Memphis 2016, A LONG Show Report ...you've been warned!
Tookybandit
Posts: 3,412 ✭✭✭✭
This year's Memphis went way beyond my expectations, and then some!!! I had no huge plans, set up a couple of exhibits, maybe get a note or two graded, see a bunch of friends, and have some fun away from the daily grind. Things started off a little rocky when the RV I planned to drive to TN didn't even make it out of the neighborhood! I had an awesome spot reserved right on the river and now this plan was a bust! Here I was Wednesday afternoon, delayed three hours and grumbling while I unpacked the RV that I had loaded up to the brim with all my gear and goodies for the trip. I got a call from a couple of Forum members wondering if I was already on the way. I sheepishly told them about my bad luck and that I was now in a bit of a pickle. Well here's solid proof that the currency board members are a good group that take care of their own. Omega32 and TooTawl got me squared away, and within a few minutes, I had a place to stay at the Sheraton! Talk about coming to the rescue! Booking a hotel the day of, with a convention going on, can be a near impossible task.
Rolling into Memphis around 11pm was not what I originally had in mind, but boy was I glad to have made it in safely. I was super lucky and made it just in the nick of time for last call at the bar. After some handshakes, high fives, and even some smooches ...thankfully the later was from a couple of nice ladies, I was now ready to finally have some fun!
Thursday was exhibitor and dealer set up day. With some help, I found my designated spot and got both of my exhibits set up quick and easy. I had a little time left to walk the floor and see all of the familiar faces. This was my fourth Memphis and it's nice to feel like you're starting to get to know people a little better. There was not much time left in the day, but I managed to find a nice circulated 1934A $10 mule star for $21. What a super deal!
I also found a nice 1934 Saint Louis $20 with late finished Bp.#204!
Thursday night was the PCGS Currency awards dinner. I don't know what it was, but the grub seemed extra tasty this year! It was nice to see everyone and another congrats to all the award winners! Omega32 and I shut the place down at the pool table, but the night was still young and a group of us hit Beale Street until the wee hours of the morning.
Friday morning was a fog as my three or four hours of sleep weren't quite enough! ...I'll just never learn. The SPMC breakfast was at 7:30am ugh! Pretty painful after a long night out! It's always an event I look forward to especially with the Raffle! I won a ball cap from the Memphis minor league baseball team and a cool PMG sample note from China.
Early in the day Friday on the bourse, I happily sold a national that I won by accident more than a year ago when my computer got buggy and my bid was entered on the wrong lot! The show seemed pretty quiet which was a bummer for some, but it was definitely easy to navigate the room with the rather light foot traffic. I finally met Dean Oakes this year and had him sign my small size book.
A couple hours in, I found myself at the right place at the right time to pick up these two gorgeous numeral seal $20's. The Richmond note is so bold and original and the numeral seal is hammered so hard it makes a large concave dome that, in hand, can be clearly seen from the back of the note! Another board member was there and picked up some epic notes too. It was the perfect get 'em while you can scenario.
The Memphis Speaker Series is always a big high point of the trip for me and I hit the afternoon Yakes talk on Gold Certificates! There's always more to learn and these session are the place to be if you want to dig a little deeper into the hobby. Seeing images of the serial number one notes on all denominations was just amazing!!! If you missed Memphis this year, or previous years, there's a guy who video tapes all the speaker sessions and sells DVD's. Send me a PM if you want his contact info. I think he said he has them all since 2009.
After the talk wrapped up I hit the bourse for some more hunting. There never seems to be enough time for me to see everything that's out there! Ordinary coin shows pale in comparison!!! Toward the end of an aisle, I saw a familiar face and asked about a specific note hoping the dealer would still have it. I was pleasantly surprised and very grateful to have the opportunity to buy this mega monster star note! It's torn in half and looks like it's been abused over its life, but look closely and it's easy to see why it's such a special note. Numeral seal $20's are my favorite and this was a note that I thought would be near impossible to add to my collection!
Friday was winding down and I was fading fast from all the late night Beale street fun from the night before. I was hanging out with some pals before the bourse shut down for the day when I was approached by someone who thought I'd enjoy taking a look at a special note. Sometimes it's hard to understand how or why things just magically fall into place, better to be thankful and count your blessings! Well this year's Memphis I was extremely blessed! I was holding a note that was on my 10-20 year want list!!! I say that because certain notes are just not available. It's either luck, auction, or luck, or auction, or luck ...you get the picture. I did not know if the note was for sale or not but seeing it in person was surreal! It turned out that I was able to purchase the note and WOW talk about knocking your socks off! The numeral seal $20 invert star already made my trip, this brought it to the next level and straight to the moon! It is difficult to describe how excited I was, but man how cool is this note! Jim61 should close his eyes, nothing to see here!
