) are priced rather low.
9) I carried around with me a PCGS graded Buchanan FS coin and most dealers liked it at melt, but they scoffed at the notion that these were worth more than melt. I don’t agree with the dismissive opinion on these.
10) Ch VF and Ch EF type with superbly original surfaces have always been tough, but I think most of the supply has been soaked up by strong hands.
11) Not as much talk on the floor overall about gold and silver as in recent shows.
12) A few tough Barber coins that I had purchased for a client who later changed his mind about the coins were sold to various dealers immediately upon being seen for even higher numbers than I had quoted the collector. Lesson learned for some folks might be that Greysheet cannot always predict value.
13) Folks run a great risk when they do not have lots pre-screened in auction.
I was able to purchase the one coin in the first Heritage session then another three coins in the Heritage internet sessions as well as to obtain multiple Southern mint Liberty eagles in OGHs with incredible, fresh skin for what I thought was a good price and, lastly, to obtain an incredible, truly high end MS Seated dollar. The show went well and I wish I had more to sell while down there. The drive back was not uneventful, unfortunately, as my car died and I am posting from a hotel with the hope of getting my car back tomorrow and continuing my trip home.
There have been no doubt scores of FUN show reports already posted and so this one might be completely redundant or boring, but I will add my experience to the boards anyway.
Most of us are likely quite a bit more familiar with Orlando than we are with Tampa and the change in scenery can make for an exciting time or one with additional angst. I don’t know Tampa well, but the convention center and hotels appear to be removed from the city proper and placed within an area that is rebuilding. This might keep entertainment options down, but may also make it easier to drive. I stayed at the Embassy Suites, which is attached via walkway to the convention center, and found the hotel to be a mixed bag. It was convenient and the rooms were gorgeous, but they charge $5 per bottle of water in the rooms, $20 per night for parking as well as an additional $20 if the car needed to be moved or accessed at any point during each day and $15 per night for internet access.
I arrived Wednesday in the AM and immediately set about to the Heritage auction lot screening room. Heritage does one whale of a job with their setup in that they process a large number of bidders and allow many in attendance bidders to have personal inspection of lots in a controlled lighting environment and with profession staff. I was camped out for about four or five hours in a row that had Keith Davignon (author of the reference tome on contemporary counterfeit Capped Bust half dollars), Larry Whitlow and Sheridan Downy as well as our own HalfCollector a few seats down. It is important to stress to folks that they can truly protect themselves if they have a knowledgeable, trustworthy person screen the lots in-hand since there were many coins that I thought might be quite nice via images only to find a fatal flaw while others appeared ho hum in images only to be wonderful. I inspected lots for several folks as well as myself and then went to my room to fork over the $15 for the one bar wifi access and inform those who had retained my services of my opinions on their coins of interest. After that, it was back to the convention center for photo ID and then to mill about the bourse as the first of the dealers set up. Dealer set up went until 8:00 PM, but I left early and attended the first session of the Heritage sale that started at 6:00 PM and lasted until slightly after midnight.
At the live sale I was able to win a fabulous Seated half dollar that was far and away the nicest coin of the type and grade I had seen in quite some time, if ever, and was pleased that the Heritage image of the coin made it look more or less like a flat, black disc. This kept internet bidding down, but allowed those who had taken the time to inspect lots in-hand to have an advantage in the bidding that was more pronounced than for other lots. This session of the auction was otherwise uneventful and had the typical few coins that sold for a rather surprisingly large sum while others appeared to be a nice catch for the buyers.
Thursday and Friday were the days where I did quite a bit of buying and selling on the floor and I found that the material that I brought with me was in high demand. Also, it was quite obvious that really nice type was quite scarce. Not once, not twice, not three times, but four times I had dealers mention to me that quality type was nearly nonexistent on the floor. I didn’t care for the layout of the floor of the bourse in that the “Budget Sellers” were placed several empty aisles away from everyone else and those selling foreign and ancients were also quarantined. Until mid afternoon on Thursday it seemed like there was a pall on the floor with the plummet in the prices of silver and gold, but this disappeared later on during the day. Here are some of the items or points of interest that might be useful for others-
1)More F and VF Barber half dollars are appearing in PCGS holders and this can be used to see the true difference in relative rarity between an F or VF of these coins and an EF or AU of these coins. The EF and AU coins are far scarcer and the price difference between the two grades would seem to be ready to get larger, in my opinion.
2) ICG ran a grading special and I noticed one dealer use the offering upon which at least two other dealers asked him to his face why he was wasting his money by making his coins less liquid.
3) The neat 1872 Church date set that was recently discovered and graded by NGC as well as written about on the boards has been partially crossed to PCGS and broken up with some coins already gone.
4) More late date CB quarters in F and VF are in holders now than in recent times.
5) Most MS64 graded Seated dollars look more like nice MS62 Seated dollars, in my opinion.
6)”Fresh” coins, however you might like to define them, definitely excite dealers and cause many to get giddy.
7) Quality type sold rather effortlessly for above Greysheet and this was oftentimes for substantially above Greysheet.
8) Nice commems (those that are superbly original, high end for the grade and with some extra quality, but that do not fall under the monster category) are priced rather low.
