PhysicsFan's 2011 FUN Show Report
physicsfan314
Posts: 186 ✭✭✭
Well, you've probably read a dozen reports by now, but I'm going to throw my 2 cents in as well. I don't normally post over here, but a couple of people have told me I should post this, so here goes.
I left Charleston Thursday after work, spent the night with a buddy in Jacksonville, and finally arrived in Tampa Friday morning. My first impression was - I don't like the location. I'd never been to Tampa before, so I will say its a beautiful city. But the signs were not clear, I got lost, parking was difficult to find (especially Saturday, when the garage was full before the show even opened). The center itself was nice, although much smaller than Orlando.
So, I got in and immediately went to the ancient and foreign section. I had a few things to sell, and my main goal Friday morning was to sell them. The first dealer I went to bought most of my foreign material, mostly a bunch of French Colonial coinage. I have decided to get out of that set, in favor of focusing on my Shilling set. Speaking of - there were very few problem free, original shillings on the floor, and absolutely none in the foreign dealer section. The only shilling which fit my criteria of 1.) problem free 2.) original and 3.) not already represented in my collection was a stunning James II that Aspen Park had. I didn't buy it, but I might if they still have it in the near future.
The other items I had to sell were my Draped Bust Half, which I had decided to sell in favor of some prooflikes. The Draped Bust was a gorgeous, original coin which many sellers loved the look of, but just couldn't pay me enough for it. I had bought it at nearly the top of the Bust market a couple of years ago, and had paid a premium for the R5 variety on top - most dealers wanted to give me less than half of what I paid. So I decided to take it to JJ Teaparty and see if they would buy it back (I had originally gotten it from them). Liz was very generous, and gave me a far stronger offer than any other dealer had, so I sold it back to them.
There were absolutely no Franklins on the floor at all, and nobody was buying them. The Franklin market has apparently completely disappeared, most dealers would not even look at the two I was trying to sell. Maybe Tomaska's new book will help re-invigorate the market - but not a single book dealer even had it for sale. On a side note, I got my copy a week before Christmas and read through it and was rather disappointed. The color photos are nice, but I can see those on the Registry. Overall, I felt the information had been dumbed down and everything read more like an advertisement. The 2nd edition remains my standard reference for the series, I would encourage you to pick that up over the new book. Tomaska was not at the show, which was disappointing as I had hoped to show him my '63 toner.
Now on to what I got: The name of the game this year for me was "Stunning Originality." I didn't want to buy anything unless it was extraordinarily special - original, colorful, tremendous eye appeal. I wanted everything I bought to have that "Wow" factor. I started with this 1826 CBH graded PCGS EF-45, which I got from 900fine. He had a table on the very last row (which is where I started), and it was very nice to meet him. I have bought coins from him before, and he has always been great to work with. This CBH has tremendous color, and fits in well with my CBH date set.
Next up was this 1838 Reeded Edge CBH, PCGS EF-40. I've been wanting one of these for a while, but it seems like every single one I see has some sort of negative - weak strike, terrible eye appeal, washed out, cleaned, or some other problem. It is almost impossible to find an eye appealing Reeded Edge, with choice dark original color, a strong strike, and overall the "gem circulated cameo" coinage that I love. This coin fits the bill. Its also a JR-7, which is an R-6 die marriage - but absolutely nobody collects Reeded Edge varieties, so there is no premium.
There were a few dealers with Walkers, but almost none with toned Walkers. Almost all the Walkers I looked at were mushy strikes, blast white, dipped out, generic Walkers. And then I saw this one. While the strike isn't as great as I would like (although it is an S mint), the color and originality sold me. It is a great match for the '43 that I already have in my set. PCGS MS-65.
