Garden State Coin, Stamp, and Currency show (Parsipanny, NJ)
GeorgesCoins
Posts: 36 ✭✭
Hey everyone, I have been away for a while but I'm back! Anyways, I'll be heading to the Parsipanny, NJ show, my first in a while.
Is anyone from here going? I haven't been to this show in a while, so I've got a question to you regulars, does the show begin at 8 or 9? I tried calling the host but I got no response. I'd like to get there nice and early.
Enjoy!
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Please be sure to give us a show report..... Cheers, RickO
Welcome and I hope I saw you today as I pretty much have the first table when you walk into the show
Officially the old start time for collectors used to be 9:30am. As time went on it became 9am and today the show promoters allowed public in at 8:30am
The 8:30 am was a bit early and three or four dealers were really upset as either they were not set up or they did not have time to walk the floor.
Personally I arrive fairly early so I’m usually set up.
This trip I brought a huge assortment of silver 90%
Unsearched and bagged up which I sold at the bargain rate of 11x face. Most dealers were asking more and mine was half dollars not just dimes and quarters. While I try to sell it to collectors I would say that more than half of the items were bought by dealers to resell.
I certainly sold a lot of items and while I was able to purchase some rather nice coins I left with a lot less than I started with
Most tables were filled but a bit less dealers during the summer the crowd was pretty good and the food stand was not set up as during the summer that gentlemen runs the food at a location on Fire Island LI
Funny a lot of simple items I was asked for simply were not at the show for example I had a request for a 2018 Proof set from a flushing coin club member and another request for the new Apollo coin. Items I just don’t carry unless someone asks me to bring especially for them. I had a really cool 1960’s tootsie roll bank which while a few people asked about nobody wanted to buy even though they sell $15 to $25 on eBay and I would have happily given it to anyone for a new good home for $5
As the district rep for the ANA I had a few freebie gold membership certificates and I did give away one to a nice retired gentleman and the other a father who brought his ya daughter to the show. Hopefully two new members that will enjoy using them.
So for me a pretty positive experience and gave out a lot of free candy. Think that had to do with the lack of food vendor lol
See you all in Chicago next week. Have a terrific weekend
Ps I won’t be at this show next month as it falls on holiday weekend but will be back in October there.
Thanks for the report, Jon.
11x for 90% halves - wow, that was a good deal indeed.
Hopefully you acquired a few nice 3 centers too.
Garden State Coin Show Report, February 2025:
Lots of old threads on the GSCS so I decided to "bump" this one.
This is a pretty good 1-day show that is ALWAYS on the 1st Sunday of the Month. It bills itself as the "largest 1-day show in the country" which may or may not be true. But it's within driving distance for many in the NY-NJ area so it's got a good reputation. Some of the other coin shows I went to pre- and post-Covid were much smaller....mostly baseball cards or other trinkets...basically a waste for all but someone just starting out. This show is predictable with lots of dealers and quality stuff so I came from NY and met my cousin from PA and friend from NJ.
I've gone on-and-off for years, last went when Covid was limiting dealers and public traffic (they'd form a line outside and it took me 45 minutes to get in as I recall back in 2021). Pretty easy venue to get to, right off I-287 in Northern NJ. Police Athletic League Bldg is 5 minutes or less off the interstate.
Anyway.....we got there a bit before 10 AM. Usual number of dealers there, 40-45 I'd say. Didn't see too many empty spaces for tables, not like 2021 and 2022 when I'd say 25% was unoccupied at times. People seemed to be doing well traffic-wise, interst-wise, especially those offering to Buy/Sell gold and/or silver.
Very pleasantly surprised to see the aisles pretty crowded, it was quite noticeable. The few times I have gone post-Covid they were not that full of people, meaning collectors and the public. Public was CLEARLY in attendance and the few dealers I talked to said they did some nice business. My cousin is looking to unload over 1,000 ounces of silver coins he's handling for an estate, so he got a few referrals. The quote he got earlier in the week -- 40% discount to the current silver price -- is way too big for him to consider as a fiduciary so that is why he came to the show.
Saw lots more Indian Heads, not sure if that is because 1/2 ounce of gold is more affordable/within reach than traditional 1-ouncers. But I don't recall many Indian Heads and Eagles in the past...saw a few dealers with them, probably part of their fractional gold offerings to folks not wanting to ante up $2,800. Lots of silver coins, raw and certified. Saw some nice 2 and 5-ounce Libertad's in the oversized holder but they were pricey at 300-500% premiums to silver. Looked nice though in the UCAM 69's and 70's.
