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Loooong Winter FUN 2014 Show Report...**WOW, THAT WAS FUN!**
keyman64
Posts: 15,650 ✭✭✭✭✭
This was a week+ of FUN in many different ways. 
On the Sunday before FUN, I met up with DIMEMAN. He had driven down from the Winter Wonderland where he lives, I think it is the North Pole. Crazy!
Anyway, he brought a bunch of Mercury Dimes down from the Frozen North for me to photograph. I will be using a few of them in my new Mercury Dime Varieties Book.
I returned home after meeting up with him and photographed his coins over a couple of days and then returned them to him at FUN.
On Thursday, I drove to FUN with my 8 year old daughter. We were excited! The drive was much worse than normal as we encountered SIX
car accidents including a jack-knifed semi wreck taking up two lanes of the interstate. We survived it all and finally made it to the show about an hour plus later than desired.
I guess there were a lot of crazed people driving like maniacs trying to get to the FUN Show.
The first mission was LOT VIEWING. I had been looking forward to this. Not only is it the perfect opportunity for me to look at the items I might be interested in but
it was a great opportunity for me to show my daughter some of the greatest US Coins out there. I hoped it would continue sparking a little more interest in her and educate her about
different segments of history in the process. I did pull her out of school for the day so I had to make sure this day was as educational as possible. She saw and experienced
things that she would never get in school. The night before I spent a good amount of time picking out lot numbers to show her, primarily from Platinum Night. I took my
camera along so that I could get great photos of my daughter holding some really cool coins. The folks at Heritage were great! They have always been very very nice but this
was the first time I was taking my kids (on Friday I took my boy). They were just wonderful. I photographed my daughter holding over $10,000,000 in coins within just a few minutes!
Not many people have the opportunity to hold $10,000,000+ in their hands, let alone 8 year old kids! I am happy beyond words that she had this opportunity and she got to
experience it with DADDY! My daughter had her iPad to entertain her during any boring moments. We looked at the following while I gave my daughter a few words of the history behind each:
1787 Brasher Doubloon of course which sold for almost $4.6M.
1913 V Nickel which sold for almost $3.3M.
1927-D $20 which sold for almost $2M
1861 $1 PR65 Cameo PCGS. CAC - $30,550
1884 T$1 PR65 PCGS. CAC - $998,750
1879 $4 Coiled Hair, Judd-1638, Pollock-1838, R.6, PR66 Cameo PCGS Secure - $851,875
1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4, MS65 PCGS - $528,750.00 (What better half dime would there be for her to hold? )
1861 1C Confederate States of America Cent - $211,500
1826 Erie Canal Completion Medal in Gold, HK-1001 - $199,750.00
1922 $1 High Relief Matte PR67 NGC - $329,000 (It was a really cool opportunity to examine this lot and the lot below together in hand, WOW!)
1922 $1 Low Relief Matte PR65 NGC - $199,750
1853 G$1 MS69 PCGS. CAC - $152,750
1831 25C Large Letters PR66 PCGS. CAC - $141,000
1860 $3 MS67 PCGS. CAC - $114,562.50
1829 50C PR64 PCGS. O-108, R.8 as a Proof. Gold CAC - $102,812.50
1843 1/2 C Original PR65 Red PCGS - $38,187.50
1793 1C Chain, AMERI., S-1, B-1, R.4, VF30 PCGS - $41,125
1793 1C Wreath, Vine and Bars, S-9, B-12, R.2, MS65 Brown PCGS. CAC - $211,500
(1781) MEDAL Libertas Americana Copper MS64 Brown NGC - $25,850
(1781) MEDAL Libertas Americana Silver AU53 NGC - $44,062.50
1839 1C Silly Head MS67 Brown NGC - $12,925 (nice example and I wanted to show her the name of it "Silly Head"...she enjoyed that)
1859 Cent -- Obverse Die Cap -- MS66 PCGS. Eagle Eye Photo Seal - It did not sell but is listed for $34K
1906 1C MS67 Red PCGS - $12,925 (very shiny with an indian on it...she liked it)
1955 1C Doubled Die Obverse MS64 Red PCGS. FS-101. CAC - $25,850 (she really liked the date )
1865 2C Fancy 5 MS67 Red PCGS - $25,850 (her first time holding a nice 2c)
1885 5C MS66 PCGS. CAC - $18,800
1877 20C PR66 Cameo NGC - $22,325 (Very Shiny! My daughter likes "shiny!" Also cool for her to hold a 20c.)
1835 25C MS65 PCGS - $22,325
1836 P$1 Name on Base, Judd-60 Original, Pollock-65, R.1, PR62 PCGS - $28,200
1921 $1 Zerbe PR66 PCGS. CAC - $35,250
1798 $2 1/2 Five Berries AU55 NGC - $30,550
1910 $2 1/2 MS66 NGC - $17,625
1868 $3 MS67 Prooflike NGC - $58,750
1799 $5 Large Stars Reverse MS63 PCGS - $70,500
1902-S $5 MS67 PCGS. CAC - $23,500
1795 $10 13 Leaves AU58 PCGS - $94,000
1800 $10 MS64 NGC - $117,500
1932 $10 MS66+ PCGS - $16,450
1861 $20 MS65 NGC - $47,000
1887 $20 PR66 NGC - $258,500
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS65 PCGS - $64,625
Before any of you go nuts thinking I was wasting the time of the good Heritage folks, I was certain that there were other available staff had anyone
else been wanting to view lots. I was also certain to ask permission to show these to my daughter. I was also certain to never have a box of coins
for long so as to not tie them up and prevent any delay in others viewing them. I also asked permission to take my camera out to photograph my
daughter holding 3 coins with just the wall behind her so nothing else and no one else was in the photos. Heritage was most accommodating,
absolutely top notch! They were very gracious. One gentleman from Heritage walked up and gave my daughter a loupe for her to keep which was
very nice. It was an amazing experience. We were in the Platinum Lot Viewing area for about an hour.