Every dealer I stopped at I asked about prooflikes. Many said they admired them, a few had no idea what I was talking about, but very few actually had any. I brought a few of my best pieces to show off at the luncheon on Saturday, so I was showing these to dealers. My 1855 half cent was a real hit - almost every dealer had that "Wow" reaction that I really enjoy. A few highlights in dealers cases: 1895S Barber 50c that was fully PL, but undesignated; a couple of gold PLs (more on that later), and a couple of borderline undesignated Seated coins of various denominations. However, the real highlight of the show came when I saw Century Coin's table. It started off with a 3 cent silver, graded MS-66PL. This stunner was absolutely gorgeous - deep mirrors, original color, and the strongest cameo you've ever seen. They wanted $7500 for it, and I would have paid it if I had it. But then I saw the most amazing thing: not one, but TWO prooflike Capped Bust Halves. They had an 1834 NGC MS-66PL (!!!) ($30k) and an 1830 NGC MS-64PL. ($19K). I sat at that table and looked at them for at least half an hour. Their entire table was full of stunning coins, including a 1796 Half in AU-50! I could have spent all day at that table.
Well, moving on, I finally found a PL that I didn't have and that I could afford, this 49S Dime, NGC 66PL. Strong mirrors, but the strike is a bit weak. 49S is also the most common date for silver Roosie PLs, which makes it great for type.
Friday night I went up to Orlando and hung out with another buddy from college, who just happened to be in town on vacation. Saturday morning I went back to the show, picked up the lot I won at the Heritage Platinum Night auction, and then went to the NGC Luncheon. Great food as always, but the real highlight was hanging out with good people. Shane, Chris, $ilverHawk, and a few others were at my table (and we saved a seat in memory of Lou), and we had a great time passing around the coins we had bought/brought. Some highlights: $ilverHawk's stunning textile toner and very nice, original set of Walkers, Shane's stack of stunning toners, Sy's stack of stunning toners that Shane had brought to show off, and the medal Shane got for Chris. However, the highlight of this little show and tell had to be Sy's CAMEO proof Walker. Yeah, that's right. A proof Walker with no-question black and white cameo contrast. It was an absolutely stunning coin, and thanks for sharing it with us. I've seen pictures of it before, but they just can't compare with holding it in hand.
The other highlight of the show, which I will at long last finally come to, was the lot I won at Heritage. I hadn't really intended to win it (this was one of those that, like Schatzy, I just sort of put a bid in for the heck of it, and wound up winning). I fully expected it to go higher than it did, but I'm glad I won it. This is my first PL Gold, an 1880 G$1, NGC MS-65PL. Idhair has in the past recommended not purchasing PL gold in less than 64PL, and now I can see why. This coin is absolutely fantastic, and embodies my goal of "stunning originality". The color is absolutely original, orange gold, with full flashy mirrors, a gorgeous light cameo on the devices, and strong strike. I am terrifically proud of this coin, and hope to fill my set with coins like this.
Well, if you've made it this far you are probably bored to death, so thanks for reading. I had a great time, got some great coins, and met some great people.
I left Charleston Thursday after work, spent the night with a buddy in Jacksonville, and finally arrived in Tampa Friday morning. My first impression was - I don't like the location. I'd never been to Tampa before, so I will say its a beautiful city. But the signs were not clear, I got lost, parking was difficult to find (especially Saturday, when the garage was full before the show even opened). The center itself was nice, although much smaller than Orlando.
So, I got in and immediately went to the ancient and foreign section. I had a few things to sell, and my main goal Friday morning was to sell them. The first dealer I went to bought most of my foreign material, mostly a bunch of French Colonial coinage. I have decided to get out of that set, in favor of focusing on my Shilling set. Speaking of - there were very few problem free, original shillings on the floor, and absolutely none in the foreign dealer section. The only shilling which fit my criteria of 1.) problem free 2.) original and 3.) not already represented in my collection was a stunning James II that Aspen Park had. I didn't buy it, but I might if they still have it in the near future.
The other items I had to sell were my Draped Bust Half, which I had decided to sell in favor of some prooflikes. The Draped Bust was a gorgeous, original coin which many sellers loved the look of, but just couldn't pay me enough for it. I had bought it at nearly the top of the Bust market a couple of years ago, and had paid a premium for the R5 variety on top - most dealers wanted to give me less than half of what I paid. So I decided to take it to JJ Teaparty and see if they would buy it back (I had originally gotten it from them). Liz was very generous, and gave me a far stronger offer than any other dealer had, so I sold it back to them.
