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The Official Longacre Baltimore Show Report-- March, 2009
Longacre
Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
I. The Departure
The alarm clock rang at 3:30 AM. After hitting the snooze button once, I bounded out of bed at 3:40 AM. At exactly 4:18 AM, I was wheels up from the Longacre estate, on my way to the airport. The drive to the airport was uneventful, and at exactly 5:18 AM, I reached the exit for the airport. By 5:40 AM, I had parked and got my ticket. As a traveler all over the world, I am very quick through security, but I was slowed down by this couple in their 60s who clearly never travel. They took several minutes to get their stuff into the bins, and had no clue that their pockets needed to be clear. Maybe I am unique, but I never carry anything in my pockets. These two people, however, had more junk in their pockets than I had ever seen. Like clockwork, when they went through the metal detector, it rang, and the guy needed to go through again (he claimed that he thought it was OK to have his money clip in his pocket), and when I last looked, the lady was getting patted down like a common criminal. Notwithstanding this delay, I was at the gate by 5:55 AM, in plenty of time for my 6:35 AM flight to Baltimore. In fact, I even had time to stop by the McDonald’s in the airport, and got my favorite, sausage McMuffin with egg. Unfortunately, I looked at the nutrition information and it had 370 calories, and I was not too happy. Thankfully, I figured that a workout on the bourse awaited me, and I would surely work off that lead weight in my stomach.
II. The Baltimore Light Rail
Unlike other trips on the Baltimore light rail from BWI to the convention center, this trip was fairly uneventful. Things got a little hairy when at one stop, a bunch of pretty scary looking people got on. Normally, I would be disturbed by this, but given that I would be walking among a bourse full of scary people in a few short minutes, it did not bother me too much. Things got interesting when this one lady decided to get into a debate with her friend about “why the MTA police have to have guns”. She was giving her friend advice to never put her hands in her pockets when the MTA is around, or they would just start shooting. I took that advice to heart and made no false moves for neither my loupe nor my QDB book when the MTA came on board to check tickets. Thankfully, no lead flew on the train, and I arrived at the convention center at approximately 8:45 AM.
III. The Pre-Show
Because the numismatic hoi polloi was not allowed to enter the bourse until 10 AM, I had a little time to kill. I had arranged to meet board member Coinkat at 9:15, so I had some time. I registered for the show, got my name tag, and noticed, among a swarm of mustard stained, overweight, sweat pants-wearing coin dealer, that Doug Winter was standing there (rather smartly dressed) all alone. I took a deep breath, and went up to him and introduced myself.
I met Doug approximately four times at previous shows, but was not sure if he would remember me. He said there was no need to introduce myself because he never forgets who he meets. For approximately 15 minutes, I had the preeminent southern gold dealer in my clutches, and we had a very nice conversation. Remarkably, most of our conversation centered around the message boards and some of the characters who post here. I encouraged him to sign up and join the fun, but he declined. He seemed amused when he said that most of the things that I write, “only RYK seems to get”. We also talked about the CAC, his blogs, and how is business was going (very strong, I hear). At 9 AM, I bid farewell to Mr. Winter, as he entered the bourse, no doubt to engage in some wholesale activities, but perhaps not the stealth wholesaling that other dealers do.
At 9:15, I met Coinkat in the lobby. For those who have never met Coinkat, based on the way he dresses, this man would fit in better at a convention of college professors than a coin convention. Impeccably dressed in a fine tweed sport coat and slacks, complete with the requisite loafers (sans tassels), he was by far the best dressed person in the lobby. With a penchant for authoritatively removing his delicate glasses when he took a closer look at the coins that we were discussing, Coinkat certainly can be called a Compleat Numismatist, not only in the look, but also in knowledge. After getting coffee at Einstein’s (and after he raved about the medium roast Mel’s blend and highly recommended that I try it), our time together centered around a discussion of all things numismatic, such as originality, the British coins that he had, his spectacular seated coins that he showed me, and sundry other topics. It is always a pleasure to speak with Coinkat, and at 10 AM, we bid each other goodbye, as the bourse opened to the general public.
IV. It’s Showtime
Rather than make a beeline to my preferred dealers, I decided to take a stroll along the bourse, and see what caught my eye. I happened to first wander down the aisle that had John Kraljevich’s booth, and I stopped briefly and said hi. At the table was our very own Coinosaurus, and we introduced ourselves. Regrettably, for some reason I thought his nametag said “Lee A” rather than “Len A”, and I did not make the full connection until after I departed. I wish I had spent more time with him, because it is not too often that you encounter a Coinosaurus in public.
