Texas State Show Report
OnlyBuffalos
Posts: 817
The 46th Texas State Coin Convention and Show is being held this weekend in the Will Rogers Complex in Fort Worth, Texas.
I attended the show this Friday afternoon from 1 pm until 4 pm. Approximately 135 dealers were listed on the dealer list. The very large majority of the dealers were from Texas and surrounding states.
When I arrived there were about 75 collectors on the floor which was tops for the afternoon. About half as many were in attendance when I left.
Morgans were everywhere. There was a great deal of nice early copper for sale at very strong prices. Butternut of Virginia had a particularly nice selection of half cents and large cents. Dick Osburn had his usual great inventory of early silver and was selling most of it at up to a 10% discount. There were some very good deals to be had and Dick was having a very good show. His table was the only one which consistently had customers present and who were buying. Dick may have sold as much as all other dealers combined!!!
Commemoratives/Proof sets. Only common modern commemoratives were visible and I saw no buyers of these or the modern proof sets that were being offered.
Common date and bullion gold was priced the same as when gold was at $425 an ounce. I asked a couple of dealers why this was so and both replied that they thought gold was being manipulated and was going to go back up soon and they just did not want to sell it at today's bullion price.
Silver bullion was priced at today's bullion price. Saw no buyers.
I had gone to the show looking for better date circulated buffalos and found nothing. Angel Dee had his usual great showing of choice buffalos but that is not a league I play in.
Very little paper money for sale. Some ACG slabs and NTC slabs but relatively very few.
This was not a show geared toward higher priced material but a collector looking for coins under $100 could have had a field day.
For me this was a great show from the perspective that I could literally go to any table and have the immediate attention of the dealer who was only to happy to have someone to talk to. Not a great show from the perspective that I did not find anything I was looking for.
The ANA had a table as did ICG but I never saw anyone at their tables.
There was a table which was selling current Canadian mint coins as well as current French mint coins. It is sad to compare the quality of these two mints with the USA mint and reflect on how much better a product the US mint could produce if they really wanted to.
I have attended this show on Friday afternoon for the last five years and attendance has declined each year. Unless there is a big turnout tomorrow, I see little incentive for dealers to return next year. eBay and internet sales appear to have taken a major toll on this show.
I attended the show this Friday afternoon from 1 pm until 4 pm. Approximately 135 dealers were listed on the dealer list. The very large majority of the dealers were from Texas and surrounding states.
When I arrived there were about 75 collectors on the floor which was tops for the afternoon. About half as many were in attendance when I left.
Morgans were everywhere. There was a great deal of nice early copper for sale at very strong prices. Butternut of Virginia had a particularly nice selection of half cents and large cents. Dick Osburn had his usual great inventory of early silver and was selling most of it at up to a 10% discount. There were some very good deals to be had and Dick was having a very good show. His table was the only one which consistently had customers present and who were buying. Dick may have sold as much as all other dealers combined!!!
Commemoratives/Proof sets. Only common modern commemoratives were visible and I saw no buyers of these or the modern proof sets that were being offered.
Common date and bullion gold was priced the same as when gold was at $425 an ounce. I asked a couple of dealers why this was so and both replied that they thought gold was being manipulated and was going to go back up soon and they just did not want to sell it at today's bullion price.
Silver bullion was priced at today's bullion price. Saw no buyers.
I had gone to the show looking for better date circulated buffalos and found nothing. Angel Dee had his usual great showing of choice buffalos but that is not a league I play in.
Very little paper money for sale. Some ACG slabs and NTC slabs but relatively very few.
This was not a show geared toward higher priced material but a collector looking for coins under $100 could have had a field day.
For me this was a great show from the perspective that I could literally go to any table and have the immediate attention of the dealer who was only to happy to have someone to talk to. Not a great show from the perspective that I did not find anything I was looking for.
The ANA had a table as did ICG but I never saw anyone at their tables.
There was a table which was selling current Canadian mint coins as well as current French mint coins. It is sad to compare the quality of these two mints with the USA mint and reflect on how much better a product the US mint could produce if they really wanted to.