After that, we went to the WIDGET LOT VIEWING area so DADDY could do some real shopping. Since I did win 4 lots (more on that later),
I will say that Heritage earned their BP fees. Thank you, Heritage! 
What did I learn about my daughter? She likes "shiny", "gold", "silver" and pretty colors like "rainbows!" Ugh! I fear she might turn into a rainbow Morgan Dollar collector.
Big, shiny, gold, silver, pretty colors....does she sound like any other woman you might know?
After about 2 hours of that FUN, we went hunting for lunch and met up with forum member MFH. It is always a pleasure to see him and he is a great friend.
My daughter had met MFH before and likes him very much.
After a quick call to DIMEMAN and ColonelJessup to check on where they might be, my daughter and I were ready to ATTACK the floor.
My daughter was excited when we walked onto the floor and I told her this is one of the largest coin shows in the entire United States.
I promised my daughter that she would have a great time and we were off to a wonderful start. She was very patient and interested during lot
viewing especially when I was letting her know some of auction estimates on the lots. The girl likes MONEY!
During the afternoon, we walked aisles 100-900 hunting for Mercury Dime Varieties and stopping to look at things she had an interest in as well. While I was looking at things
she would go to different dealers' tables close by to do her own looking. She knew not to touch anything unless she asked if it was okay first. The dealers were wonderful
to her. She made out a lot better than I did on this first day!!! Heck, I didn't get anything.
She got a 2011 Vicksburg quarter in a 2x2 from one dealer, a shiny 2005 buffalo nickel from another, she got spin a wheel for special prizes
and collected candy (lollipops and gold foil wrapped chocolate coins), a little plastic safe, shredded currency, she got a Lincoln Cent Whitman Folder that she could work on
filling up with a few cents that were sitting out in piles, she panned for gold (found one nice flake to keep in a little bottle of water), ...holy cow, all types of fun!
She likes talking to people and got to talking to a pair of dealers at a table, one was Dr. Frank G. Laiacona from California. They were FANTASTIC to her!
He had some really nice bright white Peace Dollars in his case.
http://www.PeaceDollars.net
He gave her a pretty blue box from the Morgan Mint that had four 2000 Sacagawea $1 coins in it.
The Sacs had pretty color stickers on the obverses, one for each season. Then for EVEN TRADE she got a 1934 $5 note and 1957 $1 note, both Silver Certificates.
Not too shabby for $6!
Those guys were fantastic!
Another fantastic dealer that my daughter came across was Andrew Kimmel with Paragon Numismatics, Inc.
http://www.ParagonCoins.com
Again, I was at another table I believe and she went looking for "SHINY RAINBOWS"...she found them at Andrew's table.
As she was walking up to his table, he called her over to welcome her. He was a fantastic conversationalist. He was asking her what she liked and
all types of questions. He started to explain toning to her, how sulfur can impact toning, how our brains interpret light, simple concepts like "Thin-Film Interference."
She had so much FUN and Andrew was awesome! We looked at some of his rainbow toned Morgans. My daughter really wanted me to buy one
and I almost did...I will probably own a couple at some point in my life and it's people like Andrew that I will want to buy from. Maybe for my daughter's
birthday?
My daughter liked him and gave him a gold foil wrapped chocolate coin. Andrew's first comment was that he wasn't sure if
he should take candy from strangers. He ended up risking it though and ate it.
ColonelJessup called me back when he was available and I met him for the first time. He introduced me to Van Simmons, with David Hall Rare Coins,
and we stood there and talked for about 30 minutes while my daughter walked around, looking at pretty shiny things. She was so so good and she
was having FUN too! So many kids have no patience and lack the general ability to let adults to just stand and talk for five seconds without pulling
on their parents...Anyway, after she gave the "Puppy Dog Eyes" to a dealer for a few minutes and was talking to them, they gave her a shiny quarter.
Don't let the rough and tough ColonelJessup name and icon fool you, he's a very very nice guy. I hope I just didn't ruin his tough guy reputation.
I would have enjoyed speaking with him more on Friday but time just flies and I am always trying get so much done, just like anyone else.
I was then walking with my daughter when I heard my name called and it was GotTheBug. I talked to him briefly...very nice guy. One of his preferred dealers did not
make it to the show unfortunately. It seems he ended up buying a Dino-Lite microscope camera while he was there on Saturday I think it was. I'm a little jealous as
those things can make life so much easier when trying to get a close up shot of a variety's pick-up points. Maybe one day, it's all about priorities and my priorities
are with trying to find all of the coins that I "need."
Towards the end of the day, after 5PM, we came across MFH again. He stopped to chat for a little more than 5 seconds, he was on a mission!
During that 5 seconds, he handed a slabbed Peace Dollar to us, I didn't hear what he said...and *poof* he was gone! A few minutes later we found him,
I handed the coin back to him and said I have no idea why he handed it to me but it looked perfectly nice for the grade. He handed the coin to my daughter
and told her to go sell the coin for him. She was soooo excited to take on that very important mission. I gave her the general instructions to look for tables that
had coins just like that in the same type of holders. She then went looking for those types of tables in our general area as we walked the aisles. I wasn't helping her
and I certainly was not standing near her, I was a couple of tables away each time she approached a table. She would go up to a table, show the coin, and ask "Would you
like to buy my coin?"...for the dollar amount taped on the obverse of the holder. Several dealers told her no but it seemed with each rejection the smile on
her face grew bigger and bigger. The girl was on a mission and she was determined to get it done! I was about three tables away, looking for Mercs of course,
I turned around to find that her smile had grown even larger, she was waiving at me with a thumbs up, nodding her head yes and she may have even jumped a little.