As I wandered the bourse, I was shocked at some of the things that I was seeing and hearing. I watched as one dealer brought a coin to another dealer and said, “this coin came out of the woodwork in Europe. I’d love to f--k with it and make it better, but I am not sure if I can improve it.” Incredible. At another table, one dealer was trying to entice another dealer into joining a well-managed promotion. The one dealer was telling the other dealer to “get him a minimum of 8 coins per week” of this certain type, and “I will clean them up” and sell them. He said that his technique is to give clients a glossy brochure with a picture of a coin with scratches, and then the improved coin would not have scratches and the clients would think they were getting a great deal. The dealer even boasted, “this worked incredibly well in the past!”
Even more disturbing was the little old lady on the bourse (and I mean literally a little old lady) that I saw. She had tons of Buffalo nickels and Walking Liberty half dollars that she wanted to sell. She was speaking with what I will judiciously call a “no-name dealer”. I was feigning looking at the case as the deal went down. The dealer actually had the audacity to say, “of course I would give you a good deal! You’re a little old lady!”. I was further intrigued and craned my neck to hear the offer. The nickels looked circulated, and from what I could tell, the Walkers were in the EF to low AU range. Here was the deal– 2x face. The Buffalos were purchased for 10 cents each, while the Walkers were $1 each. I am no coin dealer, and perhaps that is the market price, but I think it was a tad low. This dealer was such a goof (or perhaps he was in a frenzy over the rip), because it took him four times to calculate the purchase price on the calculator. Incredible.
Throughout the rest of the morning, I visited my favorite dealers, such as the CRO boys, saw MrEureka, Julian (who offered to call Mrs. L and tell her I was staying overnight), the book dealers, Rich Uhrich (his daughter was not there this time), and Scarsdale Coins. My wandering around the bourse took me to 11:30 AM, the appointed time to meet up with board member Dentuck.
V. Lunch and a Surprise
Board member Dentuck and I planned to meet at 11:30 and have an early lunch. Having been up since 3:40 AM, that was fine with me. I put in a call to his secret cell phone number (probably no one other than numismatic authors or titans of the publishing industry have), and got his voicemail. After leaving a message, I headed over to the Whitman display, assuming that he would be there.
Glancing over to my right, I see this guy dressed in a stunning suit. Now seeing someone in a suit at a coin show is about as unusual as finding a dealer who regularly brushes and flosses, so I knew immediately that it must be Dentuck. I was quite surprised by how young he was. For some reason, I assumed that a man of such prominence in the publishing world must be at least middle-aged. Dentuck, I assume, is probably in his early 30's, and is very eager and enthusiastic. We exchanged pleasantries, and then he hit me with a bombshell– my beloved QDB would be joining us for lunch!!!
Now this threw Longacre into a frothy frenzy. I actually said that I wish I had known in advance so I could have studied and prepared for the meeting! I had a cotton mouth as Dentuck led me to the Stack’s table. At the table, QDB was sitting there, and three of his fans were talking to him, and he was signing a few books. When he was done, Dentuck introduced me as “QDB’s #1 fan”, and QDB and I shook hands. He introduced me to Chris K from Stack’s, which was another treat. Still very nervous with the prospect of having lunch with my idol, we proceeded to walk off the bourse together. Now Longacre is sometimes easily impressed, but I felt as though this was my moment in the sun. As we walked the bourse, QDB, being the numismatic rock star that he is, causes heads to turn. Imagine how cool I felt walking side by side with this numismatic luminary down the aisle. Had Longacre been a peac8ck, my tail would have been fully fanned, as I proudly strutted with QDB through the bourse.
Because he needed to leave at 2, we decided to lunch in the lobby of the convention center. Dentuck, QDB, and I got the turkey sandwich, pickle, and chips. QDB asked for two pickles, and also got a crab cake. The guy serving the food must have known how excessively prominent QDB is because when I asked for two pickles, he said no because he would get in trouble with his boss. The tab was picked up by Whitman, which was very nice. Being the gentleman that he is, QDB gave the extra pickle to Dentuck.
