Show Report: Coin Expo of NH -- Manchester, NH 10-12 Oct 2008
Barndog
Posts: 20,518 ✭✭✭✭✭
while visiting family in NH this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Coin Expo of NH in Manchester. Forum member RNCHSN had a table set up at the show and was kind enough to send me some free passes for the show (admission price was $3 per day or $5 for a three-day pass). I met with MrHalfDime outside the bourse floor about 45 minutes before the show and we talked about half dimes, of course! Once inside I was impressed by the bourse. The room at the Radisson was spacious, well-lighted, approriately-cooled, and featured a rather impressive food/beverage set-up. The aisles were wide and there were not too many people milling about on Friday morning (not good for dealers, I know -- but I'm a collector and don't mind the freedom of movement). I spent most of my five or six hours on Friday talking to forum members MrHalfDime, RNCHSN, and cape. There were some nice coins on the bourse floor, but not many nice capped bust half dimes (my primary focus). I did find one nice half dime, an 1831 LM-6 in a PCGS MS-63 holder. Despite the fact that my set piece is an MS-66 for the 1831 LM-6 die marriage, I bought the coin...just couldn't resist the price. Well, I owned that coin for about 15-20 minutes as I found a really nice trade dollar for my type set and used the half dime in a cash/trade deal to obtain the trade dollar (1877-S, IIRC, in a PCGS AU-58 OGH). I also purchased a holed half dime (1837 LM-2, an R-5) that was very cheap and will find a home in my "half dime bowl" that I keep at my computer desk at home (image of the bowl is below...btw, ddbird carved that bowl!).
Among the nice coins I saw was a 1797 13-stars half dime in a PCGS XF-45 holder. The coin was totally original, never "dipped and retoned" and was superior in eye appeal to most AU examples that one typically finds for the type. The price was hefty, but fortunately I am not in the market for any early half dimes and don't want to sell my house to afford a coin. Forum member cape had some really nice coins in his case, including two capped bust halves that were incredibly well-struck, lustrous, and original. I'm glad I don't collect bust halves, those things were very sweet. RNCHSN had some nice commems (I'm putting together a set in older PCGS holders), but none that I needed, unfortunately).
The real highlight of the show for me, as with most shows, was getting time to share the hobby with MrHalfDime. I brought a box of 52 half dimes in my die marriage collection to "show and tell" and MrHalfDime and I spent a couple of hours off and on throughout the day looking at the coins plus looking at some coins he brought and talking on numismatic and non-numismatic topics that the coins inspired.
On Sunday morning, I decided to go back to the show with my four-year-old daughter. I figured we would be at the show for 30 minutes (I think it turned out to be 45 minutes). Katy really had a good time. I introduced her to cape and got to meet cape's son and daughter. Cape hooked Katy up with a couple of Wheaties, thanks! Katy met RNCHSN and his wife. They went out of their way to inspire Katy to a life of numismatics by talking with her and giving her some steel wheat cents and a nice UNC 1964 half. Katy found one dealer selling foreign coins 4 for a dollar so she sifted through his box of coins and found seven coins featuring holes in the middle. She had a good time as did I.
Overall, it was a fun show for me and for my daughter. The show was likely not a good one (let alone great) for most dealers as the collector traffic seemed light.
Among the nice coins I saw was a 1797 13-stars half dime in a PCGS XF-45 holder. The coin was totally original, never "dipped and retoned" and was superior in eye appeal to most AU examples that one typically finds for the type. The price was hefty, but fortunately I am not in the market for any early half dimes and don't want to sell my house to afford a coin. Forum member cape had some really nice coins in his case, including two capped bust halves that were incredibly well-struck, lustrous, and original. I'm glad I don't collect bust halves, those things were very sweet. RNCHSN had some nice commems (I'm putting together a set in older PCGS holders), but none that I needed, unfortunately).
The real highlight of the show for me, as with most shows, was getting time to share the hobby with MrHalfDime. I brought a box of 52 half dimes in my die marriage collection to "show and tell" and MrHalfDime and I spent a couple of hours off and on throughout the day looking at the coins plus looking at some coins he brought and talking on numismatic and non-numismatic topics that the coins inspired.
On Sunday morning, I decided to go back to the show with my four-year-old daughter. I figured we would be at the show for 30 minutes (I think it turned out to be 45 minutes). Katy really had a good time. I introduced her to cape and got to meet cape's son and daughter. Cape hooked Katy up with a couple of Wheaties, thanks! Katy met RNCHSN and his wife. They went out of their way to inspire Katy to a life of numismatics by talking with her and giving her some steel wheat cents and a nice UNC 1964 half. Katy found one dealer selling foreign coins 4 for a dollar so she sifted through his box of coins and found seven coins featuring holes in the middle. She had a good time as did I.