Sarasota Rare Coin bought the coin and gave her the money! To MFH and Sarasota Rare Coin, thank you! She was so proud of
herself and enjoyed that experience so much! That was FANTASTIC!
MFH left for dinner, I walked the last aisle for the day (900), we got a call from DIMEMAN and we met him in the lobby about 5:45...just in time to head over to the Platinum
Night Live Auction. This was a wonderful opportunity for my daughter to learn so much more! I took full advantage!
Lesson Number ONE and the most important lesson: I told my daughter, "Since this is the Platinum Auction, remember those expensive coins we looked at early in the day,
do not raise your hands and most important, do not raise daddy's bidding number!"
Then I explained where all of the bidders were (some on the phone with the folks up front, some were in the room and some were on the internet...I skipped the part about
mail bids). I explained how the competitive bidding process worked. I also explained the consignment process (the owner of the 1787 Brasher was in the room) and the
buyer's premium piece of it. I taught her multiplication when she was in kindergarten and division in first etc...so she was able to able to comprehend the impact of taking
the 1787 Brasher sale price and multiplying it by 1.175! Recently I have been teaching her algebra and geometry. Not too bad considering she is in the 3rd grade. I'm a
proud daddy! I am even prouder of role she fills as a sister and role model to her brother that is 11 months older and has special needs. Anyway....the first lot to sell
was the 1787 Brasher Doubloon and I was excited to have her experience that. We were in there for about 20 minutes and she was just mesmerized at watching all of the
action and lofty prices realized, over and over.
We then ended the day with a drive home that was less eventful than the morning drive to the show. There were only two accidents with just short delays.
On Friday I drove to the show with my son. After he heard about all of the FUN my daughter had, he was excited! There was no traffic during the long drive there or the
return home! We met DIMEMAN prior to parking so as to hand over all of his coins that I had photographed during the week and then we oh-so-happily paid
the $9 to park, AGAIN!
We were in the show right about 10AM. My son and I picked up where I had left off the previous day. He was quick to make friends and tends
to be a real ladies man. He ended up coaxing some females out from behind the dealer tables for hugs. Too bad I can't do that! 
I am soooo jealous!
I made sure that my son had most of the great experiences that my daughter had the previous day. He loved interacting with everyone. I was sure to have him hold
some great coins during the day, including a $50 gold from 1852 (Glenn Holsonbake's Table). He was very impressed. One dealer's wife(just a guess) took a special
liking to him and went looking for something to give him. The dealer was Harry Miller at Miller's Mint. She found a PCGS Sample slab
for him! 2011 25th Anniversary of PCGS Slab that has a very nice 1986 quarter in it. Wow, so cool! He was thrilled!!! Even more thrilled than when he was panning
for gold and finding a flake to keep. A big thanks to them!
My son and I had the pleasure of attending the PCGS Luncheon. It was FUN and the lunch was very good. Thanks PCGS! This was the first time I had attended one of
these and everyone was very nice. If my schedule allows in future years, I will certainly try to attend. My son and I both received the new sample slab as well. The
hologram is great. I'm hopeful that the newer scratch resistant slab will allow for better, scratch free, photos in the future. Time will tell. It is encouraging to know that
PCGS is actively working to thwart counterfeits. Here are a couple of quick yukky photos of the luncheon samples.
After lunch, my son and I went into lot viewing for about 20 minutes so I could closely examine four coins one more time.
My son had the iPad and fruit snacks to entertain him during this time, not to mention the wonderful Heritage staff!
We stopped by to say hi to Charmy, I think it is a rule that every forum member do this. I ask if she had a specific coin, in a specific grade. Sadly she did not but she
did have one in one grade lower. Her inventory is pretty darn impressive!
So the previous day, as much as I tried, I could not find a Mercury Dime Variety that I needed for my set. Cherrypicking can be tough sometimes. There are coins that I
have been looking for for four years! Then to add a little difficulty, I had my kids with me, found myself doing a good bit of socializing, spending lots of time teaching my
kids things and ensuring they had a fantastic experience...and the biggest battle I had was that DIMEMAN was wandering the floor looking through hundreds of
Mercury Dimes, many of the same ones I was looking for! DIMEMAN had already searched the entire floor, twice I think! He told me he probably looked at over 100
1941 Mercury Dimes, looking for the elusive DDO FS-101 while I only had the opportunity to look at 5 to 10. Well, as luck would have it, I had my son with me after all,
I found the rarest Mercury Dime Variety. I had been looking for four years! The coin was at a Toner-Table...and I had to pay way up for the toning, although neat I would
not call it a monster toner worth the premium I paid...but it was easily worth it due to the variety. This Cherrypicker Won one, for the first time in a long time...
since Summer FUN 2013.
1941 DDO FS-101
There are only 4 graded at PCGS and AU58 is the current Top Pop. DIMEMAN has a raw AU58. This will at least tie for Top Pop and could grade anywhere between
AU58-MS64. The luster is fantastic and there are some neat areas of color. My thoughts then turned to getting it photographed. I of course could do the job but I
am experienced enough to know that it is quite difficult to capture BOTH color and luster. So I took the coin to Todd ( http://bluccphotos.com )
who had a booth next to Charmy. I will try my hand at photographing the coin in the next few days. Todd took several different photos of it and quickly burned it onto a
CD for me. When I got home I put the CD into my computer to see all of the different versions. He did a fantastic job! Thanks Todd! Here is one set of
images that Todd took. I took the close up shot of the motto in order to toss that in there really quick. It will take 3 lights to image the full coin and I will have to practice
a little to get it right like Todd did. Hopefully I will be able to get it right. I think Todd's photos turned out as close to what it looks like in hand as possible besides the fact
that it does have more luster covering the entire coin. As you may imagine, I enjoyed showing the coin to DIMEMAN after I Cherrypicked it from an aisle he had
already been down.