As we sat at the table, QDB was seated to my right, while Dentuck was seating to my left. Looking back, I hope I did not insult Dentuck because I spend most of my time asking questions to QDB. Our discussion ran the gamut of topics, from the books that QDB wrote (and plans to write), the grading services, the CAC, history, and the business side of the hobby. I was trying to contain my excitement and not ask too many questions because QDB needed to actually eat his lunch and not just talk. As we were sitting there, the Abe Lincoln impersonator came by, and QDB seemed to really enjoy asking him historical questions (such as “how did the debate go with Stephen Douglas?”). The whole experience was surreal. Then Roger Siboni from the ANS came by, and chatted a bit. I found out some interesting tidbits about the ANS, and Roger and I sort of crossed paths professionally in the past, unbeknownst to me.
As I was talking with QDB, I referred to him as “Mr. Bowers”. With a flourish of his hand, he replied, “just call me Dave.” Again, I was thrown into a frenzy that I could actually call the world’s greatest numismatist by his first name!! I encouraged QDB to write his autobiography, and he seemed to think it was a good idea.
Toward the end of the meal, I meekly asked QDB if he would sign the Grading Coins by Photographs book that he wrote. He said sure, and he wrote a very nice inscription– “With best wishes and appreciation to [my name], from QDB, 3/27/09, Baltimore.” This was incredibly nice, and this book will hold a special place in my library.
Unfortunately, it was time to depart. I thanked QDB profusely, and he proceeded to walk away from the table. Then, like the scene out of the Coca-Cola commercial when Mean Joe Green says, “hey kid, catch”, and tosses the kid the sweaty jersey, QDB did something just as dramatic. He moved his hand to his lapel, and removed his Official 2010 Red Book Contributor lapel pin and handed it to me!!!!!!!!! This set me over the edge, and my frothy frenziness was at unprecedented levels. Dentuck said that only 125 of the pins were made, and one went to each Red Book contributor. These pins are excessively rare, and no one (and I mean no one) other than a Red Book contributor has one of these pins in his possession. For a moment, I felt as though it was numismatically illegal for me to accept this pin, but QDB insisted. It will be, by far, a cherished memento, and it is currently being displayed very prominently in my home office. It was an incredible surprise, and a treat to meet QDB, and to get such a cool gift. I thank Dentuck for arranging this lunch that I will remember forever.
VI. Post Lunch Happenings
Prior to the show, I traded some PM’s with board member Bigmoose. Bigmoose is an excessively prominent board member who collects early copper from 1794. He offered to give me one of the 1794 copper books that Al Boka wrote, which contains some of the coins in Bigmoose’s collection. For those of you who don’t know, Bigmoose is a cardiologist from Pennsylvania, and a very nice guy. He invited me to fancy dinner that evening with a bunch of very prominent copper collectors and dealers, but unfortunately I was only at the show on Friday and had to leave. He encouraged me to go to an EAC convention, which I hope to do next year. We chatted a bit more, and he signed the book for me, which was a treat. If Longacre were ever to have a coronary on the bourse, he would be delighted to drop like a sack of potatoes at the feet of the Bigmoose.
At 2 PM, I went to the PCGS table to meet fellow board members. Stopping by were Tootawl, RickMikalhaus (spelling?), Newsman, MidLifeCrisis, Tassa, and Airplanenut. We chatted for a bit. Someone else walked by, introduced himself to me as a “lurker on the boards”, and said he just wanted to shake Longacre’s hand. He introduced me to his wife as well, and said, “hey, this is Longacre!”. I was a little embarrassed.
Also walking by was some high school kid rolling a black roller bag, and he made some comment about a “freak show”. I figured his mother would probably scold him for saying that, so I did not respond.
Meeting board members is always a treat, and everyone seems really nice. Throughout the show, I seemed to keep bumping into Tootawl and Newsman. I also bumped into Tassa later in the show, as she was trying to work a deal at another dealer’s table. I was interested enough to hang around to get some insight into how these deals are negotiated, but the deal didn’t seem like it was heating up, so I wandered off.
VII. Purchases
I went back to John Kraljevich’s table to get a better look at his inventory. He has some incredible stuff. I ended up buying a 1783 Mexican 8 Reales coin which is totally original and well struck. It is the same year as the signing of the treaty of Paris, so it has some historical significance. The coin is very nice. It is not something that I would normally buy, but after speaking with John, the coin is incredibly interesting and I look forward to learning more about it. While at John’s table, some dealer came by with a coin that the other dealer knew nothing about. In about two seconds, JK determined the coin was a silver plated trinket, worth about $50. Another dealer happened by and asked JK for some advice on a coin the dealer was going to buy. JK was gracious with his free advice. I was shocked that this other dealer would buy something that he knew nothing about, but I guess that is the way things operate. I am also pleased to report that JK said he was having a successful show.
