My Michigan State Show report-----or-----I had dinner with a chicken and a bunch of turkeys!!!
keets
Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
First off, a few quick thoughts, kind of like a thesis statement. While the show was busy early Friday it tapered off and continued steady throughout the rest of the day Friday and Saturday. While there is still an abundance of nice material available to collectors in most series and across the grade spectrum, I noticed a distressing trend; everything seemed to priced high and the really nice stuff is priced at premium plus. The show location is nice because you really don't have to leave the Hyatt for anything, $13 pancakes for breakfast is a bit much though!!! Those who didn't attend the auction shortchanged themselves. And one final thought,forum members seem to need to vent some of the stress that builds during a show and the release of energy is always a hoot....................
My pal and me left early Friday morning and arrived at the Hyatt around 10 AM, checked in and ate before heading for the bourse. I did a quick walk around and saw some nice coins, ran into Jack Beymer at his table. I chatted with him for a few minutes and got his card to check on an 1805 Half Cent he hadn't brought. Stopped at the table of another early copper dealer who had some magnificent coins, all raw. As I was looking at his stuff he was engaged in a transaction with a youngster who gave his grade assessment and reached agreement on a price of $1000. As he was going through his briefcase and pulling out the money, the dealer "hyped" him to another dealer, said he was only 15. I sure wish I'd have had $100 to drop on a raw Large Cent when I was 15.
I moved along the floor and found it diffiocult to get access to some tables, the floor was that crowded early on. I stopped at the table of Ernie Latter and WorkingMan's Rare Coins to check out some medals and noticed the Jade team was only a few tables away. Right about then, MadMarty found me and we chatted for a few minutes. He informed me that my date for the night, the rubber chicken, was with him. Oh, lucky me!!!!
After about an hour or two on the floor I decided it might be better to sit and do some auction lot viewing if only because the floor was so crowded. What a mistake, it was just as bad there. I hung around the annex hall where the viewing was held and talked to a few dealers, looked at some coins and hovered while I waited for an open seat. A familiar voice turned out to be condor101 and his ever-present-pull-along-suitcase which probably contains some neat stuff. He was busy with a dealer so I informed him that jadecoin was looking for him and moved along, spotting an open chair and almost running to grab a shot at registering for the auction. Now the fun really began.
I had gone through the catalog and noted the most promising lot numbersand found some very choice stuff in the variety. The medals seemed to be what sucked me in and they were spectaculas. There were 1928 and 1929 assay medals with the 1928 being the nicest. It had a rendition on the reverse of the First American Coining Press being operated by two Mint workers, one feeding the planchet and the second operating the screw. Another great item was a Libertas Americanis medal with the design which was modified somewhat and used on early flowing hair cents----all in spectacular high relief. There was a So-Called Dollar assortment that was rather small but spectacular, issues I'd never seen before in pristine codition, some with the original boxes they were issued in. Two that stuck out were copper renditions of themes from Continental Currency scrip, both in high relief with great color and virtually mark free. A third was an item from the 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition, a Liberty Dollar with an obverse quite obviously inspired by the Morgan Dollar and a reverse which depicts the Landing of Columbus, all in ultra-high relief DCAM aluminum, rivaling any modern proof in appearance. There were a few other choice items I found by going through some bagged and unattributed assortments, and a love token which was the Lord's Prayer engraved on the reverse of an 1852 silver three cent piece!!!!! I looked at it with a 6X glass and it was totally readable. I can't imagine the concentration it took to create such an item by hand, obviously unique.
After a break for lunch, I returned to the bourse and found that the hard core collectors were the ones who remained and the story tellin' and socializing had begun. There seemed to be groups at tables looking at coins in a more relaxed fashion than was possible early in the morning and as I browsed the cases I found myself in the midst of a dilemma. Having seen some items I was interested in bidding on Saturday evening I hesitated in buying anything from the floor. There were choice coins but the prices really turned me off. From talking with forum members, friends or dealers, I got the impression that certain areas of the hobby still had reasonable buy levels for a collector like me, stuff like Proof IHC's, Mercury Dimes and Walkers. I had a few dealers tell me that pricing for common date Morgans had slipped a bit. The whole problem for me-------those are all areas where I currently have no interest, save for a nice Proof Merc with some "personality" that hasn't been dipped white. Good luck, right??? I noticed that the Legacy Sets from the Mint have doubled in price from about $135 issue to close to $300. One dealer was actually buying all he could at $275. Hard to believe but true. After walking till about 6 PM I circled my wagons and decided to wait till Saturday before buying anything, so I started to round up the Friday night dinner guests.