It is most evident under the U and S of TRUST.
Since this is likely the best condition and possibly the best struck example it is interesting to see many more die scratches than what is mentioned in the CPG or seen
on other examples. Pretty cool.
Shortly after I had Todd image the 1941 DDO, my son and I went by Glenn Holsonbake's table and saw coinkid855 hanging out but Glenn was missing. I only saw Glenn briefly
on Thursday around lunch. Glenn and coinkid855 are great people. Glenn had a neat 1852 $50 Gold in the case which I had my son take a look at. Pretty darn cool! About
4PM we headed home after having a FANTASTIC DAY!
MORAL OF THIS STORY: There some awesome people out there and if you have young kids, you have to get them involved and take them to coin shows, the bigger the better!
You can still Cherrypick (even when your competitors have already searched the floor ), socialize, buy, sell, lot view etc while with your kids. It requires a good bit of extra effort
but it is so worth it. There are so many learning opportunities for the kids!
So, was the FUN week over? I thought it was but it wasn't! All of that lot viewing paid off! I was able to Cherrypick/WIN 4 Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties in the auction...
more on that in another post at a later time. Don't you think this show report is long enough?
But wait, there's more! On Saturday afternoon I got a call from DIMEMAN. He was about to leave the show, had found another coin for his collection and said he would not mind me
taking a look at it. It was his plan to start the drive back home, to the great white frozen north, but he decided to make the drive to my place on the beach to hang out for a while
and crash for the night. We had a good time and I took his photo on the beach before he started his long drive home.
Well, there you have it. Here's a pic of sunset from my deck on the beach on Sunday. Even though it is smaller, my kids and I are looking forward to Summer FUN!
On the Sunday before FUN, I met up with DIMEMAN. He had driven down from the Winter Wonderland where he lives, I think it is the North Pole. Crazy!
Anyway, he brought a bunch of Mercury Dimes down from the Frozen North for me to photograph. I will be using a few of them in my new Mercury Dime Varieties Book.
I returned home after meeting up with him and photographed his coins over a couple of days and then returned them to him at FUN.
On Thursday, I drove to FUN with my 8 year old daughter. We were excited! The drive was much worse than normal as we encountered SIX
car accidents including a jack-knifed semi wreck taking up two lanes of the interstate. We survived it all and finally made it to the show about an hour plus later than desired.
I guess there were a lot of crazed people driving like maniacs trying to get to the FUN Show.
The first mission was LOT VIEWING. I had been looking forward to this. Not only is it the perfect opportunity for me to look at the items I might be interested in but
it was a great opportunity for me to show my daughter some of the greatest US Coins out there. I hoped it would continue sparking a little more interest in her and educate her about
different segments of history in the process. I did pull her out of school for the day so I had to make sure this day was as educational as possible. She saw and experienced
things that she would never get in school. The night before I spent a good amount of time picking out lot numbers to show her, primarily from Platinum Night. I took my
camera along so that I could get great photos of my daughter holding some really cool coins. The folks at Heritage were great! They have always been very very nice but this
was the first time I was taking my kids (on Friday I took my boy). They were just wonderful. I photographed my daughter holding over $10,000,000 in coins within just a few minutes!
Not many people have the opportunity to hold $10,000,000+ in their hands, let alone 8 year old kids! I am happy beyond words that she had this opportunity and she got to
experience it with DADDY!
My daughter had her iPad to entertain her during any boring moments. We looked at the following while I gave my daughter a few words of the history behind each:1787 Brasher Doubloon of course which sold for almost $4.6M.
1913 V Nickel which sold for almost $3.3M.
1927-D $20 which sold for almost $2M
1861 $1 PR65 Cameo PCGS. CAC - $30,550
1884 T$1 PR65 PCGS. CAC - $998,750
1879 $4 Coiled Hair, Judd-1638, Pollock-1838, R.6, PR66 Cameo PCGS Secure - $851,875
1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4, MS65 PCGS - $528,750.00 (What better half dime would there be for her to hold?
)1861 1C Confederate States of America Cent - $211,500
1826 Erie Canal Completion Medal in Gold, HK-1001 - $199,750.00
1922 $1 High Relief Matte PR67 NGC - $329,000 (It was a really cool opportunity to examine this lot and the lot below together in hand, WOW!)
1922 $1 Low Relief Matte PR65 NGC - $199,750
1853 G$1 MS69 PCGS. CAC - $152,750
1831 25C Large Letters PR66 PCGS. CAC - $141,000
1860 $3 MS67 PCGS. CAC - $114,562.50
1829 50C PR64 PCGS. O-108, R.8 as a Proof. Gold CAC - $102,812.50
1843 1/2 C Original PR65 Red PCGS - $38,187.50
1793 1C Chain, AMERI., S-1, B-1, R.4, VF30 PCGS - $41,125
1793 1C Wreath, Vine and Bars, S-9, B-12, R.2, MS65 Brown PCGS. CAC - $211,500
(1781) MEDAL Libertas Americana Copper MS64 Brown NGC - $25,850
(1781) MEDAL Libertas Americana Silver AU53 NGC - $44,062.50
1839 1C Silly Head MS67 Brown NGC - $12,925 (nice example and I wanted to show her the name of it "Silly Head"...she enjoyed that)
1859 Cent -- Obverse Die Cap -- MS66 PCGS. Eagle Eye Photo Seal - It did not sell but is listed for $34K
1906 1C MS67 Red PCGS - $12,925 (very shiny with an indian on it...she liked it)
1955 1C Doubled Die Obverse MS64 Red PCGS. FS-101. CAC - $25,850 (she really liked the date
)1865 2C Fancy 5 MS67 Red PCGS - $25,850 (her first time holding a nice 2c)
1885 5C MS66 PCGS. CAC - $18,800
1877 20C PR66 Cameo NGC - $22,325 (Very Shiny! My daughter likes "shiny!" Also cool for her to hold a 20c.)
