NYINC 2014 show report - Thursday (professional preview) + Friday

EVillageProwler

For $100, one can get an Early Bird badge to get in at noon on Thursday. It also allows 9am entrance for the remaining days.

I wanted to get there at noon sharp and run to CNG/Nomos to look at and buy a Harold I penny (S-1163) in gEF. Unfortunately, an Internet buyer beat me to it! I ended up buying two high-grade non-portrait Wessex pennies. Those two purchases, plus my CNG auction winnings, added up to a painful sum.

But did I let that stop me from being even more irresponsible? No way! After I left CNG, I made a purposeful walk to my Italian connection (MCN). This dealer always has great Italian material. Expensive, but great stuff. I picked out four gorgeous high-grade pieces that added up to an unconscionable sum of money.

With my crazy business done, I met up with Zohar around 2pm. He and I walked around checking out other tables. Jim Elmen has a very nice and rare Scudo from Parma. 5-figure expensive! Baldwin's has a few low-grade rare Anglo-Saxon pieces. Not for me.

Stopped by Atlas Numis (James Ricks). Nothing for me, but Zohar got something very nice. Elsewhere, I saw a very nice Elizabeth I shilling (raw) that's priced at MS money -- it's really a very nice coin, but I really don't know it's value.

Stopped by Andy Lustig's table to see how he's doing. He's hanging in there. As for coins, he showed me a very nice Stuart gold piece in MS63. I don't know if he wants me to publicly speak of that coin, so I'll just say that anyone who's interested should contact him directly.

I went to see York Coins (Antony Wilson), specifically a gEF Aethelstan non-portrait penny (S-1093) and a very nice Elizabeth I shilling (great portrait, probably a ChAU by USA standards). Sadly, both pieces got sold before I got there.

At some point, I got separated from Zohar and I ended up buying a very nice sceat from CNG. It's a fresh coin, just purchased at the show: S-802A, well struck and well centered. Yay!

Before reconnecting with Zohar, I bought the new Spink book on GB coins ($50!) from Charles Davis, and a gorgeous 1/2 Piastre from MCN.

Around 6pm, Zohar and I left and had dinner at a local joint nearby.

Went home, exhausted. Good night folks. Tomorrow, sadly, I'll be trekking back into NYC in spite of the inclement weather.

EVP

PS I'll post details about my NYINC winnings later after I get everything.

JCMhouston

Good report, thanks for sharing. It seems like coins are moving on the bourse as well as the auctions.

marcmoish

Glad you guys did good - nice report !

Exbrit

But did I let that stop me from being even more irresponsible? No way

Love it!

EVillageProwler

Friday: let me just say that I braved the potentially horrendous driving conditions from central NJ into Manhattan (actually, into Jersey City where I can park my car near a PATH station) largely because this is a once-a-year event.

I met Zohar for breakfast at around 9:15am near the hotel. He promised me a stereotypical NYC breakfast: bagel with cream cheese and lox. He chose a place that did not have that. It's a good thing he's a nice guy (and much bigger than I am!) or else I may have to punch his ankles...

Got to the show just before 10am (we can get in early due to our Early Bird badge from Thursday) and started to browse. As expected, the bourse floor was MUCH more crowded Friday than on Thursday. For anyone who's been to that show (at that location) in past years, you will remember that the place is tightly packed with crazy engineered floor plan to suggest that it was done by Port Authority traffic engineers. Perhaps not as bad as Fort Lee, but ...

I went back to my usual haunts, chatting up my new buddy at CNG, Antony Wilson at York Coins and Matteo (MCN) primarily. I looked at all the tables elsewhere too, but I had already looked at all the ones of interest to me Thursday, so no point in doing so again. I made my way to the Stacks-Bowers lot viewing room and looked through a bunch of stuff that I had some interest in. For the British stuff, I made notes and then went back to CNG and compared notes with my new buddy there. Shockingly, he and I agreed on everything -- including one nice piece that was under graded and another that looked horrible online but was fantastic in hand.

While at CNG, I had considered buying a very nice Commonwealth 6d, but calmer heads prevailed. While at MCN, I had very, VERY seriously buying another expensive Italian piece (this an FDC 1/2 Francescone). I was so darn close to writing another check, but calmer heads prevailed once again. 2pm rolled around, and I said my good-byes and headed home for lovely slushy and slippery NJ.

Next year, I will definitely get a hotel room nearby.

EVP

PolishSilver

Great report....

Thanks!

I'm heading in tomorrow.

EVillageProwler

Forgot to mention that I met Harasha and Iosephus briefly on Friday at the show. Nice chaps, but the meeting was too brief.

EVP

Zohar

Here is my bit on a very enjoyable day.

1) Very strong activity on the auction circuit translated to plenty of momentum and chatter on the bourse floor. Good material doesn't hang for long and much of it flows to the auctions. I personally enjoy meeting people at the venue who share the passion and speak to dealers to assess what they are seeing and analyze the market trends. People were generally patient and welcoming. I also like the fact that young dealers are building their businesses (Atlas, as an example) on a solid foundation of relationship building as well as a very nice web presence.

