Wednesday - 8/17/22 - ANA show report {Second Trip, Friday, 8/19/22 - update added)
U1chicago
Posts: 6,298 ✭✭✭✭✭
The quick recap: show good; items bought and sold; coins submitted to PCGS/NGC 
For those wanting a little more detail, read further. 
~Arriving a little after the 10 AM open, I was glad to see the check-in line was small (unlike Central States where it was spiraling through the building-although that was partially based on some glitch where they could not check people in)….there were plenty of people on the bourse, so the short line was not an indication of low attendance
~My first stop was the PCGS table to submit several coins; again I was pleased to see no line-only a few people sitting at chairs already being helped (at Central States there was a fairly long one around the same time). In this case I’m not sure if less people were submitting coins or if the volume was just more spread out over the course of yesterday, today, and the next several days. The reps at PCGS were helpful and the process was a breeze.
~Next up was the NGC table; they have a decent show grading special that is $30 per coin (for any US non-gold valued up to $300) and there is no minimum. The non-show price is $23 but when you add shipping both ways, the show price is very favorable. So I took advantage of that to submit two coins. There was no line here either and the process was as smooth as the PCGS sub.
~With grading out of the way, I perused the floor, looking for anything that might catch my eye (toners, world, old slabs). As is often the case, a lot of tables had common date Morgans in quantity. There was plenty of other material (currency, ancients, world-German, Latin American, etc) to satisfy all sorts of collectors. Several world mints were there too (US Mint, Canadian Mint, Holy Land-Israel).
~An interesting thing that I noticed was that there weren’t as many older holders as I’ve seen before. The rattler craze seems to have strong momentum and dealer inventories were low. The ones that had a rattler or two priced them strongly (I saw some common date Morgan rattlers in 63/64 priced at 65+ pricing-I’d say about $50-$75 over what they bring in auctions).
~Someone on here mentioned seeing a lot of AT coins. I wanted to check for myself and I’d say that was a bit of an exaggeration. There was one table that had around 10 moderns that I thought were questionable (mix of all the top TPGs plus some lower tier slabbers). Otherwise, the majority looked market acceptable (including plenty of Morgans that had typical bag or album toning).
~The bourse is large and it is a challenge to see everything in one day; I made a full tour but am sure I missed some tables as there was just too much to see
~Dan Carr collectors-from what I saw, the pickings were slim. There was one dealer that had a handful (I recall a few Carr Barber Halfs) and another that had a Carr Gold Mexican Caballito. That was it. Of course I could have missed some that sold or were tucked in a corner of a table.
~People were buying and selling. I saw plenty of deals done, checks written, cash exchanged. I did not notice much bullion activity. Several dealers that specialized in bullion were there and I’m sure some sales were happening-I just didn’t notice much during my visit.
~I always go to these shows with at least a few things to sell (to move items that no longer fit my collection and to finance any purchase). This time I only had four items (didn’t have much else that I wanted to part with yet). One Morgan sold fairly quickly but the other three coins didn’t find buyers. Two were world (one esoteric while the other a bit more popular-but still not something that is as easy to sell as a Morgan) and one was a different toned Morgan. The Morgan that did not sell received some positive commentary-a few dealers suggested sending it to auction (they felt it could reach my ask or even higher but didn’t want to take the risk themselves-fair enough).
~On the buy side, I found a few coins that I liked. One toned Morgan I considered but ended up walking away (price was about right but I decided it just did not have enough “pop” for my liking). Another Morgan did come home with me. The picture will be posted below. I had two more buys-both world. One is a modern that was priced right (I already had one but this one was less-I’ll end up selling one of them and hopefully averaging down my overall cost, so no photo here) and the other was a toned Russian Rouble (picture below). You don’t see these toned too often; I liked the look and the price was fair.
~Overall it was a good day-any day spent with coins is a good one!
Updates from my second trip, today (8/19/22):
~I went later in the afternoon in order to pick up my grading subs from NGC and PCGS. There was noticeably less dealers (as is common, many had left early) around 2 PM and it really dwindled down after 4 PM.