After making some other purchases of <gasp> some world currency (German notes) and some <gasp> dark side coins, I wandered over to the CRO table. At the table was Charlottedude, and he showed me two of his very nice coins, one of which was discussed on the boards. After talking some smack about board member fc
, Charlottedude need to leave to meet his wife. Later on while I was washing my hands in the bathroom, a lurker from the boards recognized me and said, “hey Longacre!”. I meet my fans in the strangest of places. We chatted a bit (outside of the bathroom), and this person is a regular customer of CRO, so I know he is not someone to be feared.
After getting my picture with Abe Lincoln (which was strange; I need to check if it is posted online yet), I walked the bourse some more. The tables were stocked with tons of generic gold, which seemed to be selling. The Baltimore bourse is loaded to the gills with all kinds of coins at all price levels, and is a spectacular show. Without getting into a lot of details, I saw excessive rarities, and common coins. There is literally something for everyone at the show.
VIII. Departure
At around 5:30 PM, I left the show and took the light rail back to BWI with the hoi polloi. After a fine meal at California Tortilla, I departed Baltimore at 8:40 PM. I was back in my car by 10 PM, and rather than taking an hour to get home, I got caught in a traffic jam, and it took me two hours to get home. I arrived at the Longacre estate at 12:18 AM, which was exactly 21 hours after I left.
All in all, it was a spectacular day of numismatic immersion.
The alarm clock rang at 3:30 AM. After hitting the snooze button once, I bounded out of bed at 3:40 AM. At exactly 4:18 AM, I was wheels up from the Longacre estate, on my way to the airport. The drive to the airport was uneventful, and at exactly 5:18 AM, I reached the exit for the airport. By 5:40 AM, I had parked and got my ticket. As a traveler all over the world, I am very quick through security, but I was slowed down by this couple in their 60s who clearly never travel. They took several minutes to get their stuff into the bins, and had no clue that their pockets needed to be clear. Maybe I am unique, but I never carry anything in my pockets. These two people, however, had more junk in their pockets than I had ever seen. Like clockwork, when they went through the metal detector, it rang, and the guy needed to go through again (he claimed that he thought it was OK to have his money clip in his pocket), and when I last looked, the lady was getting patted down like a common criminal. Notwithstanding this delay, I was at the gate by 5:55 AM, in plenty of time for my 6:35 AM flight to Baltimore. In fact, I even had time to stop by the McDonald’s in the airport, and got my favorite, sausage McMuffin with egg. Unfortunately, I looked at the nutrition information and it had 370 calories, and I was not too happy. Thankfully, I figured that a workout on the bourse awaited me, and I would surely work off that lead weight in my stomach.
II. The Baltimore Light Rail
Unlike other trips on the Baltimore light rail from BWI to the convention center, this trip was fairly uneventful. Things got a little hairy when at one stop, a bunch of pretty scary looking people got on. Normally, I would be disturbed by this, but given that I would be walking among a bourse full of scary people in a few short minutes, it did not bother me too much. Things got interesting when this one lady decided to get into a debate with her friend about “why the MTA police have to have guns”. She was giving her friend advice to never put her hands in her pockets when the MTA is around, or they would just start shooting. I took that advice to heart and made no false moves for neither my loupe nor my QDB book when the MTA came on board to check tickets. Thankfully, no lead flew on the train, and I arrived at the convention center at approximately 8:45 AM.
III. The Pre-Show
Because the numismatic hoi polloi was not allowed to enter the bourse until 10 AM, I had a little time to kill. I had arranged to meet board member Coinkat at 9:15, so I had some time. I registered for the show, got my name tag, and noticed, among a swarm of mustard stained, overweight, sweat pants-wearing coin dealer, that Doug Winter was standing there (rather smartly dressed) all alone. I took a deep breath, and went up to him and introduced myself.
