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Another PNNA Show Report... plus photos from the exciting pre-show!
airplanenut
Posts: 22,708 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm not the first to write a PNNA show report, but I bet I'm the first to include a pre-show report! The PNNA show is one of the two "big" shows in Seattle each year, with the Boeing show in January being the other (I've missed that show the last two years). I look forward to it for the chance to see some friends and maybe add something to my collection. That said, I don't buy a whole lot (I only added two coins to my collection last year, and I spent 3 days at the Philly ANA), so I didn't go in with high expectations of buying a lot. While the show opened on Friday, for me it started on Thursday.
Glenn Holsonbake (PonyExpress8) is a good friend and this show is a staple of his. Knowing he was coming up on Thursday, I checked to see if he was free to take an aerial jaunt around around the area, and as a non-current pilot himself, the offer was met with an enthusiastic yes. April in Skagit Valley, about 60 miles north of Seattle, is very colorful as the largest tulip fields in the USA come into bloom. While not fully there yet, there was lots of color to be seen. With the best weather of the week (stereotypical Seattle weather returned on Friday), it was a great day for flying and we spent 2.3 hours circling around the flowers, then downtown Seattle, and finally crossing 2000' over Seatac to get a nice view of the big boys, a view that never gets old for me. We then grabbed dinner after flying over our restaurant of choice seconds before landing.
On Friday, my day started off just dandy when I went to get cash. With a dealer badge courtesy of Glenn, I had access to the show at 9am, and at 9:05 made it to my bank a few minutes from the show. It was there that I found out they opened at 10. So I went to another nearby branch. They, too, were closed. Bank of America, you suck. After I got to the show with no cash, I found a different bank (where I have my business accounts) was around the corner and they supplied me with my currency needs. By 9:45, I was at the show and walking the floor, looking over and over again as dealers put out more pieces. Lap after lap, I didn't see anything that called out to me. While I have little focus at a show (on occasion I look for something specific, but often I just want something that attracts my attention), it's rare to see so little of interest. By the end of the day, I pulled only one coin to look at, a proof Liberty nickel with some nice color. Up close, it was less colorful and rather ho-hum, and the dealer was asking around 40-50% over recent Heritage prices. No thanks.
As I walked the show, I also made a point to chat with some of the board members, including Bochiman (whom I'd never met before), Swampboy, and Charmy, as well as some dealer friends who had set up. I've always found that the social aspect of shows is what I like the most, and I can have a great time even without spending a dime. And that's what happened here. I spent nothing, but still enjoyed the show. I left after about 6 hours of walking, standing, and talking. To me the show looked a bit slow, though the bourse was quite full. Some dealers looked rather busy, while many more had little traffic. I also noticed little gold available, which could have been due to the recent drop in the spot price, or just what the dealers in attendance had available.
In all, it was a fun two days, but the flight was definitely the best part. Go figure
Glenn Holsonbake (PonyExpress8) is a good friend and this show is a staple of his. Knowing he was coming up on Thursday, I checked to see if he was free to take an aerial jaunt around around the area, and as a non-current pilot himself, the offer was met with an enthusiastic yes. April in Skagit Valley, about 60 miles north of Seattle, is very colorful as the largest tulip fields in the USA come into bloom. While not fully there yet, there was lots of color to be seen. With the best weather of the week (stereotypical Seattle weather returned on Friday), it was a great day for flying and we spent 2.3 hours circling around the flowers, then downtown Seattle, and finally crossing 2000' over Seatac to get a nice view of the big boys, a view that never gets old for me. We then grabbed dinner after flying over our restaurant of choice seconds before landing.
On Friday, my day started off just dandy when I went to get cash. With a dealer badge courtesy of Glenn, I had access to the show at 9am, and at 9:05 made it to my bank a few minutes from the show. It was there that I found out they opened at 10. So I went to another nearby branch. They, too, were closed. Bank of America, you suck. After I got to the show with no cash, I found a different bank (where I have my business accounts) was around the corner and they supplied me with my currency needs. By 9:45, I was at the show and walking the floor, looking over and over again as dealers put out more pieces. Lap after lap, I didn't see anything that called out to me. While I have little focus at a show (on occasion I look for something specific, but often I just want something that attracts my attention), it's rare to see so little of interest. By the end of the day, I pulled only one coin to look at, a proof Liberty nickel with some nice color. Up close, it was less colorful and rather ho-hum, and the dealer was asking around 40-50% over recent Heritage prices. No thanks.
As I walked the show, I also made a point to chat with some of the board members, including Bochiman (whom I'd never met before), Swampboy, and Charmy, as well as some dealer friends who had set up. I've always found that the social aspect of shows is what I like the most, and I can have a great time even without spending a dime. And that's what happened here. I spent nothing, but still enjoyed the show. I left after about 6 hours of walking, standing, and talking. To me the show looked a bit slow, though the bourse was quite full. Some dealers looked rather busy, while many more had little traffic. I also noticed little gold available, which could have been due to the recent drop in the spot price, or just what the dealers in attendance had available.
In all, it was a fun two days, but the flight was definitely the best part. Go figure
JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
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Comments
Glad you brought Glenn (and you) back in one piece. Sounds like you had a blast.
Dave
Great pics and report.
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Mike