Overall, it was a fun show for me and for my daughter. The show was likely not a good one (let alone great) for most dealers as the collector traffic seemed light.
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I went to the "9 Mile Road VFW" commercial show in Southfield, Mi this morning, the first time I had gone to that monthly show in about five months. Floor traffic seemed to be well below average. I did find a very nice and very original 1861 3 Cent silver in a recent ANACS AU58 holder. This is only the third coin of any significance I have purchased this year ... and all three coins have been purchased from the same dealer. This dealer is one of the few whose cases are not filled with Morgan and Peace dollars!
<< <i>well-lighted, approriately-cooled, and featured a rather impressive food/beverage set-up. >>
Two very important features!! Always not the case with 4H buildings were coin auctions I attend are held.
Watch your step also.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC
The real highlight of the show for me, as with most shows, was getting time to share the hobby with MrHalfDime. I brought a box of 52 half dimes in my die marriage collection to "show and tell"
Now that is awesome. I can only imagine how cool this meeting must have been.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
-Randy Newman
<< <i>You have enough half dimes to put R-5's in a coin bowl? Please enter me in your generous coin bowl giveaway.
only the R-5 H10C with holes or that have been made into buttons or love tokens go into the bowl. It's a neat assortment of half dimes from R-1 to R-5 in various states of disrepair.
friday due to work. we did make it on saturday at 3pm ish and found
the place to have light traffic. I agree on the venue though. It is a very
nice hotel setting with all sorts of different restaurants available.
Choice of half eagles were all quite common in the Lib HE category.
i saw so many morgans i just became blind to them after a while.
man are they common.
i found the ancients to be the most interesting due to the "neat" factor at one table.
maybe we will see you at the next show.
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
To make the occasion even more memorable, Barndog's lovely wife Dawn and his daughter Katy joined us at the end of the day, along with my own daughter and my grandson, for a great home cooked meal at Barndog's mother's house. This is the third year that we have arranged to meet at this coin show, and to enjoy a wonderful meal together. I have long felt that it is the great people, even more than the coins, that makes this hobby so great.
I only managed to find just one slight upgrade for a remarriage of the 1832 LM-8.2 (from VF-20 to perhaps VF-35), although I did drool over an MS-64 example of the 1848-O V8 half dime (I presently have an MS-62), and spent much time admiring the 1797 LM-4/V1 13 star half dime in PCGS EF-45 grade which Barndog mentioned. It was priced correctly, which means that it was out of my reach for this solid R6 rarity. I was the underbidder for both the William A. Harmon and Jules Reiver specimens at their respective Heritage auctions in 2005, and have never located a nice example since.
I think that we were both more interested in family than coins this year, which is why we worked the floor only on Friday. Still, I think that there were very few half dimes that escaped our attention.
While you were there, I got a call on my cell to meet Bajjerfan for breakfast. I took a book of Morgans and another book of widgets just in case he was a real serious coin geek.
He was just passing through Omaha, so we met at Perkins on 72nd St.
Our waitress was a couple years older than us and she was attentive. (For a minute, I thought she might have been a VAMMER).
I owe a debt of gratitude to CU for this place, and you too Barndog. It's this kind of sharing that inspires us to keep collecting and making friends with coins.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
<< <i>Excellent viewpoint. I wanna hear about the gold. And were there any guys selling modern proof sets or statehood quarters ?
While you were there, I got a call on my cell to meet Bajjerfan for breakfast. I took a book of Morgans and another book of widgets just in case he was a real serious coin geek.
He was just passing through Omaha, so we met at Perkins on 72nd St.
Our waitress was a couple years older than us and she was attentive. (For a minute, I thought she might have been a VAMMER).
I owe a debt of gratitude to CU for this place, and you too Barndog. It's this kind of sharing that inspires us to keep collecting and making friends with coins. >>
to tell you the truth, I saw lots of gold coins, but for the most part, my eyes just gloss over and I avert my stare to look at something else. Gold is not for me! That being said, I did see some slabbed "old gold" and slabbed modern gold. I swear I saw at least two 1830s era gold coins and know I saw some early bust gold in holders too. Modern Proof sets were available at a few tables, but nobody with stacks and stacks of them. I saw a few statehood quarters in fancy slabs in a dealer's case on Sunday. Dealer said they were a consignment from a customer.
I believe the nice gold was at Certified Assets Management's table and a table by Lano Belalascu (I'm sure I butchered that name). Lano had the best stuff at the show, as he did last year and the year before. His prices were good too.