Summer FUN Show Report and NEWPs
Walkerguy21D
Posts: 11,718 ✭✭✭✭✭
Decided to take a vacation day and attend the opening day for the public on Thur. Left my house at 8:45 which would normally give me plenty of time to make it from the coast to the Orange County Convention Center for the 10am ribbon cutting ceremony. Still a pleasant 79 deg from the early morning coastal shower that passed through, no need for the AC. Listened to Warren Zevon and later a Herb Alpert cd....my taste in music is as eclectic as my taste in coins, and being old fashioned, no iPod.
Made great time until getting to parking lot. A conflicting international sportsmans show resulted in traffic tie ups and delegation to the more remote parking lot. Still not bad, and wound up taking a show volunteer's advice and hopping on the AC'd shuttle to the coin show hall, on the far side of the building. As it was nearly 10:15, the pomp and circumstance was over and there was no wait to register.
My initial impression on entering was 1. there were more dealers present than I expected, and 2. there was lighter public attendance than expected. Being sandwiched between Baltimore and the ANA, I expected light dealer attendance. Unlike the Jan show, which is quite hectic, there weren't very times when I had to wait my turn to view any dealer's cases. Which was good for me, but probably less for the dealers. Still, I did not here much grumbling, other than they did not have the AC on the day before during dealer set up day, which made for unpleasant conditions in the huge hall.
I was primarily focused on early copper on this trip, but as always with an eye out for better Barbers and Walkers. Did not see much at all available of either of the latter. One dealer did have 3 early walkers that would have been upgrades for my set, but was pricing them at moon money, so I was only casually interested. I did snag a nice somewhat better date Barber quarter, priced below Bid, at another table though.
The first 'copper guy' I hit was Chris McAwley. He had a nice assortment as always, and was also very interested in acquiring a 1798 S-149 (high R4) that I had cherried a few months back. Not finding anything that I really wanted to swap towards, he asked for a cash price (always a good sign when selling!), which I threw a number out and he pounced on. I also got to meet and talk to the legendary Bob Grellman at Chris' table - a great copper guy whom I've long admired but previously hadn't met.
The karma must have been working then, because 2 min after pocketing the nice profit I made from Chris, the very same dealer that I had cherried the S-149 from came walking by, and said hey, I have another large cent for you, it's a nice one and I bought it right. Feeling somewhat obligated, I followed him back to his table, where he produced a respectable 1810/09 that I needed, and it was indeed priced very fairly, so I paid the full asking price without hesitation. Everyone was happy.
Went back to my shopping, and settled in at Coins of Merritt, a dealer from NY that I have dealt with many times over the years. He had some respectable coppers on hand and was pricing them fairly. Still, I wanted to see what else was out there. Went to Tom Reynolds, who was putting on a one man EAC convention - wow! A display of 19 wreath cents, a number of which he had just acquired from an old time Chicago collector - who still had more! 5 or 6 1799 and 9/8's on hand, and at least a dozen of each of both the pole and cap and draped bust 1796 cents, that I was really seeking. I spent a lot of time looking and drooling at the offerings, but being on a budget, there was nothing that I HAD to have in my price range.
Set up alongside Tom was forum member 1798CentCollector (David)....we had previously corresponded vie email and PM's, so it was nice to meet him in person and chat a while.
I took a quick lunch break and noticed someone who looked familiar from Charmy's photos, and was right - forum member WTCG (Wei) who was writing up invoices at a table, so I joined him and we talked while I ate and he worked. Good to see you in person, Wei!
Back on the floor, and went to Greg Hannigan's table. Again, a nice display of copper and a good opportunity to learn more. One heart stopping moment occurred while I was there - a customer was looking at an R4 1794 cent and dropped it on the floor! in typical EAC form, it was of course raw....after a quick inspection by Greg, he deemed it unharmed, and everyone breathed a bit easier.....
Anyway, after all that shopping and tire kicking, I decided that the coins I priced at the Merritt table probably represented the best value for my money, so back I went, and after a little negotiation, acquired one of my 1796's and 'upgraded' my 1812 from a lightly corroded VF to a nice smooth Fine.
One more stop back at McAwley's table to reponder an 1811 cent he had showed me early, decided my decision to pass was still that, and headed out the door in time to beat the rush hour traffic. Since it was my oldest daughter's birthday and she was in town with some friends, I was designated to play grill chef and bartender and so could not stick around for dinner, etc in Orlando.
Made great time until getting to parking lot. A conflicting international sportsmans show resulted in traffic tie ups and delegation to the more remote parking lot. Still not bad, and wound up taking a show volunteer's advice and hopping on the AC'd shuttle to the coin show hall, on the far side of the building. As it was nearly 10:15, the pomp and circumstance was over and there was no wait to register.
My initial impression on entering was 1. there were more dealers present than I expected, and 2. there was lighter public attendance than expected. Being sandwiched between Baltimore and the ANA, I expected light dealer attendance. Unlike the Jan show, which is quite hectic, there weren't very times when I had to wait my turn to view any dealer's cases. Which was good for me, but probably less for the dealers. Still, I did not here much grumbling, other than they did not have the AC on the day before during dealer set up day, which made for unpleasant conditions in the huge hall.
I was primarily focused on early copper on this trip, but as always with an eye out for better Barbers and Walkers. Did not see much at all available of either of the latter. One dealer did have 3 early walkers that would have been upgrades for my set, but was pricing them at moon money, so I was only casually interested. I did snag a nice somewhat better date Barber quarter, priced below Bid, at another table though.