I met Doug approximately four times at previous shows, but was not sure if he would remember me. He said there was no need to introduce myself because he never forgets who he meets. For approximately 15 minutes, I had the preeminent southern gold dealer in my clutches, and we had a very nice conversation. Remarkably, most of our conversation centered around the message boards and some of the characters who post here. I encouraged him to sign up and join the fun, but he declined. He seemed amused when he said that most of the things that I write, “only RYK seems to get”. We also talked about the CAC, his blogs, and how is business was going (very strong, I hear). At 9 AM, I bid farewell to Mr. Winter, as he entered the bourse, no doubt to engage in some wholesale activities, but perhaps not the stealth wholesaling that other dealers do.
At 9:15, I met Coinkat in the lobby. For those who have never met Coinkat, based on the way he dresses, this man would fit in better at a convention of college professors than a coin convention. Impeccably dressed in a fine tweed sport coat and slacks, complete with the requisite loafers (sans tassels), he was by far the best dressed person in the lobby. With a penchant for authoritatively removing his delicate glasses when he took a closer look at the coins that we were discussing, Coinkat certainly can be called a Compleat Numismatist, not only in the look, but also in knowledge. After getting coffee at Einstein’s (and after he raved about the medium roast Mel’s blend and highly recommended that I try it), our time together centered around a discussion of all things numismatic, such as originality, the British coins that he had, his spectacular seated coins that he showed me, and sundry other topics. It is always a pleasure to speak with Coinkat, and at 10 AM, we bid each other goodbye, as the bourse opened to the general public.
IV. It’s Showtime
Rather than make a beeline to my preferred dealers, I decided to take a stroll along the bourse, and see what caught my eye. I happened to first wander down the aisle that had John Kraljevich’s booth, and I stopped briefly and said hi. At the table was our very own Coinosaurus, and we introduced ourselves. Regrettably, for some reason I thought his nametag said “Lee A” rather than “Len A”, and I did not make the full connection until after I departed. I wish I had spent more time with him, because it is not too often that you encounter a Coinosaurus in public.
As I wandered the bourse, I was shocked at some of the things that I was seeing and hearing. I watched as one dealer brought a coin to another dealer and said, “this coin came out of the woodwork in Europe. I’d love to f--k with it and make it better, but I am not sure if I can improve it.” Incredible. At another table, one dealer was trying to entice another dealer into joining a well-managed promotion. The one dealer was telling the other dealer to “get him a minimum of 8 coins per week” of this certain type, and “I will clean them up” and sell them. He said that his technique is to give clients a glossy brochure with a picture of a coin with scratches, and then the improved coin would not have scratches and the clients would think they were getting a great deal. The dealer even boasted, “this worked incredibly well in the past!”
Even more disturbing was the little old lady on the bourse (and I mean literally a little old lady) that I saw. She had tons of Buffalo nickels and Walking Liberty half dollars that she wanted to sell. She was speaking with what I will judiciously call a “no-name dealer”. I was feigning looking at the case as the deal went down. The dealer actually had the audacity to say, “of course I would give you a good deal! You’re a little old lady!”. I was further intrigued and craned my neck to hear the offer. The nickels looked circulated, and from what I could tell, the Walkers were in the EF to low AU range. Here was the deal– 2x face. The Buffalos were purchased for 10 cents each, while the Walkers were $1 each. I am no coin dealer, and perhaps that is the market price, but I think it was a tad low. This dealer was such a goof (or perhaps he was in a frenzy over the rip), because it took him four times to calculate the purchase price on the calculator. Incredible.
Throughout the rest of the morning, I visited my favorite dealers, such as the CRO boys, saw MrEureka, Julian (who offered to call Mrs. L and tell her I was staying overnight), the book dealers, Rich Uhrich (his daughter was not there this time), and Scarsdale Coins. My wandering around the bourse took me to 11:30 AM, the appointed time to meet up with board member Dentuck.
V. Lunch and a Surprise
Board member Dentuck and I planned to meet at 11:30 and have an early lunch. Having been up since 3:40 AM, that was fine with me. I put in a call to his secret cell phone number (probably no one other than numismatic authors or titans of the publishing industry have), and got his voicemail. After leaving a message, I headed over to the Whitman display, assuming that he would be there.
Glancing over to my right, I see this guy dressed in a stunning suit. Now seeing someone in a suit at a coin show is about as unusual as finding a dealer who regularly brushes and flosses, so I knew immediately that it must be Dentuck. I was quite surprised by how young he was. For some reason, I assumed that a man of such prominence in the publishing world must be at least middle-aged. Dentuck, I assume, is probably in his early 30's, and is very eager and enthusiastic. We exchanged pleasantries, and then he hit me with a bombshell– my beloved QDB would be joining us for lunch!!!