I have attended this show on Friday afternoon for the last five years and attendance has declined each year. Unless there is a big turnout tomorrow, I see little incentive for dealers to return next year. eBay and internet sales appear to have taken a major toll on this show.
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Comments
Dan
With a smaller group of buyers maybe some deals can be had from the sellers.
I have a pocket full of money (it's a very small pocket), so we will see.
Thanks for the report.
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etexmike
Did the dealers seem relatively happy about the show (perhaps there was a lot of dealer-to-dealer business that was done)?
Check out the Southern Gold Society
Stuart
Collect 18th & 19th Century US Type Coins, Silver Dollars, $20 Gold Double Eagles and World Crowns & Talers with High Eye Appeal
"Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity"
I got to meet quite a few of the CU gang. Spooly was the first one I ran into. I had lunch with Dpoole, Blade, Joyofcollecting, and Lincolncentman and his charming wife. I chatted with the good folks from Texas Bullion for a while until a Heritage rep stopped by to talk business. (He seemed to be following me around a lot, and I keep telling them I'm not planning to consign anything this decade.
Other than the usual assortment of Morgans, Morgans and more Morgans, there was a little more variety of non-US coin material than I've seen in the past. There were more world coins to look at, but not a lot of variety and not any really great material. Ancients were fairly well represented; there always seems to be a minimum of 3 dealers specializing in them.
Banknotes were scarcer than in the past and little fresh material other than some higher-end pieces I saw over at Huston Pearson's table. In fact, I saw less US paper than world paper, which is a change. There does seem to be a growing presence of historical documents making this show. I can't say I've seen any of it moving, but there seems to be more of it each year and more dealers offering some.
I found myself buying mostly low-cost items ($25 or less) because I didn't find much interesting among my more expensive objectives. I did nab a beautifully toned 1970 Italian 500 Lira coin, which is itself a gorgeous coin. I got this gem for a mere $8.50.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
My #1 Low Ball Peace Dollar Set
Robin
Most dealers only take cash if they don't know you and you aren't a regular customer. A few will take credit cards and/or personal checks, but I'd recommend cash. If you see something you'd like but lack sufficient funds on hand, simply negotiate with them. Most will hold an item for you for a short while. There is an ATM and quite a bit of security (most of it plainclothes).
I always recommend that the first thing you do is to "walk the bourse" -- just walk around, noting which tables appear to have something you might be interested in before you head off to buy. Particularly note tables where business appears "brisk" -- people looking and buying. I usually then start from the far back corner and work my way to the front. Why? Because the traffic is thinner there. I can get more individual attention from dealers more likely to appreciate my business. Those nearest the front are the most well-connected and may or may not offer the best deals and whose tables are more likely to be overcrowded simply because the "crowd" is lazy. Those further away may have more time to spend on a "newbie" or to look at what you bring along.
Beyond that, have fun!! Make a point to meet some of the CU dealers and other members if you get the chance. If you have any questions, stop by the front desk. I'll be manning it from 12-3.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
I'll be bringing a few things that I inherited ffrom my Dad when he passed in December. There is a mercury dime that I'd really like to have someone take a look at. Is there anyone in particular you would recommend I seek out? Thanks
Robin
I'll be bringing a few things that I inherited ffrom my Dad when he passed in December. There is a mercury dime that I'd really like to have someone take a look at. Is there anyone in particular you would recommend I seek out? Thanks
Robin
When entering the show, the fellow at the front desk told me that dealers had paid for 195 tables. I would guess the number of manned tables was less than that...but not by a whole bunch.
As always, Dick Osburn had some wonderful coins and his table was very crowded most of the time. Dick said he was having a great show, but that the vast majority of folks stopping by were established customers. I heard at least three dealers make the comment early in the afternoon that they were very pleased with the dealer-to-dealer buying and selling they had done...but that they hadn't made a single retail transaction to that point.
GSAGUY had his beautiful morgans set up and it is always a thrill to admire them..even though it's not what I spend my $$ on. JB Stevens also had a very nice selection of coins, but he was busy both times I came by and I didn't wish to disturb him.