There were absolutely no Franklins on the floor at all, and nobody was buying them. The Franklin market has apparently completely disappeared, most dealers would not even look at the two I was trying to sell. Maybe Tomaska's new book will help re-invigorate the market - but not a single book dealer even had it for sale. On a side note, I got my copy a week before Christmas and read through it and was rather disappointed. The color photos are nice, but I can see those on the Registry. Overall, I felt the information had been dumbed down and everything read more like an advertisement. The 2nd edition remains my standard reference for the series, I would encourage you to pick that up over the new book. Tomaska was not at the show, which was disappointing as I had hoped to show him my '63 toner.
Now on to what I got: The name of the game this year for me was "Stunning Originality." I didn't want to buy anything unless it was extraordinarily special - original, colorful, tremendous eye appeal. I wanted everything I bought to have that "Wow" factor. I started with this 1826 CBH graded PCGS EF-45, which I got from 900fine. He had a table on the very last row (which is where I started), and it was very nice to meet him. I have bought coins from him before, and he has always been great to work with. This CBH has tremendous color, and fits in well with my CBH date set.
Next up was this 1838 Reeded Edge CBH, PCGS EF-40. I've been wanting one of these for a while, but it seems like every single one I see has some sort of negative - weak strike, terrible eye appeal, washed out, cleaned, or some other problem. It is almost impossible to find an eye appealing Reeded Edge, with choice dark original color, a strong strike, and overall the "gem circulated cameo" coinage that I love. This coin fits the bill. Its also a JR-7, which is an R-6 die marriage - but absolutely nobody collects Reeded Edge varieties, so there is no premium.
There were a few dealers with Walkers, but almost none with toned Walkers. Almost all the Walkers I looked at were mushy strikes, blast white, dipped out, generic Walkers. And then I saw this one. While the strike isn't as great as I would like (although it is an S mint), the color and originality sold me. It is a great match for the '43 that I already have in my set. PCGS MS-65.
Every dealer I stopped at I asked about prooflikes. Many said they admired them, a few had no idea what I was talking about, but very few actually had any. I brought a few of my best pieces to show off at the luncheon on Saturday, so I was showing these to dealers. My 1855 half cent was a real hit - almost every dealer had that "Wow" reaction that I really enjoy. A few highlights in dealers cases: 1895S Barber 50c that was fully PL, but undesignated; a couple of gold PLs (more on that later), and a couple of borderline undesignated Seated coins of various denominations. However, the real highlight of the show came when I saw Century Coin's table. It started off with a 3 cent silver, graded MS-66PL. This stunner was absolutely gorgeous - deep mirrors, original color, and the strongest cameo you've ever seen. They wanted $7500 for it, and I would have paid it if I had it. But then I saw the most amazing thing: not one, but TWO prooflike Capped Bust Halves. They had an 1834 NGC MS-66PL (!!!) ($30k) and an 1830 NGC MS-64PL. ($19K). I sat at that table and looked at them for at least half an hour. Their entire table was full of stunning coins, including a 1796 Half in AU-50! I could have spent all day at that table.
Well, moving on, I finally found a PL that I didn't have and that I could afford, this 49S Dime, NGC 66PL. Strong mirrors, but the strike is a bit weak. 49S is also the most common date for silver Roosie PLs, which makes it great for type.
Friday night I went up to Orlando and hung out with another buddy from college, who just happened to be in town on vacation. Saturday morning I went back to the show, picked up the lot I won at the Heritage Platinum Night auction, and then went to the NGC Luncheon. Great food as always, but the real highlight was hanging out with good people. Shane, Chris, $ilverHawk, and a few others were at my table (and we saved a seat in memory of Lou), and we had a great time passing around the coins we had bought/brought. Some highlights: $ilverHawk's stunning textile toner and very nice, original set of Walkers, Shane's stack of stunning toners, Sy's stack of stunning toners that Shane had brought to show off, and the medal Shane got for Chris. However, the highlight of this little show and tell had to be Sy's CAMEO proof Walker. Yeah, that's right. A proof Walker with no-question black and white cameo contrast. It was an absolutely stunning coin, and thanks for sharing it with us. I've seen pictures of it before, but they just can't compare with holding it in hand.