Now this threw Longacre into a frothy frenzy. I actually said that I wish I had known in advance so I could have studied and prepared for the meeting! I had a cotton mouth as Dentuck led me to the Stack’s table. At the table, QDB was sitting there, and three of his fans were talking to him, and he was signing a few books. When he was done, Dentuck introduced me as “QDB’s #1 fan”, and QDB and I shook hands. He introduced me to Chris K from Stack’s, which was another treat. Still very nervous with the prospect of having lunch with my idol, we proceeded to walk off the bourse together. Now Longacre is sometimes easily impressed, but I felt as though this was my moment in the sun. As we walked the bourse, QDB, being the numismatic rock star that he is, causes heads to turn. Imagine how cool I felt walking side by side with this numismatic luminary down the aisle. Had Longacre been a peac8ck, my tail would have been fully fanned, as I proudly strutted with QDB through the bourse.
Because he needed to leave at 2, we decided to lunch in the lobby of the convention center. Dentuck, QDB, and I got the turkey sandwich, pickle, and chips. QDB asked for two pickles, and also got a crab cake. The guy serving the food must have known how excessively prominent QDB is because when I asked for two pickles, he said no because he would get in trouble with his boss. The tab was picked up by Whitman, which was very nice. Being the gentleman that he is, QDB gave the extra pickle to Dentuck.
As we sat at the table, QDB was seated to my right, while Dentuck was seating to my left. Looking back, I hope I did not insult Dentuck because I spend most of my time asking questions to QDB. Our discussion ran the gamut of topics, from the books that QDB wrote (and plans to write), the grading services, the CAC, history, and the business side of the hobby. I was trying to contain my excitement and not ask too many questions because QDB needed to actually eat his lunch and not just talk. As we were sitting there, the Abe Lincoln impersonator came by, and QDB seemed to really enjoy asking him historical questions (such as “how did the debate go with Stephen Douglas?”). The whole experience was surreal. Then Roger Siboni from the ANS came by, and chatted a bit. I found out some interesting tidbits about the ANS, and Roger and I sort of crossed paths professionally in the past, unbeknownst to me.
As I was talking with QDB, I referred to him as “Mr. Bowers”. With a flourish of his hand, he replied, “just call me Dave.” Again, I was thrown into a frenzy that I could actually call the world’s greatest numismatist by his first name!! I encouraged QDB to write his autobiography, and he seemed to think it was a good idea.
Toward the end of the meal, I meekly asked QDB if he would sign the Grading Coins by Photographs book that he wrote. He said sure, and he wrote a very nice inscription– “With best wishes and appreciation to [my name], from QDB, 3/27/09, Baltimore.” This was incredibly nice, and this book will hold a special place in my library.
Unfortunately, it was time to depart. I thanked QDB profusely, and he proceeded to walk away from the table. Then, like the scene out of the Coca-Cola commercial when Mean Joe Green says, “hey kid, catch”, and tosses the kid the sweaty jersey, QDB did something just as dramatic. He moved his hand to his lapel, and removed his Official 2010 Red Book Contributor lapel pin and handed it to me!!!!!!!!! This set me over the edge, and my frothy frenziness was at unprecedented levels. Dentuck said that only 125 of the pins were made, and one went to each Red Book contributor. These pins are excessively rare, and no one (and I mean no one) other than a Red Book contributor has one of these pins in his possession. For a moment, I felt as though it was numismatically illegal for me to accept this pin, but QDB insisted. It will be, by far, a cherished memento, and it is currently being displayed very prominently in my home office. It was an incredible surprise, and a treat to meet QDB, and to get such a cool gift. I thank Dentuck for arranging this lunch that I will remember forever.
VI. Post Lunch Happenings
Prior to the show, I traded some PM’s with board member Bigmoose. Bigmoose is an excessively prominent board member who collects early copper from 1794. He offered to give me one of the 1794 copper books that Al Boka wrote, which contains some of the coins in Bigmoose’s collection. For those of you who don’t know, Bigmoose is a cardiologist from Pennsylvania, and a very nice guy. He invited me to fancy dinner that evening with a bunch of very prominent copper collectors and dealers, but unfortunately I was only at the show on Friday and had to leave. He encouraged me to go to an EAC convention, which I hope to do next year. We chatted a bit more, and he signed the book for me, which was a treat. If Longacre were ever to have a coronary on the bourse, he would be delighted to drop like a sack of potatoes at the feet of the Bigmoose.