We eventually met around 7:30 and the restaraunt wisely cordoned us in a small alcove off the main table area, wise move on their part!! The guest list was a diverse group of about 13. My friend Rich, my local dealer sat to my right and going around the table was MadMarty and his buddy who's name I forget(I think it was Jerry in disguise), numobri and a fellow club member/show organizer, Bill, Rick Snow of EagleEye Rare Coins, Newmismatist, Segoja, the jaderarecoin team of Dennis/Andy/Tassa and a guy who's name I don't know. WOWZER, talk about a varied group of coin Geeks----an Ike guy, a Flyer/IHC guy, copper guys, a Bust Dollar guy, a Jefferson Nickel SC$ guy, some all around coin guys and even an AU58 specialist!!!!!!!!!! Things were hoppin, and did I mention the chicken??? Marty brings this rubber chicken that actually squeals when you squeeze it, quite the entertaining toy for us all. We took turns propping him/her up on a water goblet at the head of the table, Marty's pal gave the chicken too much to drink and had to perform CPR, the chicken made few phone calls and finally decided to take a well deserved nap. My pal Rich made an early exit, mumbling something to the effect that "We just aren't right" as he was leaving. We finished eating, had desert, Newmismatist sucked the last drops from the wine bottle and we left the almost deserted restaraunt...................I went to my room and you'll have to ask the others what the bar was like!!!
We got up Saturday and had more $13 pancakes before hitting the floor and the annex for more auction lot viewing. I didn't really see much of the forum crowd since I had decided to avoid floor buying to save my money for the auction. I did buy a few nice coins, some raw Ike Dollars and a few Jefferson Nickels. The best one was a raw 1955-D/S that had a nice, clearly die #1 OMM. I engaged whatever dealers would take the time to talk. Most seemed a bit more relaxed and willing to show what they had with no worry of wasting time. I showed a couple the medals I'd brought with me, in hopes that they'd keep their eyes open and my name on the top of the list. We ended up sitting in the hotel lobby for a few hours, grabbing some dinner and walking back and forth to the lot viewing, trying to look at as many lots as possible. It paid off when 7 PM rolled around and the bidding began.
We sat in the very first row and the bidding was fairly strong for the Colonials and Paper Money. One guy next to us paid $29K for a beautiful Alaskan note and must have spent close to $40K overall. I sat still through the coins portion because the items I'd bookmarked sold a bit too strong, but the medals I mentioned earlie were towards the end of the catalog and the room was thinning out as that drew closer. There were some phone bids that slowed things down, but I always enjoy the pace that some auctioneers are able to go at, this guy selling close to 250 lots per hour. I magnaged to sneak away and grab some java/hit the bathroom/chat with other bidders during it all and was ready at the trigger when my items came up. I managed to win three of the four I wanted, the two Elder medals and the Columbian/Morgan So-Called Dollar, but I dropped out for the Love Token when it reached $100. I was quite surprised with the pace of the token bidding. There were quite a few guys waiting several hours for chance to bid, really amazing.
We left the hotel shortly after 11 PM, filled the gas tank and hit the open and very empty highway. Rich slept most of the way as I played with the radio and screamed down the turnpike. I pulled in the driveway just after 4 AM and got mobbed by the puppy when I walked in the house. Casey had the bed nice and warm so I climbed in next to her and said a thankful prayer for a great weekend. As hard as it can be to believe sometimes, I have a life that allows me to travel freely, a woman who doesn't seem to mind and friendly faces waiting for me wherever I go. Can it get any better than this???
Stay safe wherever you are, we'll meet someday, probably at a coin show!!!!!
Al H.
My pal and me left early Friday morning and arrived at the Hyatt around 10 AM, checked in and ate before heading for the bourse. I did a quick walk around and saw some nice coins, ran into Jack Beymer at his table. I chatted with him for a few minutes and got his card to check on an 1805 Half Cent he hadn't brought. Stopped at the table of another early copper dealer who had some magnificent coins, all raw. As I was looking at his stuff he was engaged in a transaction with a youngster who gave his grade assessment and reached agreement on a price of $1000. As he was going through his briefcase and pulling out the money, the dealer "hyped" him to another dealer, said he was only 15. I sure wish I'd have had $100 to drop on a raw Large Cent when I was 15.
