Show report ++++ commentary.
keets
Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
Went to a show this weekend, a two-day local club affair that I've attended for perhaps the past 3-5 years, giving me a perspective on what's going on in the hobby at least in this middle-eastern part of Ohio. It isn't very rosey, which is a bit confusing to me........................We set up shop Saturday morning expecting at least a reasonable attendance bit it never happened. To be honest, if we'd have assembled every individual who showed up on both days there probably would have been room to manuever in the aisles!!!!! We did a small amount of retail, selling 2X2'd coins from the usual bargain bins, quite a few Peace Dollars, PCGS/NGC Morgans, currency and assorted Type coins but most every dealer had plenty of time to walk around. That meant that the lion's share of business was wholesale.
One thing that struck me as peculiar(and it has for a week or two now) is the seeming shortage of Gold and Silver while the demand is high-high-high. The trend for Silver, as reflected by online buy prices, has some buyers paying strong while sellers try to round up whatever they can find to sell. At the same time Gold is nowhere to be found and those who have it don't seem willing to part with it. My thoughts are that everyone is scared of the recent market swings and they're afraid to buy or sell because they don't want to get "beat" on either end by a big change, especially on a weekend like this that had some very interesting political developments!!!!
To that end, I perceive some weird goings on and have been noticing different things appearing on the major news programs, things reminiscent of past bad times, and believe me, coin dealers and collectors seem to be paying close attention to it all. News sources are reporting about Gold shortages and high demand, there's heavy traffic at pawn shops, the price of gas here in NE Ohio is WELL under $3/gallon, oil is down and the dollar is gaining strength...........................yet Gold fell on Friday and seems unable to sustain any kind of a rally. Oh well, cash is still king.
For my own part, I didn't plan on doing any buying but I did anyway. I picked up a few BU raw Cents, a 1909 RB IHC and a very Glossy 1936-D Lincoln. I also stumbled on a Rick Snow Eagle Eye Coins Store Card that I paid the princely sum of $1 for!!!! My favorite is an NGC 1953 Franklin graded PF65Cameo that I think I need to crack out for a Capital holder. One dealer had an AG Chain Cent, another guy had a 1794 or 95 Half-Dollar that had been plugged at the date
, my pal bought a nicely toned MS65 1928 SLQ in an NGC holder and a few dealers had better high power coins in their cases, but the attendance was so low that I doubt they even had tire kickers look at them.
One of the better things to come out of the show for me has to do with Mint packaging; I stumbled onto a 1968 Proof Set that has a style of outer box that I've never seen before. I know that sounds weird, but ol' veterans of searching Proof Sets might be able to enjoy my excitement!!!
The packaging obsession for me grew from the fact that looking at set-after-set-after-set-after-set caused me to notice some not so subtle differences in how the Mint changed things between 1950 and the present day, so I started collecting the different outer boxes. For 1968, the box has a little flap at the top of the long edge which tucks into the box. That changed sometime during 1969 when the Mint started using a style which had almost the entire width of the box sliding inside about 3/4" below the top. On this new style I found, the box opens on either end of the short side in the same fashion that the current Proof Set boxes do. Everything else is the same, the color/size/location of printing/font style.
Considering I've looked at thousands of 1968 Proof Sets and have never seen this style, it was pretty neat so I snatched it up. Despite everything else going on it was still nice to get out and relax with other Coin Guys. Ain't this a Great Country??!!??
Al H.
One thing that struck me as peculiar(and it has for a week or two now) is the seeming shortage of Gold and Silver while the demand is high-high-high. The trend for Silver, as reflected by online buy prices, has some buyers paying strong while sellers try to round up whatever they can find to sell. At the same time Gold is nowhere to be found and those who have it don't seem willing to part with it. My thoughts are that everyone is scared of the recent market swings and they're afraid to buy or sell because they don't want to get "beat" on either end by a big change, especially on a weekend like this that had some very interesting political developments!!!!
To that end, I perceive some weird goings on and have been noticing different things appearing on the major news programs, things reminiscent of past bad times, and believe me, coin dealers and collectors seem to be paying close attention to it all. News sources are reporting about Gold shortages and high demand, there's heavy traffic at pawn shops, the price of gas here in NE Ohio is WELL under $3/gallon, oil is down and the dollar is gaining strength...........................yet Gold fell on Friday and seems unable to sustain any kind of a rally. Oh well, cash is still king.
For my own part, I didn't plan on doing any buying but I did anyway. I picked up a few BU raw Cents, a 1909 RB IHC and a very Glossy 1936-D Lincoln. I also stumbled on a Rick Snow Eagle Eye Coins Store Card that I paid the princely sum of $1 for!!!! My favorite is an NGC 1953 Franklin graded PF65Cameo that I think I need to crack out for a Capital holder. One dealer had an AG Chain Cent, another guy had a 1794 or 95 Half-Dollar that had been plugged at the date
, my pal bought a nicely toned MS65 1928 SLQ in an NGC holder and a few dealers had better high power coins in their cases, but the attendance was so low that I doubt they even had tire kickers look at them. One of the better things to come out of the show for me has to do with Mint packaging; I stumbled onto a 1968 Proof Set that has a style of outer box that I've never seen before. I know that sounds weird, but ol' veterans of searching Proof Sets might be able to enjoy my excitement!!!
The packaging obsession for me grew from the fact that looking at set-after-set-after-set-after-set caused me to notice some not so subtle differences in how the Mint changed things between 1950 and the present day, so I started collecting the different outer boxes. For 1968, the box has a little flap at the top of the long edge which tucks into the box. That changed sometime during 1969 when the Mint started using a style which had almost the entire width of the box sliding inside about 3/4" below the top. On this new style I found, the box opens on either end of the short side in the same fashion that the current Proof Set boxes do. Everything else is the same, the color/size/location of printing/font style. Considering I've looked at thousands of 1968 Proof Sets and have never seen this style, it was pretty neat so I snatched it up. Despite everything else going on it was still nice to get out and relax with other Coin Guys. Ain't this a Great Country??!!??
Al H.
0
Comments
Your report may be a preview of what is to come for a while.
Drunner
K
on the bright side, if it gets hard to find coins to buy or they get too, too expensive, we can all study up and learn more.
Thanks for the report. I wonder if the 3 day weekend had anything to do with
the low attendance?
Fun.
Not.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.