At 2 PM, I went to the PCGS table to meet fellow board members. Stopping by were Tootawl, RickMikalhaus (spelling?), Newsman, MidLifeCrisis, Tassa, and Airplanenut. We chatted for a bit. Someone else walked by, introduced himself to me as a “lurker on the boards”, and said he just wanted to shake Longacre’s hand. He introduced me to his wife as well, and said, “hey, this is Longacre!”. I was a little embarrassed.
Also walking by was some high school kid rolling a black roller bag, and he made some comment about a “freak show”. I figured his mother would probably scold him for saying that, so I did not respond.
Meeting board members is always a treat, and everyone seems really nice. Throughout the show, I seemed to keep bumping into Tootawl and Newsman. I also bumped into Tassa later in the show, as she was trying to work a deal at another dealer’s table. I was interested enough to hang around to get some insight into how these deals are negotiated, but the deal didn’t seem like it was heating up, so I wandered off.
VII. Purchases
I went back to John Kraljevich’s table to get a better look at his inventory. He has some incredible stuff. I ended up buying a 1783 Mexican 8 Reales coin which is totally original and well struck. It is the same year as the signing of the treaty of Paris, so it has some historical significance. The coin is very nice. It is not something that I would normally buy, but after speaking with John, the coin is incredibly interesting and I look forward to learning more about it. While at John’s table, some dealer came by with a coin that the other dealer knew nothing about. In about two seconds, JK determined the coin was a silver plated trinket, worth about $50. Another dealer happened by and asked JK for some advice on a coin the dealer was going to buy. JK was gracious with his free advice. I was shocked that this other dealer would buy something that he knew nothing about, but I guess that is the way things operate. I am also pleased to report that JK said he was having a successful show.
After making some other purchases of <gasp> some world currency (German notes) and some <gasp> dark side coins, I wandered over to the CRO table. At the table was Charlottedude, and he showed me two of his very nice coins, one of which was discussed on the boards. After talking some smack about board member fc
, Charlottedude need to leave to meet his wife. Later on while I was washing my hands in the bathroom, a lurker from the boards recognized me and said, “hey Longacre!”. I meet my fans in the strangest of places. We chatted a bit (outside of the bathroom), and this person is a regular customer of CRO, so I know he is not someone to be feared. After getting my picture with Abe Lincoln (which was strange; I need to check if it is posted online yet), I walked the bourse some more. The tables were stocked with tons of generic gold, which seemed to be selling. The Baltimore bourse is loaded to the gills with all kinds of coins at all price levels, and is a spectacular show. Without getting into a lot of details, I saw excessive rarities, and common coins. There is literally something for everyone at the show.
VIII. Departure
At around 5:30 PM, I left the show and took the light rail back to BWI with the hoi polloi. After a fine meal at California Tortilla, I departed Baltimore at 8:40 PM. I was back in my car by 10 PM, and rather than taking an hour to get home, I got caught in a traffic jam, and it took me two hours to get home. I arrived at the Longacre estate at 12:18 AM, which was exactly 21 hours after I left.
All in all, it was a spectacular day of numismatic immersion.
Always took candy from strangers
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)
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)
0
Comments
It's also been surprising to me how loose some of the talk is on the bourse.
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.
Pistareen sold me my first 1794 cent - I have a feeling this could lead to some excessively compulsive behavior
World Collection
British Collection
German States Collection
There is something good about being the hoi polloi, how else could you appreciate a luncheon with QDB? ......and I love those 8 reales.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
I too, enjoyed the company of Tootawl and Newsman.
Tootawl had some knee problems that seemed severe to my non-medical eye.
He left the show on Friday to rest at 4:00pm, yet came back at 4:15 because he forgot to get his PCGS graded coins.
And I quote Tootawl, "What's more important, my health or my grades?".....what a survivor!!!
I spent a good half hour with Newsman.....Charles, you are the man when it comes to world coin finds!!!!!!
Did I mention my friend airplanenut??.....this 21 year old had some of the most amazing coins fresh from the Balto bourse!!!
I also met SeaEagleCoins at Julian's table today.....great guy, great attitude!!!!
We are blessed with wonderful folks on this forum....no question!!!!!
GB
ps. I never got a chance to meet Mr. Longacre!!!!
did you learn anything at lunch?
did you convince him to join the forum?
