Chattanooga Coin Show Report
FatMan
Posts: 8,977 ✭
I attended the Tennessee show today in Chattanooga. It is a fair size show. I'm guessing over 100 tables. The attendance was the strongest I've seen at a show since the spring. In fact, I had a difficult time making my way around the cases. Seemed like I had to wait at most every table to view the cases.
To my surprise, I saw a much smaller supply of rainbow Morgans than I saw at the Blue Ridge Show 3 months earlier, 20 miles to the south. At that show the cases were filled with PCI slabbed rainbows. I figured I would see even more, after all, Chattanooga is the home of PCI and SEGS, and both firms have a questionable reputation regarding their slabbing AT Morgans.
Again, I am seeing a greater ratio of newly slabbed NGC coins vs. newly slabbed PCGS. This may be a function of Geography, but I am sensing the turnaround problems at PCGS are starting to seriously affect their market share.
Saw quite a bit of Modern Material prominently displayed. Usually I find it all packaged up wrapped in rubber bands. Could be a sign that dealers are feeling more confident that the material will attract customers to their tables.
Everyone seemed very upbeat. I was only there for the first four hours of the show but there was an electricity on the floor. Dealers were smiling. Heck, I even heard a dealer telling joke after joke to an audience of collectors. A lot of collectors were selling as well. Most dealers had "Buying" signs posted.
Overall, this was the most upbeat show I have attended since the FUN show in January.
Without a doubt, the highlight of my day was my visit with board member Dahlonega, and Al Adams of Gold Rush Galleries. Dahlonega is always full of surprises. Today, he pulled out a tray full of D mint half eagles, that they just obtained from a long time D mint collector. All nicely matched XF to AU with lovely original surfaces (very hard to find) all in PCGS Green Label Slabs
. As I was early to the show, I got the first showing. I chose the XF 1858-D beauty. Unfortunately I told my wife I wasn't going to buy anything at the show. That mistake required me to leave the coin behind, so I could confer (beg) with her to get permission to lay out the cash. We'll, I got the go ahead and the check will go in the mail tomorrow. I'm sure you will hear some more about this set from some or our other southern gold brethren on the boards. These are sweet. Also picked up a copy of Doug Winter’s 2nd edition Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint.
Another great day for this collector. Only regret is I had other commitments that took me away from the show after 4 short hours and the rest of my weekend is booked. I will not get back to the show to see the other board members that will attend tomorrow.
Enjoy the show!
One more bummer. My scanner crapped out 3 weeks ago so no images when it arrives home. Expecting a digital camera for Christmas so y'all are just going to have to wait to see my recent additons.
To my surprise, I saw a much smaller supply of rainbow Morgans than I saw at the Blue Ridge Show 3 months earlier, 20 miles to the south. At that show the cases were filled with PCI slabbed rainbows. I figured I would see even more, after all, Chattanooga is the home of PCI and SEGS, and both firms have a questionable reputation regarding their slabbing AT Morgans.
Again, I am seeing a greater ratio of newly slabbed NGC coins vs. newly slabbed PCGS. This may be a function of Geography, but I am sensing the turnaround problems at PCGS are starting to seriously affect their market share.
Saw quite a bit of Modern Material prominently displayed. Usually I find it all packaged up wrapped in rubber bands. Could be a sign that dealers are feeling more confident that the material will attract customers to their tables.
Everyone seemed very upbeat. I was only there for the first four hours of the show but there was an electricity on the floor. Dealers were smiling. Heck, I even heard a dealer telling joke after joke to an audience of collectors. A lot of collectors were selling as well. Most dealers had "Buying" signs posted.
Overall, this was the most upbeat show I have attended since the FUN show in January.
Without a doubt, the highlight of my day was my visit with board member Dahlonega, and Al Adams of Gold Rush Galleries. Dahlonega is always full of surprises. Today, he pulled out a tray full of D mint half eagles, that they just obtained from a long time D mint collector. All nicely matched XF to AU with lovely original surfaces (very hard to find) all in PCGS Green Label Slabs
. As I was early to the show, I got the first showing. I chose the XF 1858-D beauty. Unfortunately I told my wife I wasn't going to buy anything at the show. That mistake required me to leave the coin behind, so I could confer (beg) with her to get permission to lay out the cash. We'll, I got the go ahead and the check will go in the mail tomorrow. I'm sure you will hear some more about this set from some or our other southern gold brethren on the boards. These are sweet. Also picked up a copy of Doug Winter’s 2nd edition Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint.Another great day for this collector. Only regret is I had other commitments that took me away from the show after 4 short hours and the rest of my weekend is booked. I will not get back to the show to see the other board members that will attend tomorrow.