In the census, this note is listed as ending in 51. That is just a typo, this is the same note. I love how the face plate is #1 it may be the only 637 FRN in any series that is a Fp.#1. It does not add any value but definitely adds an extra cool factor! I need to rescan the face, the color came out a little weird.
Here's another note that's really cool. The face plate is 629 haha! It's just a novelty but I love it. If I call it a 629 mule It is technically accurate!
After being completely shell shocked for the day, a group of us went out for dinner at one of the best spots in town, Central BBQ in the burbs. I really feel for the vegetarians because the ribs here are so darn delicious! I crashed hard, and really early, Friday night and looked forward to what lay ahead the next day.
Saturday morning I saw plaques out in the exhibit area, so oh well I didn't win this year. No biggie, but I thought maybe I had a chance. I recommend anyone interested take the time and opportunity to put together an exhibit. It's not as tough as you would think and getting the fancy badge and early entry for free is awesome!
I had a bug to go and get the two $20's graded that I had picked up the day before. There was no rush, but they were a good deal and I wanted to see how they would grade. I dropped them off first thing and was happy to get them back super quick! I had both notes already in 65Q and thought these had a good shot for upgrading my set. The results were fantastic! Here is evidence that there really are great original notes waiting to be found!
I hoped the Richmond had a shot for 67 but the back centering must have held it back. The note is absolutely gorgeous and the registration is really nice, I'll just call it a 66+
I spent a good while throughout the day perusing the bourse and a little too much time yapping it up with everyone. I recruited a board member to sit in on Huntoon's talk with me and man I'm glad I did! I lost track of time when I found a dealer with some incredible old Mexico Banco notes that were right up my alley. Had he not sent me a text that it was time for the speaker session I would have completely missed it. The talk was awesome and a bit of a retrospective on building an amazing collection of nationals. There was a Karma lesson in there too that was on point and extremely relevant to our hobby.
After the session was over I hunted down some caffeine and headed back to the bourse. As soon as I passed the guard at the entrance I turned to the right and went to look for that dealer again with all those cool Mexico notes, when I thought I heard my name being called. I turned around and way back, forever away, down at the end of the aisle was our very own TooTawl with something in his hands that he seemed way too excited about. He was too far away to see clearly, but you could tell it was him ...you know, the guy is kinda tall! I figured he bought a note that he was super happy he picked up and wanted to share his big score. He got a little closer and I could tell whatever it was in his hands was bigger than a note and it looked clear. Ah geese, what crazy thing did he buy now!?! He handed it to me and said, "You Won!". I was taken off guard and stunned when he told me my exhibit was a winner! I had found out a couple of hours prior that the plaques I had seen that morning were something to do with the Memphis coin club and the big SPMC awards had not been announced yet. My brain had already written off my chances of winning earlier in the day and this was an awesome surprise!
At this point, if Memphis got any more exciting for me I was going to hurl, or at least pass out!! I suppose I kind of got my wish because after dinner at the Blues City Cafe and another trip to Beale street, we were only a stones throw away from that murderous criminal in his getaway car as he hit a van, ripped off its fender, and drug it down the road sending orange sparks flying! Fortunately the thirty police cars, ambulance, fire truck, and helicopter had everything under control and we all made it through the evening!
Sunday morning came way too soon and required a lot of extra coffee! The bourse is usually half empty on Sundays but there are always the diehard dealers that stick it out till the end. I'm glad they do, I always find cool notes on the last day of the show!
Cute SN on this 34B
Nice looking LGS
Cool check, that goes with a national I have on the same town!
Another nice LGS
Here's a tough LGS 28C FRN! It's a bit frugly, but I like it and the price was right!
That was my Memphis! It crushed my wildest expectations and I will remember my great experience for many years to come.
Rolling into Memphis around 11pm was not what I originally had in mind, but boy was I glad to have made it in safely. I was super lucky and made it just in the nick of time for last call at the bar. After some handshakes, high fives, and even some smooches ...thankfully the later was from a couple of nice ladies, I was now ready to finally have some fun!
Thursday was exhibitor and dealer set up day. With some help, I found my designated spot and got both of my exhibits set up quick and easy. I had a little time left to walk the floor and see all of the familiar faces. This was my fourth Memphis and it's nice to feel like you're starting to get to know people a little better. There was not much time left in the day, but I managed to find a nice circulated 1934A $10 mule star for $21. What a super deal!
I also found a nice 1934 Saint Louis $20 with late finished Bp.#204!
Thursday night was the PCGS Currency awards dinner. I don't know what it was, but the grub seemed extra tasty this year! It was nice to see everyone and another congrats to all the award winners! Omega32 and I shut the place down at the pool table, but the night was still young and a group of us hit Beale Street until the wee hours of the morning.
