Coin X STL show report.
golden
Posts: 10,136 ✭✭✭✭✭
I left home early Wednesday morning to drive to Saint Louis. I hit morning rush hour, interstate construction. construction and did I mention construction? I arrived at my hotel in late afternoon. I have driven to Saint Louis many times. This was the worst drive that I have ever had getting to Saint Louis.
I got to the Airport Marriott hotel at 9:40 on Thursday. I got my name tag and waited for the 10 AM opening. There were about 50 people ready to go in at 10. This show has been held at the Saint Charles Convention Center in the past. This show was divided into two small rooms. That is never a good idea. The aisles were the smallest that I have ever ( I have been to over 300 coin shows) seen. Some aisles you could not get down. You had to go to the next aisle and come back up the aisle. Sometimes you had to wait awhile for someone to move. I have never seen anything like it! On my first pass I saw nothing. I went to the second room. About a third of it was occupied by the auction company showing lots. The second room was dead.
I went back to the first room. A lot more people had now arrived, and it was more crowded. I saw a 1795 Half Dollar in PCGS AU-50. It had a lot of luster and super toning. I looked at it for 10 minutes. It was marked at $16,500. The dealer said that he would take $14,500. It would look great in my type set. I have never paid that much for one coin before. I just could not get up enough nerve to make the purchase. I left the show and went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. It was very good. I thought about the coin that night.
On Friday morning I met two cousins for breakfast at a nice restaurant. The prices are a little high, but they serve you plenty. After that I drove two hours to see two other cousins on their farm. They live in a very nice 1880's house that 5 generations of their family have occupied. We had a great visit. I drove an hour to my hotel for the night. I ate dinner at a Bob Evans restaurant. It was not good. I again thought about the coin.
After breakfast at the hotel on Saturday, I got on the road for home. I thought about swinging by the show again to look at the coin. I decided to head home instead. This time the road construction was not bad. I arrived home just before dark.
This was the crappiest show that I have ever attended. I will not attend next year. I had a nice visit with my cousins. I hope to be at the FUN show in January. I will stop by that dealer's table first and see if he still has the coin. If he does, then maybe I can get up enough nerve to make the purchase.
Comments
Sorry the show was not set up well but thanks for the report.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
Sorry the show didn't go as planned.
Bummer. I bet all the participants were upset too.
I was set up at the show from start on Wednesday to basically the end on Saturday afternoon, and had a great show.
The organizers were not able to have it at the previous Embassy Suites venue in St. Charles. It is often very difficult to find a suitable venue for a coin show. While the setup this year at the Marriott by the airport was less than ideal (e.g., some dealers in a second nearby, easy to find room, and narrow isle) I have been to other shows that were much, much less ideal.
For attendees flying in, having the show almost on the tarmac was much better than the St. Charles location. Also, there were several restaurants easily within walking distance. With the except of Cracker Barrel, this was not the case at the St. Charles location. And like the Embassy Suites location, the Marriott was connected to show venue.
There was a pretty active crowd at the show Thursday and Friday until the typical afternoon slowed at happens at most shows.