1835 25C MS65 PCGS - $22,325
1836 P$1 Name on Base, Judd-60 Original, Pollock-65, R.1, PR62 PCGS - $28,200
1921 $1 Zerbe PR66 PCGS. CAC - $35,250
1798 $2 1/2 Five Berries AU55 NGC - $30,550
1910 $2 1/2 MS66 NGC - $17,625
1868 $3 MS67 Prooflike NGC - $58,750
1799 $5 Large Stars Reverse MS63 PCGS - $70,500
1902-S $5 MS67 PCGS. CAC - $23,500
1795 $10 13 Leaves AU58 PCGS - $94,000
1800 $10 MS64 NGC - $117,500
1932 $10 MS66+ PCGS - $16,450
1861 $20 MS65 NGC - $47,000
1887 $20 PR66 NGC - $258,500
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS65 PCGS - $64,625
Before any of you go nuts thinking I was wasting the time of the good Heritage folks, I was certain that there were other available staff had anyone
else been wanting to view lots. I was also certain to ask permission to show these to my daughter. I was also certain to never have a box of coins
for long so as to not tie them up and prevent any delay in others viewing them. I also asked permission to take my camera out to photograph my
daughter holding 3 coins with just the wall behind her so nothing else and no one else was in the photos. Heritage was most accommodating,
absolutely top notch! They were very gracious. One gentleman from Heritage walked up and gave my daughter a loupe for her to keep which was
very nice. It was an amazing experience. We were in the Platinum Lot Viewing area for about an hour.
After that, we went to the WIDGET LOT VIEWING area so DADDY could do some real shopping. Since I did win 4 lots (more on that later),
I will say that Heritage earned their BP fees.
Thank you, Heritage! What did I learn about my daughter? She likes "shiny", "gold", "silver" and pretty colors like "rainbows!" Ugh! I fear she might turn into a rainbow Morgan Dollar collector.
Big, shiny, gold, silver, pretty colors....does she sound like any other woman you might know?
After about 2 hours of that FUN, we went hunting for lunch and met up with forum member MFH. It is always a pleasure to see him and he is a great friend.
My daughter had met MFH before and likes him very much.
After a quick call to DIMEMAN and ColonelJessup to check on where they might be, my daughter and I were ready to ATTACK the floor.
My daughter was excited when we walked onto the floor and I told her this is one of the largest coin shows in the entire United States.
I promised my daughter that she would have a great time and we were off to a wonderful start. She was very patient and interested during lot
viewing especially when I was letting her know some of auction estimates on the lots. The girl likes MONEY!
During the afternoon, we walked aisles 100-900 hunting for Mercury Dime Varieties and stopping to look at things she had an interest in as well. While I was looking at things
she would go to different dealers' tables close by to do her own looking. She knew not to touch anything unless she asked if it was okay first. The dealers were wonderful
to her. She made out a lot better than I did on this first day!!! Heck, I didn't get anything.
She got a 2011 Vicksburg quarter in a 2x2 from one dealer, a shiny 2005 buffalo nickel from another, she got spin a wheel for special prizes
and collected candy (lollipops and gold foil wrapped chocolate coins), a little plastic safe, shredded currency, she got a Lincoln Cent Whitman Folder that she could work on
filling up with a few cents that were sitting out in piles, she panned for gold (found one nice flake to keep in a little bottle of water), ...holy cow, all types of fun!
She likes talking to people and got to talking to a pair of dealers at a table, one was Dr. Frank G. Laiacona from California. They were FANTASTIC to her!
He had some really nice bright white Peace Dollars in his case.
http://www.PeaceDollars.net
He gave her a pretty blue box from the Morgan Mint that had four 2000 Sacagawea $1 coins in it.
The Sacs had pretty color stickers on the obverses, one for each season. Then for EVEN TRADE she got a 1934 $5 note and 1957 $1 note, both Silver Certificates.
Not too shabby for $6!
Those guys were fantastic!
Another fantastic dealer that my daughter came across was Andrew Kimmel with Paragon Numismatics, Inc.
http://www.ParagonCoins.com
Again, I was at another table I believe and she went looking for "SHINY RAINBOWS"...she found them at Andrew's table.
As she was walking up to his table, he called her over to welcome her. He was a fantastic conversationalist. He was asking her what she liked and
all types of questions. He started to explain toning to her, how sulfur can impact toning, how our brains interpret light, simple concepts like "Thin-Film Interference."
She had so much FUN and Andrew was awesome! We looked at some of his rainbow toned Morgans. My daughter really wanted me to buy one
and I almost did...I will probably own a couple at some point in my life and it's people like Andrew that I will want to buy from. Maybe for my daughter's
birthday?
My daughter liked him and gave him a gold foil wrapped chocolate coin. Andrew's first comment was that he wasn't sure if he should take candy from strangers.