Friday morning was a fog as my three or four hours of sleep weren't quite enough! ...I'll just never learn. The SPMC breakfast was at 7:30am ugh! Pretty painful after a long night out! It's always an event I look forward to especially with the Raffle! I won a ball cap from the Memphis minor league baseball team and a cool PMG sample note from China.
Early in the day Friday on the bourse, I happily sold a national that I won by accident more than a year ago when my computer got buggy and my bid was entered on the wrong lot! The show seemed pretty quiet which was a bummer for some, but it was definitely easy to navigate the room with the rather light foot traffic. I finally met Dean Oakes this year and had him sign my small size book.
A couple hours in, I found myself at the right place at the right time to pick up these two gorgeous numeral seal $20's. The Richmond note is so bold and original and the numeral seal is hammered so hard it makes a large concave dome that, in hand, can be clearly seen from the back of the note! Another board member was there and picked up some epic notes too. It was the perfect get 'em while you can scenario.
The Memphis Speaker Series is always a big high point of the trip for me and I hit the afternoon Yakes talk on Gold Certificates! There's always more to learn and these session are the place to be if you want to dig a little deeper into the hobby. Seeing images of the serial number one notes on all denominations was just amazing!!! If you missed Memphis this year, or previous years, there's a guy who video tapes all the speaker sessions and sells DVD's. Send me a PM if you want his contact info. I think he said he has them all since 2009.
After the talk wrapped up I hit the bourse for some more hunting. There never seems to be enough time for me to see everything that's out there! Ordinary coin shows pale in comparison!!! Toward the end of an aisle, I saw a familiar face and asked about a specific note hoping the dealer would still have it. I was pleasantly surprised and very grateful to have the opportunity to buy this mega monster star note! It's torn in half and looks like it's been abused over its life, but look closely and it's easy to see why it's such a special note. Numeral seal $20's are my favorite and this was a note that I thought would be near impossible to add to my collection!
Friday was winding down and I was fading fast from all the late night Beale street fun from the night before. I was hanging out with some pals before the bourse shut down for the day when I was approached by someone who thought I'd enjoy taking a look at a special note. Sometimes it's hard to understand how or why things just magically fall into place, better to be thankful and count your blessings! Well this year's Memphis I was extremely blessed! I was holding a note that was on my 10-20 year want list!!! I say that because certain notes are just not available. It's either luck, auction, or luck, or auction, or luck ...you get the picture. I did not know if the note was for sale or not but seeing it in person was surreal! It turned out that I was able to purchase the note and WOW talk about knocking your socks off! The numeral seal $20 invert star already made my trip, this brought it to the next level and straight to the moon! It is difficult to describe how excited I was, but man how cool is this note! Jim61 should close his eyes, nothing to see here!
In the census, this note is listed as ending in 51. That is just a typo, this is the same note. I love how the face plate is #1 it may be the only 637 FRN in any series that is a Fp.#1. It does not add any value but definitely adds an extra cool factor! I need to rescan the face, the color came out a little weird.
Here's another note that's really cool. The face plate is 629 haha! It's just a novelty but I love it. If I call it a 629 mule It is technically accurate!
After being completely shell shocked for the day, a group of us went out for dinner at one of the best spots in town, Central BBQ in the burbs. I really feel for the vegetarians because the ribs here are so darn delicious! I crashed hard, and really early, Friday night and looked forward to what lay ahead the next day.
Saturday morning I saw plaques out in the exhibit area, so oh well I didn't win this year. No biggie, but I thought maybe I had a chance. I recommend anyone interested take the time and opportunity to put together an exhibit. It's not as tough as you would think and getting the fancy badge and early entry for free is awesome!
I had a bug to go and get the two $20's graded that I had picked up the day before. There was no rush, but they were a good deal and I wanted to see how they would grade. I dropped them off first thing and was happy to get them back super quick! I had both notes already in 65Q and thought these had a good shot for upgrading my set. The results were fantastic! Here is evidence that there really are great original notes waiting to be found!
I hoped the Richmond had a shot for 67 but the back centering must have held it back. The note is absolutely gorgeous and the registration is really nice, I'll just call it a 66+
I spent a good while throughout the day perusing the bourse and a little too much time yapping it up with everyone. I recruited a board member to sit in on Huntoon's talk with me and man I'm glad I did! I lost track of time when I found a dealer with some incredible old Mexico Banco notes that were right up my alley. Had he not sent me a text that it was time for the speaker session I would have completely missed it. The talk was awesome and a bit of a retrospective on building an amazing collection of nationals. There was a Karma lesson in there too that was on point and extremely relevant to our hobby.