I moved along the floor and found it diffiocult to get access to some tables, the floor was that crowded early on. I stopped at the table of Ernie Latter and WorkingMan's Rare Coins to check out some medals and noticed the Jade team was only a few tables away. Right about then, MadMarty found me and we chatted for a few minutes. He informed me that my date for the night, the rubber chicken, was with him. Oh, lucky me!!!!After about an hour or two on the floor I decided it might be better to sit and do some auction lot viewing if only because the floor was so crowded. What a mistake, it was just as bad there. I hung around the annex hall where the viewing was held and talked to a few dealers, looked at some coins and hovered while I waited for an open seat. A familiar voice turned out to be condor101 and his ever-present-pull-along-suitcase which probably contains some neat stuff. He was busy with a dealer so I informed him that jadecoin was looking for him and moved along, spotting an open chair and almost running to grab a shot at registering for the auction. Now the fun really began.
I had gone through the catalog and noted the most promising lot numbersand found some very choice stuff in the variety. The medals seemed to be what sucked me in and they were spectaculas. There were 1928 and 1929 assay medals with the 1928 being the nicest. It had a rendition on the reverse of the First American Coining Press being operated by two Mint workers, one feeding the planchet and the second operating the screw. Another great item was a Libertas Americanis medal with the design which was modified somewhat and used on early flowing hair cents----all in spectacular high relief. There was a So-Called Dollar assortment that was rather small but spectacular, issues I'd never seen before in pristine codition, some with the original boxes they were issued in. Two that stuck out were copper renditions of themes from Continental Currency scrip, both in high relief with great color and virtually mark free. A third was an item from the 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition, a Liberty Dollar with an obverse quite obviously inspired by the Morgan Dollar and a reverse which depicts the Landing of Columbus, all in ultra-high relief DCAM aluminum, rivaling any modern proof in appearance. There were a few other choice items I found by going through some bagged and unattributed assortments, and a love token which was the Lord's Prayer engraved on the reverse of an 1852 silver three cent piece!!!!! I looked at it with a 6X glass and it was totally readable. I can't imagine the concentration it took to create such an item by hand, obviously unique.
After a break for lunch, I returned to the bourse and found that the hard core collectors were the ones who remained and the story tellin' and socializing had begun. There seemed to be groups at tables looking at coins in a more relaxed fashion than was possible early in the morning and as I browsed the cases I found myself in the midst of a dilemma. Having seen some items I was interested in bidding on Saturday evening I hesitated in buying anything from the floor. There were choice coins but the prices really turned me off. From talking with forum members, friends or dealers, I got the impression that certain areas of the hobby still had reasonable buy levels for a collector like me, stuff like Proof IHC's, Mercury Dimes and Walkers. I had a few dealers tell me that pricing for common date Morgans had slipped a bit. The whole problem for me-------those are all areas where I currently have no interest, save for a nice Proof Merc with some "personality" that hasn't been dipped white. Good luck, right??? I noticed that the Legacy Sets from the Mint have doubled in price from about $135 issue to close to $300. One dealer was actually buying all he could at $275. Hard to believe but true. After walking till about 6 PM I circled my wagons and decided to wait till Saturday before buying anything, so I started to round up the Friday night dinner guests.
We eventually met around 7:30 and the restaraunt wisely cordoned us in a small alcove off the main table area, wise move on their part!! The guest list was a diverse group of about 13. My friend Rich, my local dealer sat to my right and going around the table was MadMarty and his buddy who's name I forget(I think it was Jerry in disguise), numobri and a fellow club member/show organizer, Bill, Rick Snow of EagleEye Rare Coins, Newmismatist, Segoja, the jaderarecoin team of Dennis/Andy/Tassa and a guy who's name I don't know. WOWZER, talk about a varied group of coin Geeks----an Ike guy, a Flyer/IHC guy, copper guys, a Bust Dollar guy, a Jefferson Nickel SC$ guy, some all around coin guys and even an AU58 specialist!!!!!!!!!! Things were hoppin, and did I mention the chicken??? Marty brings this rubber chicken that actually squeals when you squeeze it, quite the entertaining toy for us all. We took turns propping him/her up on a water goblet at the head of the table, Marty's pal gave the chicken too much to drink and had to perform CPR, the chicken made few phone calls and finally decided to take a well deserved nap. My pal Rich made an early exit, mumbling something to the effect that "We just aren't right" as he was leaving. We finished eating, had desert, Newmismatist sucked the last drops from the wine bottle and we left the almost deserted restaraunt...................I went to my room and you'll have to ask the others what the bar was like!!!
We got up Saturday and had more $13 pancakes before hitting the floor and the annex for more auction lot viewing. I didn't really see much of the forum crowd since I had decided to avoid floor buying to save my money for the auction. I did buy a few nice coins, some raw Ike Dollars and a few Jefferson Nickels. The best one was a raw 1955-D/S that had a nice, clearly die #1 OMM. I engaged whatever dealers would take the time to talk. Most seemed a bit more relaxed and willing to show what they had with no worry of wasting time. I showed a couple the medals I'd brought with me, in hopes that they'd keep their eyes open and my name on the top of the list. We ended up sitting in the hotel lobby for a few hours, grabbing some dinner and walking back and forth to the lot viewing, trying to look at as many lots as possible. It paid off when 7 PM rolled around and the bidding began.