He ended up risking it though and ate it. ColonelJessup called me back when he was available and I met him for the first time. He introduced me to Van Simmons, with David Hall Rare Coins,
and we stood there and talked for about 30 minutes while my daughter walked around, looking at pretty shiny things. She was so so good and she
was having FUN too! So many kids have no patience and lack the general ability to let adults to just stand and talk for five seconds without pulling
on their parents...Anyway, after she gave the "Puppy Dog Eyes" to a dealer for a few minutes and was talking to them, they gave her a shiny quarter.
Don't let the rough and tough ColonelJessup name and icon fool you, he's a very very nice guy. I hope I just didn't ruin his tough guy reputation.
I would have enjoyed speaking with him more on Friday but time just flies and I am always trying get so much done, just like anyone else.
I was then walking with my daughter when I heard my name called and it was GotTheBug. I talked to him briefly...very nice guy. One of his preferred dealers did not
make it to the show unfortunately. It seems he ended up buying a Dino-Lite microscope camera while he was there on Saturday I think it was. I'm a little jealous as
those things can make life so much easier when trying to get a close up shot of a variety's pick-up points. Maybe one day, it's all about priorities and my priorities
are with trying to find all of the coins that I "need."
Towards the end of the day, after 5PM, we came across MFH again. He stopped to chat for a little more than 5 seconds, he was on a mission!
During that 5 seconds, he handed a slabbed Peace Dollar to us, I didn't hear what he said...and *poof* he was gone! A few minutes later we found him,
I handed the coin back to him and said I have no idea why he handed it to me but it looked perfectly nice for the grade. He handed the coin to my daughter
and told her to go sell the coin for him. She was soooo excited to take on that very important mission. I gave her the general instructions to look for tables that
had coins just like that in the same type of holders. She then went looking for those types of tables in our general area as we walked the aisles. I wasn't helping her
and I certainly was not standing near her, I was a couple of tables away each time she approached a table. She would go up to a table, show the coin, and ask "Would you
like to buy my coin?"...for the dollar amount taped on the obverse of the holder. Several dealers told her no but it seemed with each rejection the smile on
her face grew bigger and bigger. The girl was on a mission and she was determined to get it done! I was about three tables away, looking for Mercs of course,
I turned around to find that her smile had grown even larger, she was waiving at me with a thumbs up, nodding her head yes and she may have even jumped a little.
Sarasota Rare Coin bought the coin and gave her the money! To MFH and Sarasota Rare Coin, thank you! She was so proud of
herself and enjoyed that experience so much! That was FANTASTIC!
MFH left for dinner, I walked the last aisle for the day (900), we got a call from DIMEMAN and we met him in the lobby about 5:45...just in time to head over to the Platinum
Night Live Auction. This was a wonderful opportunity for my daughter to learn so much more! I took full advantage!
Lesson Number ONE and the most important lesson: I told my daughter, "Since this is the Platinum Auction, remember those expensive coins we looked at early in the day,
do not raise your hands and most important, do not raise daddy's bidding number!"
Then I explained where all of the bidders were (some on the phone with the folks up front, some were in the room and some were on the internet...I skipped the part about
mail bids). I explained how the competitive bidding process worked. I also explained the consignment process (the owner of the 1787 Brasher was in the room) and the
buyer's premium piece of it. I taught her multiplication when she was in kindergarten and division in first etc...so she was able to able to comprehend the impact of taking
the 1787 Brasher sale price and multiplying it by 1.175! Recently I have been teaching her algebra and geometry. Not too bad considering she is in the 3rd grade. I'm a
proud daddy!
I am even prouder of role she fills as a sister and role model to her brother that is 11 months older and has special needs. Anyway....the first lot to sell was the 1787 Brasher Doubloon and I was excited to have her experience that. We were in there for about 20 minutes and she was just mesmerized at watching all of the
action and lofty prices realized, over and over.
We then ended the day with a drive home that was less eventful than the morning drive to the show. There were only two accidents with just short delays.
On Friday I drove to the show with my son. After he heard about all of the FUN my daughter had, he was excited! There was no traffic during the long drive there or the
return home!
We met DIMEMAN prior to parking so as to hand over all of his coins that I had photographed during the week and then we oh-so-happily paidthe $9 to park, AGAIN!
We were in the show right about 10AM. My son and I picked up where I had left off the previous day. He was quick to make friends and tendsto be a real ladies man. He ended up coaxing some females out from behind the dealer tables for hugs.
Too bad I can't do that! I am soooo jealous!I made sure that my son had most of the great experiences that my daughter had the previous day. He loved interacting with everyone. I was sure to have him hold
some great coins during the day, including a $50 gold from 1852 (Glenn Holsonbake's Table). He was very impressed. One dealer's wife(just a guess) took a special
liking to him and went looking for something to give him. The dealer was Harry Miller at Miller's Mint. She found a PCGS Sample slab
for him! 2011 25th Anniversary of PCGS Slab that has a very nice 1986 quarter in it. Wow, so cool! He was thrilled!!! Even more thrilled than when he was panning
for gold and finding a flake to keep. A big thanks to them!
My son and I had the pleasure of attending the PCGS Luncheon. It was FUN and the lunch was very good. Thanks PCGS! This was the first time I had attended one of
these and everyone was very nice. If my schedule allows in future years, I will certainly try to attend. My son and I both received the new sample slab as well. The
hologram is great. I'm hopeful that the newer scratch resistant slab will allow for better, scratch free, photos in the future. Time will tell. It is encouraging to know that
PCGS is actively working to thwart counterfeits. Here are a couple of quick yukky photos of the luncheon samples.
After lunch, my son and I went into lot viewing for about 20 minutes so I could closely examine four coins one more time.