After the session was over I hunted down some caffeine and headed back to the bourse. As soon as I passed the guard at the entrance I turned to the right and went to look for that dealer again with all those cool Mexico notes, when I thought I heard my name being called. I turned around and way back, forever away, down at the end of the aisle was our very own TooTawl with something in his hands that he seemed way too excited about. He was too far away to see clearly, but you could tell it was him ...you know, the guy is kinda tall! I figured he bought a note that he was super happy he picked up and wanted to share his big score. He got a little closer and I could tell whatever it was in his hands was bigger than a note and it looked clear. Ah geese, what crazy thing did he buy now!?! He handed it to me and said, "You Won!". I was taken off guard and stunned when he told me my exhibit was a winner! I had found out a couple of hours prior that the plaques I had seen that morning were something to do with the Memphis coin club and the big SPMC awards had not been announced yet. My brain had already written off my chances of winning earlier in the day and this was an awesome surprise!
At this point, if Memphis got any more exciting for me I was going to hurl, or at least pass out!! I suppose I kind of got my wish because after dinner at the Blues City Cafe and another trip to Beale street, we were only a stones throw away from that murderous criminal in his getaway car as he hit a van, ripped off its fender, and drug it down the road sending orange sparks flying! Fortunately the thirty police cars, ambulance, fire truck, and helicopter had everything under control and we all made it through the evening!
Sunday morning came way too soon and required a lot of extra coffee! The bourse is usually half empty on Sundays but there are always the diehard dealers that stick it out till the end. I'm glad they do, I always find cool notes on the last day of the show!
Cute SN on this 34B
Nice looking LGS
Cool check, that goes with a national I have on the same town!
Another nice LGS
Here's a tough LGS 28C FRN! It's a bit frugly, but I like it and the price was right!
That was my Memphis! It crushed my wildest expectations and I will remember my great experience for many years to come.
0
Comments
5$ bills are WOW with the numbers - wanted:
02121809
04151865
Wanted - Flipper notes with the numbers 6-9 or 0-6-9 ON 1$ 2$ 5$ 10$ 20$
Wanted - 10$ Sereis 2013 - fancy Serial Numbers
Great story and notes! Thanks for sharing!
I agree!
my want list: www.CoolSerialNumbers.com/wanted.aspx
my notes for sale: www.CoolSerialNumbers.com/forsale.aspx
Great story and notes! Thanks for sharing!
I agree!
+1 well written and documented. Sounds like you had a hell of a good time.
http://www.depressionscrip.com
Always looking for more depression scrip -- PM me if you have any for sale or trade
Incredible story for an incredible collector. Your passion for this hobby and the people in this hobby is unmatched. Congratulations on the pick ups, the grades and the award. Your two exhibits ($5 SC Narrows and Mules) were simply outstanding and quite possibly unique. Well done!
By the way Jamie's presentation on Gold Certificates was phenomenal.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
STRONG BUYERS OF ALL FANCY SERIAL NUMBERS PLEASE OFFER US!
Our Website Usarare.com
That exhibit (and the single minded determination needed to put that set together) is impressive. Do you have a shot of your other exhibit?
It would be great if pictures of all the various exhibits could be posted for the enjoyment of us who couldn't get to the Show.
The exhibits are real highlight that don't get seen by most collectors.
Thanks guys!!!
Gnat, here is the other exhibit. When I put it together, I realized with the other material I have that's not in the pic, that I could easily have used 6+ cases. I was being selfish though and had a specific strategy. This was the first year for a single case exhibit award, so naturally I thought lets do two separate single case exhibits and have two chances to win!
I had fun with this one, the two little TRexes are holding the 629 mule in their teeth!!
I agree that it's a shame that an organization (eg SPMC) doesn't sponsor a site to host the exhibits on line. A lot of effort and knowledge goes into these (well generally) and it's unfortunate that they're only shared with show attendees. It's increasingly a virtual world so maybe some day.
Great report, thank you for sharing and for taking the time to put it all in writing.
Looking for CU $1 FRN 20160523 - any series or block. Please PM
Retired
Dad 1916-2014
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."
So Randy, you are saying I that should have bought the KC note instead of sending the seller to my good friend Robert?
That would have been excellent plan.
As you've heard, thanks very much for sharing your Memphis experience!
To me, collecting is a lot like playing golf, it has the potential to raise our life experience as we become more adept.
And like golf, very few of us find the need to take drugs to advance our experience, versus an increased level in other sports.
Cheers,
Dan
Currency America
Jim61
Looking for $1 CU FRN radar 16566561 - NOT ANY MORE, THANK YOU delistamps and TheRock!
Looking for $1 CU FRN radar 16977961.
Looking for $1 CU FRN 99999961 - NOT ANY MORE, THANK YOU delistamps!
Looking for $50 FRN 00000061