R.I.P. Memphis
golden
Posts: 9,660 ✭✭✭✭✭
The International Paper Money Show, better know simply as Memphis, was born from an idea by Mike Crabb and the Memphis Coin Club. The first show was held in June 1977 at the Holiday Inn Rivermont. The Rivermont was a nice hotel with a restaurant and the convention hall all under one roof. It stayed at this location until the Rivermont closed in the mid- 1980's. The show then moved to the old run-down Cook Convention Center. The show never had the same feel after the move. A few years ago Lyn Knight bought the show from the Memphis Coin Club and moved it to the other end of the convention center. This was a great improvement . Lyn spent a great deal of time and effort to make the show look and seem better, and it was.
Because of a hotel that had become difficult to deal with and high air fares into Memphis it was necessary to move the show to Kansas City, Missouri. I wish Lyn the best of luck in the new venue.
I attended all 40 Memphis shows. I always looked forward to Memphis and the thrill of the hunt for new notes for my collection. The best year for me was 1995 when I found 14 notes for my collection. The worst were the 9 years ( including the last 4 ) that I did not find any notes.
Memphis was also about seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Sadly some of my Memphis friends are no longer with us. Among them were Sam Bettis, T. Homer Brooks, Grover Criswell, Lou Davison ,Sr., Paul Garland, Joe Hensley, John T. Hickman, Carroll E.Hilliard, Curtis Iversen, Marie Jones, Art M. Kagin, Art Leister, David Levitt, Bob Medlar, Steve Michaels, Vernon H. ( Ossie ) Oswald, Helen Oswald, Jasper Payne and Edwin A. Richt.
Memphis was also about the food. Some went to the Rib Restaurants and some went to the Barbecue Restaurants. I preferred Anderton's Restaurant and Oyster Bar. I probably went there 50 times including in, some years, every night that I was in Memphis. Anderton's closed in 2005. It was my favorite restaurant in the country.
I will not be going to Kansas City this year. It is about 3 times farther to travel to than Memphis plus I have not had any luck finding new notes for my collection, at the show, the last 4 years.
It was a great run! R.I.P. Memphis.
Comments
Thanks for sharing your experiences !!!
Great post! 2013 was my First Memphis, and every year has been bigger and better for me. Kansas City is proving to be a winner already!
I too hope for the best for Lyn and the move.I certainly know that in business a move such as this takes balls(to put it in my street lingo) and can often take years to level off or show profit.I also will miss Memphis for the same reasons mentioned by Golden-in fact,the wife and I are talking of going back just for the food-seriously! When I first started in this hobby as a serious buyer I met up with some local dealers at an inaugural small local coin show in West Palm Beach(at the Knights of Columbus Hall in 2001).It was there that I was informed about Memphis.I was told that if I was a serious buyer Memphis was the show to go to for paper.....and they were right! I attended roughly a dozen Memphis shows(although not the last 3) and even set up a table at a couple of them.I certainly can pick out a few things I didn't like about the venue but they would be easily outshined by the notes I would find and/or the business I was able to conduct.I remember the first show I went to back in 2001....Smythe held the auction that year and it was a numeral seal abundant sale....I scored big at that show and was then inspired to do other shows as well.Yep,Memphis pretty much got me started and I will always be grateful for all involved in running that show.
I went to my first Paper Money show in KC yesterday. I was actually hoping to find some circ commems by chance. I had never purchased any currency until this show. Found a bank note from that I knew the relatives of the signatures from Hugh Shull. Great person to talk too. A lot of history in these notes and a great show to go to. Also found a pocketpiece $21/2 gold piece that I just couldn't pull the trigger on. Going back tomorrow to get the note as I got it graded .
Lafayette Grading Set
Congrats on your very first currency purchase PPC!!! Would love to see the note you picked up.
This is the note I purchased raw and had graded at the show
Lafayette Grading Set
I When back to the show on Sunday after church to pick up the note. I Walked into the room and it's like where is everyone? There were only a handful of dealers left. I did find this $5 gold piece so the day wasn't a total loss. I will learn next year
Lafayette Grading Set
Very cool pick ups! I love the Washington portrait on the obsolete, and that circ. gold is awesome! I love to think where examples that worn have traveled throughout their lifetime.
Congratulations, what a great show, had some wonderful discussions with other collectors
Does anyone have a guess of when and where next year's show will be at?
KC I hope.
Lyn is having trouble getting the same venue in June. Might have to go to May or another site.