My son had the iPad and fruit snacks to entertain him during this time, not to mention the wonderful Heritage staff!
We stopped by to say hi to Charmy, I think it is a rule that every forum member do this.
I ask if she had a specific coin, in a specific grade. Sadly she did not but shedid have one in one grade lower. Her inventory is pretty darn impressive!
So the previous day, as much as I tried, I could not find a Mercury Dime Variety that I needed for my set. Cherrypicking can be tough sometimes. There are coins that I
have been looking for for four years! Then to add a little difficulty, I had my kids with me, found myself doing a good bit of socializing, spending lots of time teaching my
kids things and ensuring they had a fantastic experience...and the biggest battle I had was that DIMEMAN was wandering the floor looking through hundreds of
Mercury Dimes, many of the same ones I was looking for! DIMEMAN had already searched the entire floor, twice I think! He told me he probably looked at over 100
1941 Mercury Dimes, looking for the elusive DDO FS-101 while I only had the opportunity to look at 5 to 10. Well, as luck would have it, I had my son with me after all,
I found the rarest Mercury Dime Variety. I had been looking for four years! The coin was at a Toner-Table...and I had to pay way up for the toning, although neat I would
not call it a monster toner worth the premium I paid...but it was easily worth it due to the variety. This Cherrypicker Won one, for the first time in a long time...
since Summer FUN 2013.
1941 DDO FS-101
There are only 4 graded at PCGS and AU58 is the current Top Pop. DIMEMAN has a raw AU58. This will at least tie for Top Pop and could grade anywhere between
AU58-MS64. The luster is fantastic and there are some neat areas of color. My thoughts then turned to getting it photographed. I of course could do the job but I
am experienced enough to know that it is quite difficult to capture BOTH color and luster. So I took the coin to Todd ( http://bluccphotos.com )
who had a booth next to Charmy. I will try my hand at photographing the coin in the next few days. Todd took several different photos of it and quickly burned it onto a
CD for me. When I got home I put the CD into my computer to see all of the different versions. He did a fantastic job! Thanks Todd!
Here is one set of images that Todd took. I took the close up shot of the motto in order to toss that in there really quick. It will take 3 lights to image the full coin and I will have to practice
a little to get it right like Todd did. Hopefully I will be able to get it right. I think Todd's photos turned out as close to what it looks like in hand as possible besides the fact
that it does have more luster covering the entire coin. As you may imagine, I enjoyed showing the coin to DIMEMAN after I Cherrypicked it from an aisle he had
already been down.
It is most evident under the U and S of TRUST.
Since this is likely the best condition and possibly the best struck example it is interesting to see many more die scratches than what is mentioned in the CPG or seen
on other examples. Pretty cool.
Shortly after I had Todd image the 1941 DDO, my son and I went by Glenn Holsonbake's table and saw coinkid855 hanging out but Glenn was missing. I only saw Glenn briefly
on Thursday around lunch. Glenn and coinkid855 are great people. Glenn had a neat 1852 $50 Gold in the case which I had my son take a look at. Pretty darn cool! About
4PM we headed home after having a FANTASTIC DAY!
MORAL OF THIS STORY: There some awesome people out there and if you have young kids, you have to get them involved and take them to coin shows, the bigger the better!
You can still Cherrypick (even when your competitors have already searched the floor
), socialize, buy, sell, lot view etc while with your kids. It requires a good bit of extra effortbut it is so worth it. There are so many learning opportunities for the kids!
So, was the FUN week over? I thought it was but it wasn't! All of that lot viewing paid off! I was able to Cherrypick/WIN 4 Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties in the auction...
more on that in another post at a later time. Don't you think this show report is long enough?
But wait, there's more! On Saturday afternoon I got a call from DIMEMAN. He was about to leave the show, had found another coin for his collection and said he would not mind me
taking a look at it. It was his plan to start the drive back home, to the great white frozen north, but he decided to make the drive to my place on the beach to hang out for a while
and crash for the night. We had a good time and I took his photo on the beach before he started his long drive home.
Well, there you have it. Here's a pic of sunset from my deck on the beach on Sunday.
Even though it is smaller, my kids and I are looking forward to Summer FUN! "If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
0
Comments
AB
<< <i>Wow awesome looking report! I will take some time to read the entirety and give it the proper response in the near future...
AB
different coins, I just know she would like your collection the best out of any other collection on this forum.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
One of these years I will make it there.
.
CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
.
Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
.
More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC FOR SALE
So, who had more fun: You, your daughter, or your son????
PS: I think a beautiful rainbow toned Morgan dollar would be a great birthday gift (along with more "typical" gifts) for your daughter. It's something she can keep forever and remember the great time she had with her Dad at coin shows. You probably should have purchased one for her from the FUN show itself for her memory of your first coin show with you! (It's fun spending someone else's money!
I used to be famous now I just collect coins.
Link to My Registry Set.
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-specialty-sets/washington-quarters-complete-variety-set-circulation-strikes-1932-1964/publishedset/78469
Varieties Are The Spice Of LIFE and Thanks to Those who teach us what to search For.
I really had to stretch for those four auction lots. If I had stretched further I think my arms would have flown off in a rocket launch!
Those Morgan toners aren't cheap. It will take some time to find one that meets a lot of different criteria...
PCGS, CAC, magical colors, relatively clean cheek for the grade and within budget. Not easy!
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
What a great show report. I was so pleased to have seen your daughter again, she's so cute ( must take after her Mom )
and I was surprised that she was able to sell the 1923 Peace Dollar. Next time I see her at a show she can peddle my box
of duplicate Barber Dimes ! She got a better result than I did !!