Anyway, worth the 90 minutes to drive there round-trip.
Thanks for the update; I've been thinking of going but my Subaru with 274K miles is a little shaky at this time.
If you or others want to meet up at the show in the future, that'd be great.
Funny how the OP said "I'm back!" but he hasn't been seen since he started this post over five years ago.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
I was there today first time me and a friend made the trip up from monmouth county. I thought it was a good show.
I got a little bit of gold to stack and the items I asked prices on didn't seem ridiculously priced.
We will be back next month. This show conflicted with the World Money Fair in Germany and we did not get back to USA until late Sunday. We are the first table when you enter and you will see the pile of candy at our table lol
SUNDAY MAY 3rd, 2026: Went to the Garden State Coin, Stamp & Currency Show in Parsippany, NJ. Says they are the largest 1-day show in the country. 75+ dealer tables.
Place was definitely busier than I have seen it, based on aisle crowding and also the overflow parking (never saw it that full in the professional building nearby where I park). Most of the dealers were very busy and in a good mood, apparently moving merchandise. Lots of signs sayin they were looking to buy inventory, too.
Went with a friend who was looking for some fractional AGEs in the birth year of his grandson. He also had a 1986 raw 1/4 AGE he could trade in if he was short cash. He found a 2024 1/4 AGE and traded in the raw from 1986 (1st year of mintage) and the dealer asked for $100 to complete the trade, so my friend did the trade and cash throw-in. He got an MS-70 coin in some commemorative Ronald Reagan holder which he liked....so raw to MS-70, a nice holder instead of a tiny round circle holder, and a Reagan label he liked.
My friend also bought one of the recently minted 2024 Peace Dollars (raw), some War Nickels, and another coin which escapes me.
Myself, I almost pulled the trigger on a 2011 25th Anniversary ASE RP. Lovely coin, but at $300 it wasn't cheap. I also noticed that the bottom of the reverse looked like it MIGHT have the beginning of toning or discoloration...I couldnt' tell if it was the light through the holder, the poor lighting, or what. So I passed...if I'm going to rush a purchase I'd rather overpay for a coin I love, not rush into a coin that might have downside, even if the $$$ loss wouldn't materially affect me. I also wondered if I might have some other ASE RPs which I had forgotten about, which would lessen the need to buy another, even for the 25th Anniversary.
I also looked at some Proof and RP Libertads. Man, are they EXPENSIVE !!
1 ounce...2 ounce....5 ounce....70 or 69 grade....Proof or RP....huge premiums to silver !! I'm saving up some $$$ for FUN 2027 (hopefully !) so I really didn't want to splurge on $700-$900 for a coin that might really impact my ability to have some nice change to spend in 8 months. Plus, I did buy a 5-ouncer at FUN 2026 on Infamous Day 1 when I got my forehead gash and said I wasn't leaving Day 1 without some purchase to erase the blood stains in my hotel room. That's one coin I know I have where I don't have to check the Excel Spreadsheet. 
One thing I learned: you need to bring your inventory when you start to have lots of diverse coins and don't want to risk an unnecesary or unwanted duplicate purchase (I'll be taking a snapshot of my holdings in Excel for future purposes). I was considering a 5-ounce Proof Wedge-Tail Eagle (Australia) and I couldn't recall if I already had one of them. I was pretty sure I did...but not 100% sure. So I passed....and lo and behold...checking when I got home.....I have 3 of them !!!
So yeah, even though less expensive than the Mexican Libertads, I didn't need to spend almost $500 on a 4th coin. It was a PF-70 and I actually have one PF-70 and two PF-69's so no need even for novelty grade-chasing to get a 2nd PF-70. I also got mine much lower in price when silver was in the $20's (premiums have shrunk, but hey, total $$$ up alot from what I got in at).
All in all, a good show. I highly recommend it if you are within a 90 minute drive unless you need a super-specific niche coin. Alot of the coins, gold and silver, were bullion or quasi-bullion designed to appeal to the masses, not higher-graded or esoteric coins for us numismatists. It's a 5-6 hour show, not 3-4 days, so the dealers packing up stuff want stuff that will sell and have the widest appeal.
I'm going to look around for another 25th Anniversary ASE RP PF-70/69 and see what I can find. I forgot to bring my 5x lens, maybe if the coin is still there the next time I go I'll bring it and look at it under magnification. Nice coin, but again, no sense in buying if it is in the process of toning or discoloring. A modern RP is not a coin you want to see toning on.