The first 'copper guy' I hit was Chris McAwley. He had a nice assortment as always, and was also very interested in acquiring a 1798 S-149 (high R4) that I had cherried a few months back. Not finding anything that I really wanted to swap towards, he asked for a cash price (always a good sign when selling!), which I threw a number out and he pounced on. I also got to meet and talk to the legendary Bob Grellman at Chris' table - a great copper guy whom I've long admired but previously hadn't met.
The karma must have been working then, because 2 min after pocketing the nice profit I made from Chris, the very same dealer that I had cherried the S-149 from came walking by, and said hey, I have another large cent for you, it's a nice one and I bought it right. Feeling somewhat obligated, I followed him back to his table, where he produced a respectable 1810/09 that I needed, and it was indeed priced very fairly, so I paid the full asking price without hesitation. Everyone was happy.
Went back to my shopping, and settled in at Coins of Merritt, a dealer from NY that I have dealt with many times over the years. He had some respectable coppers on hand and was pricing them fairly. Still, I wanted to see what else was out there. Went to Tom Reynolds, who was putting on a one man EAC convention - wow! A display of 19 wreath cents, a number of which he had just acquired from an old time Chicago collector - who still had more! 5 or 6 1799 and 9/8's on hand, and at least a dozen of each of both the pole and cap and draped bust 1796 cents, that I was really seeking. I spent a lot of time looking and drooling at the offerings, but being on a budget, there was nothing that I HAD to have in my price range.
Set up alongside Tom was forum member 1798CentCollector (David)....we had previously corresponded vie email and PM's, so it was nice to meet him in person and chat a while.
I took a quick lunch break and noticed someone who looked familiar from Charmy's photos, and was right - forum member WTCG (Wei) who was writing up invoices at a table, so I joined him and we talked while I ate and he worked. Good to see you in person, Wei!
Back on the floor, and went to Greg Hannigan's table. Again, a nice display of copper and a good opportunity to learn more. One heart stopping moment occurred while I was there - a customer was looking at an R4 1794 cent and dropped it on the floor! in typical EAC form, it was of course raw....after a quick inspection by Greg, he deemed it unharmed, and everyone breathed a bit easier.....
Anyway, after all that shopping and tire kicking, I decided that the coins I priced at the Merritt table probably represented the best value for my money, so back I went, and after a little negotiation, acquired one of my 1796's and 'upgraded' my 1812 from a lightly corroded VF to a nice smooth Fine.
One more stop back at McAwley's table to reponder an 1811 cent he had showed me early, decided my decision to pass was still that, and headed out the door in time to beat the rush hour traffic. Since it was my oldest daughter's birthday and she was in town with some friends, I was designated to play grill chef and bartender and so could not stick around for dinner, etc in Orlando.
Successful BST transactions with 171 members. Ebeneezer, Tonedeaf, Shane6596, Piano1, Ikenefic, RG, PCGSPhoto, stman, Don'tTelltheWife, Boosibri, Ron1968, snowequities, VTchaser, jrt103, SurfinxHI, 78saen, bp777, FHC, RYK, JTHawaii, Opportunity, Kliao, bigtime36, skanderbeg, split37, thebigeng, acloco, Toninginthblood, OKCC, braddick, Coinflip, robcool, fastfreddie, tightbudget, DBSTrader2, nickelsciolist, relaxn, Eagle eye, soldi, silverman68, ElKevvo, sawyerjosh, Schmitz7, talkingwalnut2, konsole, sharkman987, sniocsu, comma, jesbroken, David1234, biosolar, Sullykerry, Moldnut, erwindoc, MichaelDixon, GotTheBug
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Comments
Sounds like a good time was had by all.
Oh and by the way, nice copper ya' got there.
Mike
Great read - I had no idea you were into EAC !!
Love the Classic Large Cents !!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
<< <i>I like the classic head cents! Adding one a year is good pace, so you did very well! >>
Thanks Richard. Yes, they were tough to find when I was hunting them for type set customers, and they have not gotten any easier to come by!
Down to just the 1811 now, which looks like it is going to be a bear to find. Then maybe upgrade my '09, and/or do the varieties.
love those ol chunks of copper too...
<< <i>Thanks for the report. >>
I love your registry set! I just bought the 97123 from the Vette set last night. I have the 1883-CC in PCGS MS65+PL. My few Morgans still aren't good enough to start a registry set,but like an old Chinese philosopher said," A journey of a thosand miles begins with a single step".
I knew it would happen.
Sounds like there was a good many EAC's to choose from but probably had to have pretty deep pockets to play.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
<< <i>Sounds like there was a good many EAC's to choose from but probably had to have pretty deep pockets to play. >>
Roger that, Wes! Compromise is the name of the game, at least for me, with the earlier dates. I have shifted my strategy (over time), to settling for coppers with more wear, but fewer problems. And problems abound with these coins - corrosion, verdigris, strike, all sorts of doctoring/'improving', planchet defects, and of course the usual dings, scratches, graffiti, etc. And, unlike most other later coins, these early coins with these problems are still expensive and collectible, as the choice specimens are in strong hands, and go for megabucks when they are available. The coins are highly individualistic, and command values based on their attributes and problems. What a learning experience!
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
<< <i>It was a pleasure meeting the OP as well. Compared to many other forum members I've ran into over the years he seems like a very normal guy. >>
Greg? Normal? No way......
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.