The FUN show is so large, you miss people you want to talk to. Please tell Zack that I'm sorry not to have seen him and
had him walk a coin around like Sierra did. I am glad that he got that great sample slab from Millers Mint, they are really nice.
The 1941 DDO, is one wild and sexy Dime. I should get my eyes rechecked, it's too difficult to see the DDO at all.
I pray the four coins you Cherry Picked at the Heritage Auction are the real deal; I was glad you spotted a few things
for your collection. You had better luck than I did.
It's also a shame you are so far North ( nice spot, too, BTW ) as Glenn is driving down here tomorrow for dinner and will
be spending the night ( I have all of his inventory as he didn't want to do any sightseeing and do touristy things with all
that inventory in his car. ) So, if you wish, drive down, have a medley of seafood ( Glenn is a semi vegetarian ) with us.
Sorry, but the only view I can offer is the number one fairway to the fountains off in the distance !
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
I wish I could drive down for dinner with you and Glenn as that would be a real treat but my schedule just won't allow it unfortunately.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
Free samples??
<< <i>Nice report - thanks!
Free samples??
If you were a cute 8 or 9 year old kid then maybe you could get a free sample?
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
I am still probably leaving out some stuff but that's what happens when you don't take good notes and the memories get clouded from all of the excitement.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
- Jim
How upset was Jon that he missed the 41DDO? (Nice pickup.)
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay
<< <i>Thanks for the post, Greg!
How upset was Jon that he missed the 41DDO? (Nice pickup.) >>
He says he had not yet made it down that aisle so he wasn't too upset.
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
I thoroughly agree---nicely done!
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan,JWP,dantheman984,olah_in_MA,USMC_6115
The Penny Lady®
AB
Sorry I missed seeing you and your family!
The show was so good that I had to spend my time looking at coins!!!
Rob
Successful Trades with: Coincast, MICHAELDIXON
Successful Purchases from: Manorcourtman, Meltdown
<< <i> We looked at the following while I gave my daughter a few words of the history behind each:
1787 Brasher Doubloon of course which sold for almost $4.6M.
1913 V Nickel which sold for almost $3.3M.
1927-D $20 which sold for almost $2M
1861 $1 PR65 Cameo PCGS. CAC - $30,550
1884 T$1 PR65 PCGS. CAC - $998,750
1879 $4 Coiled Hair, Judd-1638, Pollock-1838, R.6, PR66 Cameo PCGS Secure - $851,875
1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4, MS65 PCGS - $528,750.00 (What better half dime would there be for her to hold?
1861 1C Confederate States of America Cent - $211,500
1826 Erie Canal Completion Medal in Gold, HK-1001 - $199,750.00
1922 $1 High Relief Matte PR67 NGC - $329,000 (It was a really cool opportunity to examine this lot and the lot below together in hand, WOW!)
1922 $1 Low Relief Matte PR65 NGC - $199,750
1853 G$1 MS69 PCGS. CAC - $152,750
1831 25C Large Letters PR66 PCGS. CAC - $141,000
1860 $3 MS67 PCGS. CAC - $114,562.50
1829 50C PR64 PCGS. O-108, R.8 as a Proof. Gold CAC - $102,812.50
1843 1/2 C Original PR65 Red PCGS - $38,187.50
1793 1C Chain, AMERI., S-1, B-1, R.4, VF30 PCGS - $41,125
1793 1C Wreath, Vine and Bars, S-9, B-12, R.2, MS65 Brown PCGS. CAC - $211,500
(1781) MEDAL Libertas Americana Copper MS64 Brown NGC - $25,850
(1781) MEDAL Libertas Americana Silver AU53 NGC - $44,062.50
1839 1C Silly Head MS67 Brown NGC - $12,925 (nice example and I wanted to show her the name of it "Silly Head"...she enjoyed that)
1859 Cent -- Obverse Die Cap -- MS66 PCGS. Eagle Eye Photo Seal - It did not sell but is listed for $34K
1906 1C MS67 Red PCGS - $12,925 (very shiny with an indian on it...she liked it)
1955 1C Doubled Die Obverse MS64 Red PCGS. FS-101. CAC - $25,850 (she really liked the date
1865 2C Fancy 5 MS67 Red PCGS - $25,850 (her first time holding a nice 2c)
1885 5C MS66 PCGS. CAC - $18,800
1877 20C PR66 Cameo NGC - $22,325 (Very Shiny! My daughter likes "shiny!" Also cool for her to hold a 20c.)
1835 25C MS65 PCGS - $22,325
1836 P$1 Name on Base, Judd-60 Original, Pollock-65, R.1, PR62 PCGS - $28,200
1921 $1 Zerbe PR66 PCGS. CAC - $35,250
1798 $2 1/2 Five Berries AU55 NGC - $30,550
1910 $2 1/2 MS66 NGC - $17,625
1868 $3 MS67 Prooflike NGC - $58,750
1799 $5 Large Stars Reverse MS63 PCGS - $70,500
1902-S $5 MS67 PCGS. CAC - $23,500
1795 $10 13 Leaves AU58 PCGS - $94,000
1800 $10 MS64 NGC - $117,500
1932 $10 MS66+ PCGS - $16,450
1861 $20 MS65 NGC - $47,000
1887 $20 PR66 NGC - $258,500
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS65 PCGS - $64,625
Anyway....the first lot to sell
was the 1787 Brasher Doubloon and I was excited to have her experience that. We were in there for about 20 minutes and she was just mesmerized at watching all of the
action and lofty prices realized, over and over.
>>
Thanks for the report and also taking the time to add the sale prices. A neat memory for both of your kids and you.