~My grading results were a mixed bag; some coins did better than expected, a few worse, and the rest matched my guess. Overall I’m happy though as it’s a quick process and I get to have the coins back in hand without the hassle of shipping back and forth (and the extended wait times).
~I managed to scrape up several more coins to sell. One was graded and the others were raw problem coins (which I disclosed-although it was clear-these coins would not win any beauty contest). The raw ones were hard to move (as I figured given their look) but I finally succeeded (I’m sure the dealer will be able to move them to someone needing inexpensive album fillers). The graded coin did not sell (I priced it strong as I did not want to let it go unless it was close to my valuation). Instead I sold one of my newly graded PCGS coins (that one did hit my value).
~In my buying hunt, the goal was anything interesting (potentially a new box of 20ish coin). I ran into a very cool 40% Silver Kennedy. It had vivid color and I strongly contemplated pulling the trigger. But it was just a bit more than I wanted to spend, a lower grade, and the coin appeared to have some haziness/streak (which blended in with the toning but could still be seen at an angle). I figure someone will buy it-just not me at this time. I also went to view a coin I had considered on Wednesday. I gave it another look and concluded that my original decision to pass was the best call. In the end I did find two smaller items to buy-one was a funky looking Morgan that I liked at the asking price and the other was a group of self slabs (priced lower than eBay and I use these to make my own promotional slabs).
~Interestingly enough, I saw a toned Morgan that was basically the twin of the coin I bought on Wednesday. The colors and pattern were very close. The grade (63 star) and slabber (NGC) were the same. And it was also a common date. The one difference? Price! The ask was over 3 times what I paid for mine! I thanked the dealer and quickly handed it back.
~Another reason I went later in the day was due to my appointment time for the NGC grading contest. I’ve read about the ones they did before and finally got to experience it. You have 15 coins and 10 minutes to grade. They only ask for numerical grade or details or not genuine (so you don’t have to specify cameo/DCAM, RD/RB/BN, or the reason for details). The coins were a mix of US, world, tokens, and errors. I’m looking forward to see how I did. I was able to make it through all the coins with a minute to spare, so at least the timing did not trip me up. We’ll see about the actual grading.
~And finally I wanted to share an exhibit that I liked. This was dedicated to the Regency holder. There were submissions form, advertising, and even a voucher for one free grading (I’d love to use it now). I liked that PCGS certified all of this in the same holders used for the banknotes division.
Comments
Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed show report.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Congrats on an enjoyable time!
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Thank you for the write-up.
Love that Morgan! Looks awfully nice for a 63 too.
Thanks! It stuck out among the reverse toners at the table and the show.
I think it is technically is a 63 but I could see a color bump to 64.
Thanks for the report, sounds like you had a fairly successful day!
Thanks for the report. Glad you found some things to buy. I also found one item.
I agree with the Dan Carr comment. I also saw that dealer with the Barbers and was hopeful to see more. DC stuff is so hot right now. Things are selling for double the issue price a day after they sell out. The same dealer was at the Central States show with the same inventory. I wanted to add a few of DC's gold pieces.
I also agree that Morgans were everywhere. One Milwaukee dealer had a lot of rainbow toned coins (all in top tier grading slabs).
Successful BST with drddm, BustDMs, Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
Nice report! Thanks for posting. I just had a conversation with another coin guy yesterday about how we wished we could be at a show. I just need to get a bit more motivated and get to one or a few, until then it's really nice to read about them here.
@U1chicago... Thanks for a detailed and interesting show report. Glad you found some coins to take home and thanks for the pictures. Cheers, RickO
Thanks for the detailed report!
Successful transactions here and ATS with: jwitten, Rob41281, bajjerfan, cucamongacoin, Jim F., physics-fan3.14, x2rider, Wahoo554, Weather11am, Relaxn, jimineez1, Ronyahski, Bliggity, SurfinxHI, McGrump (thru BAJJERFAN), ms71, Downtown1974, ad4400
Thank you for your "eyes-on" contribution!
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
Thanks for taking the time for a show report and sharing your experience.