JJ Teaparty was set up and had some nice coins from their website. There were a few I had been wanting to look at...so I took that opportunity. The coins I was interested in were as represented in their website photos. They seemed to be very busy, so I didn't introduce myself as a repeat internet customer. I was anxious to meet Gail...but never saw a female at the table.
Jack Beymer had his inventory there and it was thrilling to see a lot of the super coins from his weekly ads up close. He's got some really nice stuff.
I saw Win Carner at the show and kept meaning to congratulate him on his new position at Heritage....but never could quite catch up with him. The Heritage table was always empty when I came by. I wish they had brougth some of the nicer coins from their website...oh well.
It's not too meaningful for me to comment on what was at the show as I pretty much have blinders on for anything but seated material. As an uninformed opinion...there were tons of Morgans, Walkers and gold type as always. I was surprised at the amount of early copper at the show....it was definitely more than in previous years. I was very surprised with the quantity and quality of seated material that was available. There were some nice coins available at all levels of scarcity. I was able to pick up the following five coins at the show:
1866-P half in ANACS AU55 (Wonderful mottled toning)
1864-P dime in NGC MS64 (Very nice, proof-like appearance.)
1871-CC dime in NGC XF40 (Nice surfaces with no problems.)
1878-P dime in NGC MS63 (Very light, original toning.)
1845-O dime in NGC XF40 (Solid, no problem tough date.)
I took a few seated dimes duplicates to trade and was able to get just about everything except for the CC dime on a grey-sheet to grey-sheet basis. I know it's been said a hundred times.....but nice eye appeal sure makes a coin easier to trade/sell.
I'm sorry if my observations aren't helpful with anything other than seated material....but I don't want to comment on something I really know nothing about. I can say that compared to previous years, I thought the show was well attended for a Friday in the Metroplex. I'll be anxious to hear others' observations on how things went on Saturday.
And a special thanks to Askari and the other show organizers for bringing this event to the Metroplex.
As others have mentioned, this was lightly attended by the regular public Friday. The dealers visibly felt free to leave there tables and go look for deals. Dick Osburn (who was near the front), did have a small but steady stream of buyers, though it seemed to me that he had plenty of time to visit. I got a very nice 1935-D MS67 Texas Commem (for patriotism's sake!) with a nice light gold/rose edge toning on the obv from Sanders, who was in the vicinity. The price was very fair.
Most of the dealers I spoke to about the show, though, said that driect sales were very slow, and some had not made a sale all day. One Texas dealer said things had been slowing down there at TNA, and that he was there primily to support the show. Another substantial dealer from out of town said he might not return to TNA. Comments also had to do with the timing: right after a torrid Central States, right before Las Vegas and Long Beach. The impression I had as well was that many inventories were picked-over, and people were struggling to replenish their stocks.
I also got an 1844-O MS64 from Ed Hipps, a man whose eye and guidance I absolutely trust. The coin was strong for the grade, was original, and still had luster. I also got an Antitam Commem in MS67 from Nick Ciancio. Looked good, the price was good, and it also had that light golden edge toning. I guess I like that look in commems!
Pickings were very slim for my favorite series: Washington MS and 3CN proofs. I saw practically nothing at all for high grade Washingtons in PCGS. Angel Dee, Dick Osburn and John Hamrick had some nice examples of Three Cent Nickel proofs, but none that I was looking for. Jbstevens had a nice selection overall, and Tonekiller had his usual compliment of killer toners! He also flashed me a gorgeous Oregon Trail Commem with incredible toning front and back. It was one of the prettiest coins I've seen.
As always, the interpersonal aspect was the high point. Tonekiller let me use his table as "home base," so we sat and visited a good deal. As usual, I got my welcomed lecture on toning, and his unique take on the coin business. I also spent a lot of time at Andy Skrabalak's table, who uncharacteristically had time on his hands to tell me a few more coin dealer stories. People came by and admired his great coins, but few buyers...