We sat in the very first row and the bidding was fairly strong for the Colonials and Paper Money. One guy next to us paid $29K for a beautiful Alaskan note and must have spent close to $40K overall. I sat still through the coins portion because the items I'd bookmarked sold a bit too strong, but the medals I mentioned earlie were towards the end of the catalog and the room was thinning out as that drew closer. There were some phone bids that slowed things down, but I always enjoy the pace that some auctioneers are able to go at, this guy selling close to 250 lots per hour. I magnaged to sneak away and grab some java/hit the bathroom/chat with other bidders during it all and was ready at the trigger when my items came up. I managed to win three of the four I wanted, the two Elder medals and the Columbian/Morgan So-Called Dollar, but I dropped out for the Love Token when it reached $100. I was quite surprised with the pace of the token bidding. There were quite a few guys waiting several hours for chance to bid, really amazing.
We left the hotel shortly after 11 PM, filled the gas tank and hit the open and very empty highway. Rich slept most of the way as I played with the radio and screamed down the turnpike. I pulled in the driveway just after 4 AM and got mobbed by the puppy when I walked in the house. Casey had the bed nice and warm so I climbed in next to her and said a thankful prayer for a great weekend. As hard as it can be to believe sometimes, I have a life that allows me to travel freely, a woman who doesn't seem to mind and friendly faces waiting for me wherever I go. Can it get any better than this???
Stay safe wherever you are, we'll meet someday, probably at a coin show!!!!!
Al H.
0
Comments
....so did the chicken seem to have fun?
<< <i>I noticed a distressing trend; everything seemed to priced high and the really nice stuff is priced at premium plus. >>
It has been that way in my neck of the woods all year. If you are only seeing this now, feel fortunate.
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.
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
What a great, fascinating report. I truly love detailed reports such as yours because it really makes it easy to imagine being at the show!
Tell me, is the chicken at all concerned about avian flu?
Mark
What a blast.
The chicken is a hoot!!!!
The show was great as well. Great discussion with Rick Snow. He's a great guy and knowledgeable to boot.
Bought some of the nicest PKOK Ikes I've seen in several years, so I was happy. even Managed to find 4 accented hair Kenedies, one with cameo AND a run of 65 SMS sets that had some DCAM nickels and even a nice cameo cent in one.
Keets - Great in depth reporting!
Ike Specialist
Finest Toned Ike I've Ever Seen, been looking since 1986
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.
Keets - are you sure that you don't write for a newspaper? Great report!
Check out my current listings: https://ebay.com/sch/khunt/m.html?_ipg=200&_sop=12&_rdc=1
well, ChangeInHistory is the one who should be worried. he gave the chicken CPR and i don't think Matt's had his innoculation yet.
None of you were around Dennis and Andy's table when I was!
Sorry I missed all you guys there, would have been nice to meet you all!!!
Excellent show report keets, while reading it, it felt like I was really there.
<< <i>the last i heard from the chicken was a muffled squak as Dennis closed the briefcase, it sounded like "cheescake" to me. >>
Are we to understand that your date went home with another man?
We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
it's a good example of the whole being greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Great report, sounds like you had a great weekend. Hope to see you at FUN 2006.
<< <i>Tell me, is the chicken at all concerned about avian flu?
well, ChangeInHistory is the one who should be worried. he gave the chicken CPR and i don't think Matt's had his innoculation yet. >>
I did have to save the chicken after I had it's head under water. Marty was right across from me and I had to drive 4 1/2 hrs w/him the next day. If the chicken had died, there would have been some dire consequences. I've seen the doctor and everything checks out OK. I do tend to keep scratching at the ground for some reason....
I just got home from the show. The attendance was fairly decent today-for a Sunday-and many dealers stayed until the end of the show.
Jade Rare Coin eBay Listings
My favorite part of these forums: Show Reports!
And Keets, your's was splendid.
peacockcoins
I had a great time and was glad to meet everybody.
I know what happened at the bar.
I did buy a 1797 half dime in fine.
Glad you maked it home safe.
Brian
Were the $13 pancakes any good?
Wish I could get to more shows than I do........maybe someday.
I picked up several very nice proof Indians from Rick Snow and several other dealers - maybe I'll hve to relist all my Proof IHCs in a new registry set!
“It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” Mark Twain
Newmismatist