Central States Report 4/25/25
U1chicago
Posts: 6,374 ✭✭✭✭✭
Another Central States show is in the books and below are some of my observations:
~Registration was quick with no line at a few minutes before opening; there was a decent crowd waiting to get in though….in general, attendance seemed comparable to a Friday at Central States in prior years
~The show included a few aisles in the end that were world and currency…there were enough of these tables to whet the appetite but probably would be disappointing if someone came to the show that was not interested in US coins. The world selection included different denominations from Mexico, China, Japan, Germany/Prussia/Austria...there are also a few dealers that have Cuban coins...other countries are not as well represented
~For those wondering about gold bullion, it appeared that dealers were cautious. I saw someone unsuccessfully trying to find a buyer for 70 graded gold at spot; another transaction for some US modern gold commemoratives was completed at a number around 10% under melt.
~Oddball slabs were not too plentiful. Plenty of dealers did have PCGS rattlers and small white Anacs holders. I also saw the occasional ACG, PCI, and self slab. There were no Compugrade or other rarer slabs
~Dan Carr items were present at a few tables (with one having the bulk of all that I saw) and I added a new one to my collection.
~I actually saw a few coins from Kazakhstan at a table that had bins with all sorts of world coins in 2x2s but all were base metal and priced higher than I’ve paid for mine. My search for a silver coin from Uzbekistan continues (I did not expect to find one here but you never know what might show up)
~Toned coins are prevalent and many dealers tend to have at least one nowadays (of course there are still plenty that don’t). The prices are all over the place-from fair (which still means a premium over standard guide) to insane (which means the dealer took the standard toning premium and then multiplied by 10 or more!) One dealer that I bought from at a previous show again had some nice Morgans at fair prices and I picked one up. There was a second that had a fantastic reverse but the obverse was a negative (in my opinion). If that obverse was untoned or lightly toned, it would have been worth above the asking price but as it was, I knew it would bother me every time I flipped the coin over. Plus I continue to work on not buying coins that I will later regret or struggle to sell (here I was successful in doing that).
~I was able to sell a few toned coins that were not moving on the online venues. As usual, it took a few attempts for some until the right buyer was found but I was satisfied with the results.
~A few tables were emptying out by the afternoon but the majority of the dealers were still there. Thursday is the best day in my experiences and Friday (if you get there at open) is the next best option.
~There was a free Anacs sample (show) slab being handed out that celebrates Nebraska (last year it was Iowa)
Comments
how prevalent were the "we buy gold" signs?
how long did your adventure last?
I don't think I saw any "we buy gold" signs (there might have been one but I don't recall seeing it).
There were the usual handful of dealers that had a generic "buying" sign (or a more descriptive buying US, buying World, or buying Currency sign).
As far as my adventure, it was about 4 hours at the show, which was enough time to get through all the tables and go back to a few a second time.
My 2nd day ended with finding this at a dealer's table; led to a cautious conversation...
My images, clear matches to the counterfeit markers.
My example:
Did the dealer agree to stop selling it as a real coin?
He stated who the dealer was who sold it to him and that he knew the dealer before him; he was pretty tense and my take was he was going after the dealer. That dealer was set up at the show as well...
Thanks for your report.
Nice report, thanks for sharing it with us.
I love these reports. Thanks for taking the time to write this one up and share it with us. Much appreciated!
peacockcoins
Morgan photo-reverse only if someone wants to try to guess the date
april 25, 2025? what am i missing?
1885 on the Morgan
Nice report, thank you!
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
Why in the world would someone buy a coin like this raw in this day and age?
87 morgan
Overland Trail Collection Showcase
Dahlonega Type Set-2008 PCGS Best Exhibited Set
How many tables approximately ?
I understand Long Beach has about 400 and FUN about 600.
i'm not up on my morgan reverses
1921
The website says 425+ tables. I didn’t count but that’s probably in the ballpark. It’s smaller than FUN and ANA and probably slightly larger than Long Beach.
When I was a dealer, you made the most money, when you could buy a good coin raw, even from another dealer. This piece would have been an instant problem for me because “bad” came to my mind as soon as I saw it. BUT there are many people who don’t have that kind of knowledge.
Sadly there are some dealers who don’t have that knowledge either. Perhaps 20 years ago, when the Chinese counterfeits started to become a problem, then Coin World editor, Beth Diesher took a number of the counterfeits on the Winter FUN bourse floor and offered them to dealers. She was very disappointed that she got a number of offers to buy them, not because the dealers were dishonest, but because they couldn’t spot that the coins were bad.
Unfortunately, these days, you have to have the attitude that a coin might be a counterfeit along with the eagle eye to spot if it is graded properly. I’ll admit that “counterfeit” has not been in the forefront of my mind although it needs to be.
Good eye on the bogus coin 🪙, 👍
Bonus tidbit that I forgot to include:
This is the second show in a row where I have resold a coin bought at the show. I found a relatively inexpensive slab (20) and was able to get 35 from someone else for it. It’s a small win and paid for the entrance fee (15). Plus it’s a fun new challenge to see if I can keep this streak going.
The answer is 1896
Thanks for the show report. I spent about 4 hours at the show on Thursday. The dealers really love this one. Everyone I asked said it a good place to be held.
There were a few signs out "We buy gold". Some on banners behind the table and some at the table. I saw more dealers buying from collectors than collectors buying from dealers.
As usual there was an overabundance of Morgan's. I talked with a couple dealers that stated they left the high priced stuff at home and filled their cases with lower priced items. I was in the market for Classic Head $5's and did not see any. I could have missed them or items were sold on Wednesday night when it opened.
Looking forward to the Sept show in Rosemont. Supposed to be as big as this one.
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
Thanks for your show report.
Thanks, often interesting to read what others are seeing and/or looking for at a bigger show. On the 'toners' - there are often now a couple (plus) younger semi or part time 'toner' dealers walking the floor buying/selling at most of the bigger shows these days (and doing internet stuff otherwise).
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yq4KA0mUnC8 - Dream On (Aerosmith cover) via Morgan James & Postmodern Jukebox
https://youtube.com/watch?v=m3lF2qEA2cw - Creep (Radiohead cover) via Haley Reinhart & Postmodern Jukebox
RLJ 1958 - 2023