9) I carried around with me a PCGS graded Buchanan FS coin and most dealers liked it at melt, but they scoffed at the notion that these were worth more than melt. I don’t agree with the dismissive opinion on these.
10) Ch VF and Ch EF type with superbly original surfaces have always been tough, but I think most of the supply has been soaked up by strong hands.
11) Not as much talk on the floor overall about gold and silver as in recent shows.
12) A few tough Barber coins that I had purchased for a client who later changed his mind about the coins were sold to various dealers immediately upon being seen for even higher numbers than I had quoted the collector. Lesson learned for some folks might be that Greysheet cannot always predict value.
13) Folks run a great risk when they do not have lots pre-screened in auction.
I was able to purchase the one coin in the first Heritage session then another three coins in the Heritage internet sessions as well as to obtain multiple Southern mint Liberty eagles in OGHs with incredible, fresh skin for what I thought was a good price and, lastly, to obtain an incredible, truly high end MS Seated dollar. The show went well and I wish I had more to sell while down there. The drive back was not uneventful, unfortunately, as my car died and I am posting from a hotel with the hope of getting my car back tomorrow and continuing my trip home.
0
Comments
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I have found that the bourse is usually the worst place to sell modern gold commems like FS and any modern bullion that warrants a premium. Check that, a coin shop is the worst place, and the bourse is the next worst place.
Felt like I was there with this report, thanks
Hope you get the car situation taken care of.
Mike
<< <i>That is a shame that the 1872 church set was broken up. >>
What is the 1872 church set (pardon my ignorance)?
EAC 6024
<< <i>Most of us are likely quite a bit more familiar with Orlando than we are with Tampa and the change in scenery can make for an exciting time or one with additional angst. I don’t know Tampa well, but the convention center and hotels appear to be removed from the city proper and placed within an area that is rebuilding. This might keep entertainment options down, but may also make it easier to drive. I stayed at the Embassy Suites, which is attached via walkway to the convention center, and found the hotel to be a mixed bag. It was convenient and the rooms were gorgeous, but they charge $5 per bottle of water in the rooms, $20 per night for parking as well as an additional $20 if the car needed to be moved or accessed at any point during each day and $15 per night for internet access. >>
Good show report. Show reports are never redundant because everybody who attends the same show will always have differing experiences.
The convention center area is the Tampa city center. Like many Florida cities, the downtown area is mostly a business district and empties out after dark. The bottle water, wi-fi and parking charges at the Embassy Suites are basically in line with any downtown business hotel anywhere in the world. If I have access to a car I always make a point of stopping first at a CVS or other market to pick up some bottle water and snacks so there won't be the temptation to raid the minibar. The parking fee at the Tampa Convention Center parking garage was a bargain at $5 per day, which is practically unheard of in any city.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
RYK...here is the link to the thread...
Church Renovation 1872 Type set
Visit my son's caringbridge page @ Runner's Caringbridge Page
"To Give Anything Less than Your Best, Is to Sacrifice the Gift" - Steve Prefontaine
thanks for posting!
<< <i>there were many coins that I thought might be quite nice via images only to find a fatal flaw while others appeared ho hum in images only to be wonderful. >>
Were any of the CAC-stickered bust halves included in that groups of surprises? If so, did they tend to be the photogenic but not as great in hand, or the opposite?
Chance favors the prepared mind.
<< <i>
<< <i>there were many coins that I thought might be quite nice via images only to find a fatal flaw while others appeared ho hum in images only to be wonderful. >>
Were any of the CAC-stickered bust halves included in that groups of surprises? If so, did they tend to be the photogenic but not as great in hand, or the opposite? >>
Great report Tom, thanks.
I actually heard from someone on these boards that many of the CAC stickered bust halves probably didn't deserve the green bean.
Anyone else check them out in hand and feel the same way, just curious
<< <i>
5) Most MS64 graded Seated dollars look more like nice MS62 Seated dollars, in my opinion.
>>
So I'm not the only one
Nice report Tom
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Tom, first rate report indeed!
Camelot
Heck, I almost feel like I was there (which would have been ultra sweet) !
Travel safe -
Dave
I looked at the Heritage FUN cats and couldn't find any seated half that looked like a black disk. The 1853-0 half in MS63 CAC seemed to be the darkest looking coin photographed and probably nicer in hand.
By choice type being quite elusive at the show are you refering primarily to choice XF-AU material or PF/MS 63-67 as well?
roadrunner
<13) Folks run a great risk when they do not have lots pre-screened in auction>
Yep. coin roulette........................MJ
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I was blow away at how the picture and coin looked nothing alike. It went from no interest to I hope everyone just looks at the catalog pic.
Other than that there did seem to be some pics that had to much light on them and they looked washed out compared to in hand.
Gary
The lot in question that I called a black disc in the images was not imaged in the paper catalog, but online the image appears little more than black on my monitor. It is lot 3828 and the coin is very nice in-hand. The coin that I thought was imaged worse than any other was lot 3551 and this coin appeared as deep navy in-hand with some other colors though the catalog shows it as some combination of auburn, orange, white and navy. I did a double take to make certain I was on the correct lot when that one was in my box. I didn't spend as much time on the early half dollars as I would have liked because I was looking at a large range of coins and the early half dollars were quite popular with other folks at lot viewing.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Great report, Tom.
It was my pleasure to finally have met you !
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
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