The other highlight of the show, which I will at long last finally come to, was the lot I won at Heritage. I hadn't really intended to win it (this was one of those that, like Schatzy, I just sort of put a bid in for the heck of it, and wound up winning). I fully expected it to go higher than it did, but I'm glad I won it. This is my first PL Gold, an 1880 G$1, NGC MS-65PL. Idhair has in the past recommended not purchasing PL gold in less than 64PL, and now I can see why. This coin is absolutely fantastic, and embodies my goal of "stunning originality". The color is absolutely original, orange gold, with full flashy mirrors, a gorgeous light cameo on the devices, and strong strike. I am terrifically proud of this coin, and hope to fill my set with coins like this.
Well, if you've made it this far you are probably bored to death, so thanks for reading. I had a great time, got some great coins, and met some great people.
0
Comments
bob
<< <i> snip....There were absolutely no Franklins on the floor at all, and nobody was buying them. The Franklin market has apparently completely disappeared, most dealers would not even look at the two I was trying to sell. Maybe Tomaska's new book will help re-invigorate the market - but not a single book dealer even had it for sale. On a side note, I got my copy a week before Christmas and read through it and was rather disappointed. The color photos are nice, but I can see those on the Registry. Overall, I felt the information had been dumbed down and everything read more like an advertisement. The 2nd edition remains my standard reference for the series, I would encourage you to pick that up over the new book. Tomaska was not at the show, which was disappointing as I had hoped to show him my '63 toner. >>
There were quite a few nice Franklin's at the show. Not a series I do anymore, but I actually saw a number of them. And foodude (Greg) always has a whole case of high quality Franklins!
You missed my table then. I had two cases of Franklins- proof and mint state, including toners. I scoured the floor before the public hours and bought a bunch of nice white MS64FBL and MS65FBLs, and well as several nice toners. I also noticed several tougher MS65FBLs which I had passed on (I only buy a small percent the FBL Franklins I see, as many lack eye appeal, and sit) were gone when I scoured the floor over the course of the show to see what new purchases were added. We had good sales of nice white MS64FBLs and MS65FBLs, as well as toners (there is a thread fro the show on one of them- a 1960 PCGS MS65 endroller).
<< <i>"There were absolutely no Franklins on the floor at all, and nobody was buying them. The Franklin market has apparently completely disappeared, most dealers would not even look at the two I was trying to sell. Maybe Tomaska's new book will help re-invigorate the market - but not a single book dealer even had it for sale. On a side note, I got my copy a week before Christmas and read through it and was rather disappointed. The color photos are nice, but I can see those on the Registry. Overall, I felt the information had been dumbed down and everything read more like an advertisement. The 2nd edition remains my standard reference for the series, I would encourage you to pick that up over the new book. Tomaska was not at the show, which was disappointing as I had hoped to show him my '63 toner. "
You missed my table then. I had two cases of Franklins- proof and mint state, including toners. I scoured the floor before the public hours and bought a bunch of nice white MS64FBL and MS65FBLs, and well as several nice toners. I also noticed several tougher MS65FBLs which I had passed on (I only buy a small percent the FBL Franklins I see, as many lack eye appeal, and sit) were gone when I scoured the floor over the course of the show to see what new purchases were added. We had good sales of nice white MS64FBLs and MS65FBLs, as well as toners (there is a thread fro the show on one of them- a 1960 PCGS MS65 endroller). >>
I think I bought 4 or 5 toned Frankies from you myself and you had plenty more nice ones if the funds would have been available including that set of 1958-D's in the NGC multi-coin holder
Here is the 1963 toner - NGC MS-65FBL. You can see it and the rest of my (award winning) set on the NGC Registry here: The Poe Collection:
900 Fine is a first class dealer for sure. He usually has some nice copper on hand at reasonable prices, as it's one of his specialties, but his stock was pretty low this time around.
Hopefully he will have more at Summer FUN.
Nice report, BIG pictures and nice gold piece (my fav out of the bunch)
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
<< <i>Nice post, nice coins and welcome to the forum!
bob
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC
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......