Enjoy the show! One more bummer. My scanner crapped out 3 weeks ago so no images when it arrives home. Expecting a digital camera for Christmas so y'all are just going to have to wait to see my recent additons.
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Comments
THanks for the great report - I'm here waiting to go to the show it sounds great - it also sounds like you got yourself another beauty from that Dahlonega guy - he'll sure charm you with his ways and then snag a few dozen C notes as you're walking away with one of his beauties huh? I'll fill in on what I find here today - sorry I missed ya bud!
Frank
make it to, especially when they are so upbeat.
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
as a thought to your comment that you're "seeing a greater ratio of newly slabbed NGC coins"--- i think that may be at least in part because NGC recently changed the appearance of their insert which makes the newer slabs easier to recognize as such in comparison to a PCGS slab.
RE: begging. good luck on that one!!! fortunately for me i'm not married.
good report and it sounds like you're seeing what i see at shows, a very positive atmosphere.
al h.
I was there in spirit and by telephone to Dahlonega. I was fortunate that I was able to also partake in the green label PCGS "D" half eagle-fest. I will be the fortunate recipient of the 57-D and the 59-D that were previously bookends to your 58-D! I will post pictures of the coins when I get them and get a chance. I would like to see a pic of your coin, as well.
Robert
Frank... Sorry I missed you today. But the wife has gotten fired up on my hiking thing and she had me leave for the Panther Creek Trail in NE GA this morning at 7:30 am. Cell phone wouldn't work on the trail so I had to bushwhack straight up to a high ridge to make my call to Al at 9:45 letting him know that permission was granted. After that 300 foot elevation climb, I made call and the first thing Al says is "We already knew the decision.....Frank told us from your post last night". Man, I was winded and could hardly talk and I find out I made that climb all for naught.
Al....I agree that the new NGC slabs are easier to pick out of the crowd, but I know a lot of these dealer's inventory. I know what is fresh and most are showing up in NGC slabs. And as I said, it could be a matter of Geography. Also, begging is the preferred method in our house. It works almost every time. Its my money (I sure hope she never reads this) but the begging gives her a sense of power. Although, as all of us husbands know, our wives have the power and it has nothing to do with money.
Did you see much in the way of O-mint gold?
Check out the Southern Gold Society
I had gone to the show with the hopes of finding some nice endroll toned Kennedy's, maybe some nice Roosies, and perhaps a surprise, either a long forgotten Franklin, or perhaps a toned Commem that I couldn't say no to. I'm afraid that after several rounds through the tables I walked away with very little. I did find a semi-decent set of Roosies that I bought at slightly above the going rate. There was another one that one of the dealers had put together out of mainly mint sets and original rolls. It looked nice, but I was glad to see that the set I have ran circles around this guy's set. He also wanted moon money for it so I passed.
The rest of my selections were slim, one coin that did call to me was a very pretty darkside coin that I saw neglected in an original mint set from Pope Paul VI's first year as pope. The set was dirt cheap and I liked the color on the 500 Lira coin, so I got it:
1963 Vatican 500 Lira
The other highlight of my day was hanging out with the guys at the Gold Rush Gallery table. Our friend Dahlonega pulled out some coins that he had in his case and asked me to picture them. Naturally, they're either gorgeous or rare:
1861D Half Eagle in AU 50
1892 Barber Quarter in MS61 (Old ANACS holder)
and a Stone Mt. in MS65
All in all it was an enjoyable show - got to see what the market is doing right now. It seemed that anything worth buying was getting strong money, dealers are buying quality material, and moderns are getting aired out for a change!
Bulldog
No good deed will go unpunished.
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Dahlonega and the Gold Rush Gallery posse sure turn up some nice ones!