FUN Report
Proofmorgan
Posts: 983 ✭✭✭✭✭
I made the trip all the way from the northernmost part of Maine down to Tampa and it was pretty uneventful. Some flight changes resulted in me not getting in on Weds until 9pm. My goals were to look for OGH commems for my set, half dimes, and early draped bust gold. I was also bringing my dad to his first ever show and he was going to help me run through the tables as quick as possible to find any gems.
Thursday:
We made to the show at 830am and dropped off my 1837 Half Dime for a reconsideration from MS66+ and my 1847-D half eagle for the Einstein Pedigree attribution (Ex. Boosibri). I then dropped off most of my collection to be photographed by Todd at BluCC.
We then hit the ground running for OGH Commems, primarily. The were some here and there, but mostly white and not that appealing. Then....a OGH Rattler Bridgeport in MS65 Gold CAC struck me from the center of a table run by Gus Green and Bob Campbell. I was instantly drawn to it. He wanted 67 money for it and based on some reeding marks on the reverse, it looking 66+ to me. 66+ sits at about 1/3-1/2 the price of a 67. It has amazing red/blue/yellow rim toning. I figured I would wait until the end of the day and try to work down the price just a bit. I didn't see it going anywhere at that level. A few hours later, I couldn't wait any longer and went back....the coin was gone. Gus said it sold to someone who was going to crack it out and try for 67. If it didn't make 67, it would be sold off. I couldn't believe it!
I searched the rest of the day and found a beautiful Lafayette in DaveW's case, but it was $37.5K.
Next, I lot viewed a couple items from my watch list at heritage.
I checked in with PCGS and my 1837dime upgraded to 67 and gained 15K in value (on the books). Yay! I submitted it immediately, requesting the plus grade I thought it deserved.
I ended the day with a chat with Doug Winter. He was great and I was glad to finally meet him.
The loss of the Bridgeport Commem was weighing a bit heavy.
Friday:
Today's focus was on half dimes. We spend most of the day and didn't find anything too exciting. There were a couple at Dick Osburn's table that I will likely pursue in the coming weeks.
Before 10am I met up with Keyman before the 10am opening. He's a great guy and a pleasure to talk to. He has great focus and will deliver a stunning proof set when he is complete. He showed me an amazing Roosevelt dime in NGC PF68 with a QA sticker that he picked up. The obverse color was amazing.
Later, I found a Lincoln OGH Commem with nice color in 65 CAC at Niles Coins out of IL. Unfortunately, he bought this one for himself and would not sell it despite how badly I wanted it for my set.
I went back to Gus Green's table and saw a nice OGH 65 Delaware in Bob Campbell's case that fit the Bill, but no CAC sticker. It was never submitted, but there is no doubt on it. I purchased it and listened to his story on how he had the idea for stickering (on film) in the 90s and refuses to send to CAC because they would not admit it was his idea first.
I spoke with Gus about the Bridgeport again and he offered to call the buyer because he thought it was a crime that it would be cracked. He called and the gentleman came over. I deliberated with him for a good 20 minutes and he was very torn as he was putting together a set of nice Commems and Bridgeport is hard to find with color. I offered him more than Gus has asked and after much thought, he agreed to sell it to me......at cost! What a relief, I requested his email to send him images of my set and gave him much gratitude. He really did not want to sell it, but he felt for me. Stand up guy.
I then purchased a matching pair of rattler BTWs from Gus (sequential numbers) with very interesting toning that came from some sort of packaging and could only be described with an image. Interesting was that the Green CAC coin was actually nicer than the Gold CAC.
I went back to PCGS and picked up the 1837 half dime again, it did not plus.
Saturday
I went back to the show in hopes of finally getting my 1847-D $5 back and it was still not ready before my flight was leaving. I submitted it Thurs morning for show service and it was not ready at 11am on Saturday. I had receive the half dime twice in that period (1 express, and 1 regular). I then found out from the rep that it wouldn't likely ship until late next week and I would incur around $50 of fees, despite paying the show service rate.
I quickly walked the floor once last time and headed back home.
Closing Thoughts
The show was very busy and there was quite a bit of nice material. In speaking with other members/collectors at the show, we found that the good material was going for retail and average material was priced as you'd expect. In summary, the good stuff was there if you were willing to pay for it. The prices on the floor vs. the auctions can speak for this.
I enjoyed meeting the many people I did and having a good time with my dad, who hadn't flown on a plane in 40 years. I was good to get him out and enjoy the hobby.
The Venue: My only complaint on the Venue is that there was not much in the form of food in the close proximity of the convention center. We had to travel close to a mile to find restaurants (besides Jackson's on the water). Due to this, the convention center could not keep up with the demand for their cheap, but not cheap pizzas.
PCGS: I am grateful for the upgrade from PCGS, although I believe the + was deserved. A complaint I have is that my 4 hour express submission took 8 hours. Not so bad on its own, but I watched as all the dealer boxes were returned within a couple hours and I had submitted my coins before most of them at 830am in the morning. They typically leave the empty blue boxes on the table after they take the coins so you can see who has picked up. That left me just a tad bitter.
There were also many people complaining on Friday night that they has to leave without the coins that they paid the show price for. They do say by end of show, so I'm with PCGS on this. I still am unsure why I received the 1837 dime back twice and my $5 was still absent by Saturday afternoon. I did provide documentation of the Pedigree.
Overall, a great show and I can't wait to post the NEWPs and others when I get the photos back from Todd.
Comments
I can't wait to see the photos from Todd. Congrats on getting so much accomplished.
PCGS also had to take two of my coins back to California to resolve the issues I had.
Nice meeting up with you and I am glad you made the trip.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
I loved this part of the story -
I offered him more than Gus has asked and after much thought, he agreed to sell it to me......at cost! What a relief, I requested his email to send him images of my set and gave him much gratitude. He really did not want to sell it, but he felt for me. Stand up guy.
Doesn't PCGS specify "end of show" on those submissions?? The provenance probably was another factor.
Looking forward to seeing the pictures.
Great report, thanks for taking the time for such a detailed write up.
I loved this part of the story -
I offered him more than Gus has asked and after much thought, he agreed to sell it to me......at cost! What a relief, I requested his email to send him images of my set and gave him much gratitude. He really did not want to sell it, but he felt for me. Stand up guy.
I took that part to mean that the OP was offered the coin originally at a lower price than the other dude.
Looking forward to pics.
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
BTW - very good BBQ and micro-brews at the pub in the Marriott, 1 block away.
Roger that, I was in there two evenings with folks, they had a great stout that was from a florida brewer.
Nice report PMorgan
Best, SH
mark
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......
Latin American Collection
Mike