Coin Show in Portland, Maine on Sunday, November 4, 2007
MrHalfDime
Posts: 3,440 ✭✭✭✭
There will be a coin show in Portland, Maine on Sunday, November 4 at Verrillo's Convention Center, 155 Riverside Street, at Exit 48 of the Maine Turnpike. The show will run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and there is no admission charge. There will be over 50 tables, our largest show ever, and all are devoted to numismatic material. There will be hourly drawings for door prizes, and for $50 bills at 1:00 PM and at 4:00 PM. If you are in the northern New England area, please stop by and check out the show. If you are a forum member, please introduce yourself. I will be at the door.
Stephen A. Crain
President - Gorham Coin Club
Stephen A. Crain
President - Gorham Coin Club
They that can give up essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
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Comments
Thanks in advance.
Alan
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
<< <i>I might try to make it. It depends on when the Red Sox game is over. >>
The show is a week from now....The Game will long be over as will the series
I'll try to make it over, it's only an hour drive from here
I do have my priorities. I scheduled this show with the Patriots game schedule in hand. The coin show ends at 4:00 PM, and the Patriots kick-off is at 4:15, with victory over the Colts around 7:15 PM.
<< <i>most importantly, the show will be over before THE GAME begins! >>
That is the key point! I can spend money and then hope the Pats cover the spread and pay for my purchases..lol
I am not a dealer, so I cannot speak from first-hand knowledge about how the dealers did, but as the show promoter I do make it a point to traverse the floor and inquire of dealers how the show was going for them. I was very gratified to hear many of them proclaim that this was their best local show in years, and several inquired about our future shows, and a few reserved their tables in advance. Approximately 25% of the dealers at this show were new to our shows (we conduct two shows each year, in March and November), so there was some 'new' material to be found.
On a personal level, I did not get much chance to scour the floor for interesting half dimes, but one of the advantages of being a narrowly focused (or some would say narrow minded) specialist, most dealers at the show know of my specialty, and more than a few half dimes were delivered to my post at the club table at the door for inspection. Thus, there probably were not too many half dimes on that floor that I did not see, even though I was tethered to my club table chair. I did manage to inspect a well struck AU (raw) 1831 LM-6/V1, a very common die marriage, but a very attractive and original coin. I also spotted a beautifully toned AU (also raw) 1839 V1 half dime, incorrectly attributed as V2. I did not buy any half dimes this trip, but that has become the norm for most small, local shows. Most of my purchases tend to come from a select few large national dealers with whom I have left a want list, and from fellow half dime collectors.
That is not to say that I did not purchase any coins at the show, however. My son and my three year old granddaughter came to the show, and I was able to help her select some nice Bermuda "Piggie Pennies" and "Fishy Nickels" that caught her eye, and we also picked up a few D-mint state quarters for her brother, who was unable to attend the show.
Fellow forum member IGWT, who is also a member of the coin club, ably assisted me in running the show, and we had a nice chat about his Shield Nickels and newly acquired photography skills in between answering questions and conducting door prize drawings.
From a serious half dime collecting standpoint the show did not provide too much excitement, but from a social and grass roots coin collecting perspective, it was a delightful day spent with some great coin people. And to top things off, I was able to watch the Patriots come from behind and beat the Colts, maintaining their undefeated record for the year.