My NYC experience

desslok

Well, as a first-timer show visitor, I didn't know what to expect, so it was really a learning experience for me.

The show is set up in one large room, pretty packed. Dealers have their inventory spread out, mostly slabs. I was surprised to see some U.S. coins here and there (I thought these were forbidden in this show), and even trinkets such as jewelry and watches, but these were a small minority. Most of the stuff was, as advertised, high end world coins of various nations and time periods.

I found that I am much more comfortable shopping online than in-person. Although nothing beats seeing a coin in hand, the whole atmosphere of face to face negotiation and having to make a decision on the spot and under pressure, with no access to reference material and no chance to think things over, does not work best for me.

My own fields of collecting are very esoteric and I didn't expect to find anything, and I was sadly correct in that regard. I found absolutely nothing. I did not see any Israeli coins at all in the entire show. I saw just a few Palestine coins, and most of these were "condition rarity" common date high grade coins which don't interest me. I found no modern mint error coins, with a few very minor exceptions. One dealer in the back had a minor off center British coin and two minor Canadians, all of which I have no need for. I also didn't spot any modern mint trials/specimens/pattern coins which I recently began searching for and building a small collection of.

Not wanting to leave the show completely empty handed, I did pick up one "impulse buy" of what appears to be a rare Royal Mint trial medal, from a high end dealer I've dealt with previously. He usually carries good merchandise and charges stiff prices. This exchange was no different, at least on the price part. I don't usually like to purchase things I'm not totally familiar with, but I made an exception this time.

I did make use of my time here to pick up an auction purchase from Heritage which I won online on the previous week, and to go to lot viewing at Stacks Bowers. Their employees were friendly and helpful and pulled several boxes for me to look at, and I will certainly be bidding online at their sale next week.

Not sure I'll be going back tomorrow, maybe only briefly.

291fifth

Foreign coins and medals are very interesting ... but ... beware of very high dealer markups as well. Be prepared to walk away if the price isn't right.

TwoKopeiki

@desslok - you don't have to make the decision on the spot. Handle the coin, chat with the dealer, maybe take a pic of it and go for a walk. If you want to do more research, do that. Want to ask another dealer you trust for an opinion? Sure. If you are worried about the coin selling, ask the dealer to hold it for you for x minutes. Just my 2 cents.

Also, I did see one Israeli off-center error in an NGC slab in one of the dealer cases. I remember thinking it was cool, but didn't remember who the dealer was as it's not my area of interest.

desslok

@TwoKopeiki said:
Also, I did see one Israeli off-center error in an NGC slab in one of the dealer cases. I remember thinking it was cool, but didn't remember who the dealer was as it's not my area of interest.

Are you sure of that? I'd love to try and find it, if it's still there

Zohar

It was very nice to see you on this side of the pond and I do hope that you enjoyed the show in spite of the lack of relevant material and discomfort in engagement with the dealers. I realize these venues are overwhelming, however, like many things, the more you attend, the more seamless they become. It's completely legit to take time, ask questions and even bring over other collectors/dealers to opine. Dealers recognize these are major decisions and those who do not, will not fare well.

Lastly, above all, I look at the show as a great place to meet like minded people. The community tends to support each other and share information, mostly online, by phone or email. Nothing replaces the personal connection as in most social or business environments. Offline supports the online experience IMHO.

EVillageProwler

Adding to Zohar’s comments about the collegiality, it is important to recognize that our budgets are extremely limited and frequently there are more coins that are worth buying than we can afford. The support base helps us make rational decisions out of what are usually complicated and emotional purchasing issues.

This type of support helps to both stretch our budgets as well as pushing our collections to a higher level.

7Jaguars

Can you show a picture of the Royal Mint medal?

desslok

@7Jaguars said:
Can you show a picture of the Royal Mint medal?

Yes, here it. It's a heavy silver medal, graded NGC 58. From what I gathered, these are more commonly found in bronze, but the silver version is rarer.

desslok

I went back today for a final round. The place was much emptier today, with some dealers and most of the crowds gone. I managed to sit and talk a bit to Karl Stephens, and once I explained what I was after, he had some suggestions.

I picked up this interesting coin for my budding collection of patterns and trial strikes. It has the obverse of a French 1 Franc coin circa 1870, and on the reverse there is just the inscription: "module de la piece de 1 franc". While I don't speak French, the meaning seems clear. Here's the PCGS photo:

Zohar

I like both!

Stork

@291fifth said:
Foreign coins and medals are very interesting ... but ... beware of very high dealer markups as well. Be prepared to walk away if the price isn't right.

A lesson I could learn. Apparently my response is 'here's a check'.

@desslok I hope you found the trip worthwhile even with only minimal purchases, and I hope you enjoyed NYC. If nothing else perhaps some of the dealers you spoke with will be ones you can work with from home too.

desslok

I did enjoy the trip and it was quite an eye-opening experience. I would have enjoyed NYC even more if it was not so bitterly cold on my last day there

As for the dealers, both dealers that I purchased from at the show were in fact dealers I've already dealt with online and purchased from beforehand. I also found another dealer whose auctions I'm going to follow from now on, and of course I got to take a look at Stacks Bowers whom I've known about but never had a chance to do any business with, but I'm going to try my luck in the upcoming auction.

7Jaguars

What are the measurements on that? You are quite right that these are only on rare occasions found in silver; I don't collect them but find they are interesting.

desslok

@7Jaguars said:
What are the measurements on that? You are quite right that these are only on rare occasions found in silver; I don't collect them but find they are interesting.

The Royal Mint medal is 36.4mm. Here's the NGC cert:
https://ngccoin.com/certlookup/4425378-005/58/