2) My goal this past year was to continue to upgrade the Habsburg set. I was able to pickup a great Hogmouth on the Heritage auction, a couple of nice Talers on the CNG auctions. Very pleased with them as well as a few bourse pickups (see below)

3) Another objective was to offload my lower grade material. I was able to move ALL my dupe Talers on the bourse floor which felt great. Didnt take long to conclude a sale of 13 talers and I did not even try and "shop" the lot of 13 Talers but rather accepted what I felt was a fair offer which has allowed me to build a nice reserve.

4) And yes... I was able to connect with EVP who has been pushing me to buy nicer stuff yet then get frustrated with me for buying it and not leaving more for him Good advise and forward direction which I am pleased with. I did mess up selecting the deli, yet EVP didn't leave a crum and seemed energized to start the day.

5) I was very happy to meet Harasha, Iosephuss and had a brief "hello" with coinkat as well as another old Shooting Medal collector friend. I also spent some time with Andy (MrEureka) who treated me to glass of wine - he is a wise man and a class act. Also spoke to worldcoinguy from the "field" to offer feedback on his areas of interest. Full day.

6) Today, on the bourse floor, I bought three "screaming" pieces. 1) Hungarian Maria Theresia Taler with a superb Madonna & Child reverse. Never seen one as nice. 2) Franz Joseph early date Taler, probably very early strike which looks proof/like. "Kickin" look to this one with a younger FJ bust 3) Pretty Maria Theresia 1/4 Taler in MS-63 from Atlas. Its the nicest original piece of this type which i had seen with original toned skin. Probably undergraded. EVP liked this one too!

Will come in tomorrow to have another last run and try to see the Eric Newman lots. Again, had a very nice day.

harasha

I have no idea how EVP and Zohar even would have the strength to report on the show. By the time I returned home, I could do little more than plotz. Very excited to meet Zohar, EVP and Iosephus; so much so that I said to myself; screw the Oyster Bay Line, I'm sticking around. A shout out to Andy, too. If I had not stopped by his table to say hello, I would not have spotted Zohar in the distance after briefly passing him in the hallway a while back.

Exhaustion may be due to the combination of weight, age and screwed up legs. And did I mention weight? Also, the indignity of walking around the bourse with a name tag identifying me as Cohen. Not that I mind the name Cohen; it just is not my last name. I did not spot it until people started calling me Mr. Cohen. And writing Ira Cohen on my invoices. What was the front desk thinking?

Anyway, finally broke an 11 year fast of no Baldwin purchases and found a Stolberg 6 Marien Groschen that I really liked. I don't plan to collect Stolberg, but I do like the stag motif. And, as usual, I found something wonderful at Mexican Coin Company. Love those Gil medals. Picked up two of those heavy English tokens from Margolis, just because I love big, heavy metal discs. A big thanks to Zohar who pointed out to me that Zarit had a billion mark Westfalian horsey.

Stopped by the Album table to get a quick primer from Joe Lang about collecting Chinese cash. Got quite an earful, especially, sadly, these usually very cheap coins can be as counterfeited as much as anything else. He did mention some vendors, some of whom were present at the show. I purchased a handful of Northern Song cash, chosen mostly for how I think they will photograph; attractive pieces, I think.

I probably will not return on Saturday. I need to pick up an order from Civitas at the post office. Also, my credit card was hacked earlier this week. The bank Fed Ex'd me a new one, without asking if I would be able to sign for it. I had it rerouted to a Fed Ex center, so I need to pick that up, as well. Finally, on Saturday, I usually indulge my secret vice. It's a morning TV show for kids, so nothing terrible.

I think I will return on Sunday, for a final fling, unless something interferes.

coinkat

Were you able to get the Billion Mark?

EVillageProwler

Harasha - a "morning" show for non-kids can be nice too (at late night too).

Iosephus

It was great meeting Zohar, Harasha, and EVP yesterday at the show; definitely the highlight of the trip for me. Unfortunately, after some pricey auction pickups in November, I didn't have too much of a budget for the show this year. There were a couple of medals of interest, but above what I was looking to spend at the show. I also saw a few very nice medals from an auction that will take place later this year, so I needed to prioritize saving some money for that. However, I did pick up three relatively inexpensive medals to add to my collection, so I didn't come away empty handed. Looking forward to next year!

harasha

Were you able to get the Billion Mark?

Yes. I am a billion marks richer.

coinkat

Congrats- that is one big fun coin to own

Nap

I made it to the show today for an hour or so. Wasn't sure I was going to make it so did not make any plans. I've never been to this show before, I thought it was nicely set up. Chatted with Antony Wilson and a few of the dealers in Anglo-Saxon. Didn't buy anything. Brought the wife, she seemed to like the show, but was more interested in the antique artifacts than the coins.