Donato
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)
Carr stuff is certainly hot (just like a other segments of the coin market) but I still believe most dealers don’t know much about these pieces (unlike rattlers where almost everyone seems to know they are popular).
As far as the Milwaukee dealer, I saw him this time and at Central States. He has some nice toned Morgans but many of the prices were too optimistic (even in the current market).
There was a dealer that had 1 entire case full of Carr coins. I don’t collect these, so I didn’t pay close attention to the table number, but I remember it was kinda near the NGC booth. He had them stacked on top of each other.
Great report and coins!
I believe that was the one I saw too. He had these at prior shows too. His prices were strong last that I recall (I did not ask this time since he did not have any that I wanted).
Updates from my second trip, today (8/19/22):
~I went later in the afternoon in order to pick up my grading subs from NGC and PCGS. There was noticeably less dealers (as is common, many had left early) around 2 PM and it really dwindled down after 4 PM.
~My grading results were a mixed bag; some coins did better than expected, a few worse, and the rest matched my guess. Overall I’m happy though as it’s a quick process and I get to have the coins back in hand without the hassle of shipping back and forth (and the extended wait times).
~I managed to scrape up several more coins to sell. One was graded and the others were raw problem coins (which I disclosed-although it was clear-these coins would not win any beauty contest). The raw ones were hard to move (as I figured given their look) but I finally succeeded (I’m sure the dealer will be able to move them to someone needing inexpensive album fillers). The graded coin did not sell (I priced it strong as I did not want to let it go unless it was close to my valuation). Instead I sold one of my newly graded PCGS coins (that one did hit my value).
~In my buying hunt, the goal was anything interesting (potentially a new box of 20ish coin). I ran into a very cool 40% Silver Kennedy. It had vivid color and I strongly contemplated pulling the trigger. But it was just a bit more than I wanted to spend, a lower grade, and the coin appeared to have some haziness/streak (which blended in with the toning but could still be seen at an angle). I figure someone will buy it-just not me at this time. I also went to view a coin I had considered on Wednesday. I gave it another look and concluded that my original decision to pass was the best call. In the end I did find two smaller items to buy-one was a funky looking Morgan that I liked at the asking price and the other was a group of self slabs (priced lower than eBay and I use these to make my own promotional slabs).
~Interestingly enough, I saw a toned Morgan that was basically the twin of the coin I bought on Wednesday. The colors and pattern were very close. The grade (63 star) and slabber (NGC) were the same. And it was also a common date. The one difference? Price! The ask was over 3 times what I paid for mine! I thanked the dealer and quickly handed it back.
~Another reason I went later in the day was due to my appointment time for the NGC grading contest. I’ve read about the ones they did before and finally got to experience it. You have 15 coins and 10 minutes to grade. They only ask for numerical grade or details or not genuine (so you don’t have to specify cameo/DCAM, RD/RB/BN, or the reason for details). The coins were a mix of US, world, tokens, and errors. I’m looking forward to see how I did. I was able to make it through all the coins with a minute to spare, so at least the timing did not trip me up. We’ll see about the actual grading.
~And finally I wanted to share an exhibit that I liked. This was dedicated to the Regency holder. There were submissions form, advertising, and even a voucher for one free grading (I’d love to use it now). I liked that PCGS certified all of this in the same holders used for the banknotes division.
Funky Morgan video below
❤️ @U1chicago first of all thank you for the report!
I am into my 2nd Sangria 🥰
Couldn’t be truer the fact that if you patient enough and ponder through the reasons agains …… then more likely remains the same.
Not meant to be and someday the better one would come along.
You’re welcome!
And totally agree! When it’s a higher value coin and one has some doubts, it’s best to wait and not buy something you will later regret. On the other hand, if it’s something you absolutely love, then it’s ok to stretch (within reason of course if you have the funds).
Hey! thank you for the report…can you please let us know the results of your grading excersize?
I’m planning to do some guess the grade threads, so am not revealing the results yet. I will mention that everything but one coin straight graded. A few did well while a few did not do as well as I thought.