Askari and JoyofCollecting already told you about how burger-and-milkshake lunch at a great little place. Service was slow, but we were in no hurry, since we were enjoying one another. We got our usual hints of forbidden knowledge from the always fascinating Askari. We talked about coins, but the fun always includes hearing people's stories, what they do in real life, where they went to school, about their kids, etc. Blade's a good friend now, since we've been at a number of shows together (and he helped my son get a job!). Lincolncentman's a lucky dude--his wife's a collector, too (toners). Had a good time talking about Lincolns with him, and it was good to finally meet him. JoyofCollecting just got more interesting the more he talked, especially about his profession.
To make things even better, Andy Skrabalak treated me, Rella and Construct to dinner at a phenomenal restaurant (Riata) in downtown Fort Worth. The place was full of guys taking out their prom dates, so we had a great time admiring their attire, giving them sage advice for the evening, etc. Our waitress was a babe, and happily egged us on. The event began raucous, and just got better. I had a ball with all three of those guys, and would have made it worse if I hadn't had to drive back to Austin afterwards. Thanks, Andy!
You shouldn't miss hooking up with the Coin Board folks when you go to shows. It's never as bad as you think it'll be!
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I'm gonna tell Donna!
I looked around so much but in the end exercised great control & managed to walk away with 3 stunning MS64 Morgans from the infamous Ed Hipps. He was truly a gem, patient and excited to educate a newbie.
All in all a great experience and superb day. Best of all, there will be a show here in Grapevine in June and/or July. Can't wait to see what kind of knowledge I can gain between now & then and put it to good use expanding my collection. It's official, I'm SERIOUSLY hooked!
Robin
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I've been lurking here for some time, just trying to learn as much as I can. I'm sure I'll be picking everyone's brain as time goes on. To date, everyone has been so kind & helpful. I can't thank y'all enough.
Robin
Saturday's turnout was 3-4 times Friday's. I didn't talk with many dealers about how sales were, but I did notice during my floorwalking that there weren't as many "table jams" as in the past. Those I did talk to said they were doing "good" and one said "great", but I heard the quotation marks around most of those "goods." I suspect the lack of fresh material had a lot to do with it, as Dpoole noted, and it applied to both Liteside and Darkside; no doubt the slow strengthening of the economy after several years of doldrums had its impact as well. I did see a much larger presence of women collectors and kids there ... and even managed to snare a soul or two for the Dark Side.
While I appreciate the kind comments, I cannot share in the limelight with the organizers. It's a lot of work to put on such a big show and I simply do not have that kind of free time. I do help where I can and as much as I can and am happy to do so. I did hear that the TNA show may be in Houston next year. It was originally intended to move around the state, but I kinda hope it doesn't. It's really nice having it "just down the road apiece."
It was great meeting some old friends again, some old friends anew, and a few new friends to boot!! That is, for me, the best part of these shows.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!
I was actually quite surprised that there were so few women at the show...and aside from Joe I maybe saw 2 other kids. I'm assuming this is pretty typical of the demographic?
I sure hope they don't move the show to Houston next year...too far away for us to go. Does anyone from on here attend the Grapevine show that's held every couple of months?
I live in the Keller area & there just aren't any coin shops nearby that I'm aware of. Oh well, I'm sure as I start to find my way around more doors will open up.
Robin
Dpoole "I got a very nice 1935-D MS67 Texas Commem (for patriotism's sake!)" SWEET!
Dpoole...... please tell me you're NOT going to start a Texas Comm Registry Set! I can't keep up with your "heavy" wallet!
Askari in a Vampire...... He tried to cast his dark magic on me... but I kept telling myself... "stay in the light", "stay in the light!
In God We Trust.... all others pay in Gold and Silver!
In God We Trust.... all others pay in Gold and Silver!
<< <i>.....managed to walk away with 3 stunning MS64 Morgans from the infamous Ed Hipps. He was truly a gem, patient and excited to educate a newbie. >>
Gee! Why would Eddie be infamous?
Mark, pressure the TNA to keep it in Foat Wuth next year and I can use it as an excuse to head south!
Robin, there's always somebody at these shows. I don't make most of them, but I drop in whenever I can. Have ya'll joined one of the local coin clubs? Mid-Cities is down here in Arlington and Ft. Worth meets at the Botanical Gardens. There's also a relatively new club closer to you -- I don't know where they meet, but I could find out.
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!