While I would trust my heart to Big Moose, I would rather receive mouth-to-mouth with his SO.....
Just kidding, Moosey.....
To have lunch with a living legend is something to tell the
grandchildren about. Well done indeed.
Camelot
Speaking of frothy frenzies...I certainly hope you did not froth all over QDB's sandwich...
I had a wonderful day at the show today... two highlights both happened at Julian's table...
First, he offered to trade for an 18/7-D Nickel I had been trying to sell with no takers... I simply asked his opinion of the coin and why he thought no one would accept my price... he simply said he would pay my price but only on a trade... as many have said here, he is a gentleman and a pleasure to deal with... I was very pleased with the trade... after all, I got ten whole coins for one coin... not bad...
While I was picking out my choices, Julian introduced me to Goldbully... (thank you for your kind words and now it's my turn
Then again, I did not witness him in any negotiation over any gold... perhaps that is when his tough side comes out...
Got to see a few other board members... Wei (WTCG... that "silly teenager" who said something about a freak show on Friday, no doubt) and Andy Lustig ( who always looks a little lost without Aki)... Halfhunter06 (of course, I drove down and back with him) and njcoincrank (always a pleasure to see and speak with)... sorry I never made it over to see Jon/Scarsdale Coins (but I always get to see him at shows
An interesting observation... I rarely get to be in the aisles at a show as I am usually "pinned down" behind my own table... yet a funny thing happened as I walked the bourse... I found myself just walking and scanning the many coins in the cases... every so often I would get a comfortable feeling and see a good number of coins that caught my eye in a particular set of cases... I would look up and sure enough, it would be a dealer that I knew from here in NJ/NY where I set up at shows. Other than the trade with Julian, these tables are where I ended up doing my buying...
The few times I tried to strike up a conversation and perhaps some business with a dealer I did not know... either they immediately "turned off" when they realized I was a dealer or their prices turned out to be astronomical... hey, I will pay strong for the right coin(s) but some folks are just plain absurd in their sense of a coin's value... JMHO...
I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down...
Though I wasn't named by name, I guess I made an impression...Oh yeah, I was in the middle of something at 2pm on Friday so I couldn't stay for the freakshow. Darn...
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Larry at Sea Eagle, I so truly look forward to your company in Oct, and WTCG whom I have met at Mr Rick Snows table at another show, it humbles one to think of the top tier folks who congregate ( sic?) and converse on these boards.........
In other words, workin mans terms, great report
Glad you graduated from " paragraph school" , so many have not
NGC registry V-Nickel proof #6!!!!
working on proof shield nickels # 8 with a bullet!!!!
RIP "BEAR"
When will you be listing that Redbook pin on Ebay?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Check out some of my 1794 Large Cents on www.coingallery.org
<< <i>I Maybe I am unique, but I never carry anything in my pockets. These two people, however, had more junk in their pockets than I had ever seen. >>
I generally carry no more than a couple of baseball cards, a toad, and maybe a core from a golf ball.
Great report !
I've first read the forum commentary and will now use the day to read the report. It looks like the wait was worth it. Way to go Mr. Longacre!
On a side note, why is it that nobody outs the coin doctors? Fear of litigation?
Edit: I like the way you worked one of my favorite retired Steelers into the report:
<< <i>Even more disturbing was the little old lady on the bourse (and I mean literally a little old lady) that I saw. She had tons of Buffalo nickels and Walking Liberty half dollars that she wanted to sell. She was speaking with what I will judiciously call a “no-name dealer”. I was feigning looking at the case as the deal went down. The dealer actually had the audacity to say, “of course I would give you a good deal! You’re a little old lady!”. I was further intrigued and craned my neck to hear the offer. The nickels looked circulated, and from what I could tell, the Walkers were in the EF to low AU range. Here was the deal– 2x face. The Buffalos were purchased for 10 cents each, while the Walkers were $1 each. >>
Who was this dealer?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
great report!!!
I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it - Clint Eastwood
<< <i>Question about Chapter I: You neglected to include your parking spot number at the airport. What was it?
When will you be listing that Redbook pin on Ebay? >>
I parked on level 3D.
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)
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
P.S. Looking forward to Part 3 and beyond
as an aside:
Flak jackets are useful, as are kevlar helmets during "Light Rail" rides. I would suggest not using camoflage on the skin as it might attract attention.
https://acoinshop.com/ —-> https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5