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Philadelphia coin show report
66RB
Posts: 2,516 ✭✭✭
Upon learning of the Philadelphia Whitman coin show a few months ago, I knew I needed to go to this show, as it is a mere two hours from where I live. I would really like for this show to be a success, so in anticipation of spending some dollars at this show I sold a few coins on the BST over the last few weeks so as to go to the show with a good bit of spending money.
I awoke around 7:30, a little later than what I had planned, but still within reason to get to the opening of the show. I had (foolishly, I learned) printed out directions from Google maps, and as I drove I realized they were the most asinine directions as they totally mislead me.
Not to worry, as I stopped at a few gas stations to get the correct directions to go over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge directly into Philadelphia. I found a parking lot to park in 1 block away from the convention center and walked inside.
Upon entering the bourse, my first impression was that it was well-lit, had flashy red carpeting, and seemed to be well laid out. It did not seem to be as expansive as the Baltimore show is. I started to make my way over to the left side of the room to get a look in every case to look for Lincoln cents, as I always do. I saw a neat looking 1926-D in a new ANACS 62RB holder that was very sharp and very reasonably priced, but I passed on it as it was the very first coin I saw and I already have what I consider to be a nicer one in a PCGS 65RB holder. I contined to make my way around the room and there was very little to see in early gem Lincoln cents, preferably in RB so as to keep the price down. After three rows of coming up empty, I got out my floorplan to see where Angel Dee's was located.
So I walked over to where Andy had set up, and who was getting up as I approached but the ultimate aficionado of Lincoln cents, Mr. Stewart Blay! Let me tell you, it was such an honor to have the opportunity to meet Stewart, and while it wasn't a very long meeting, I did appreciate the few minutes I was able to have some small talk with him. I told him that I had sent him a pm a few months ago about possibly obtaining one of the catalogs that PCGS had produced for the displaying of his collection, and he had remembered me from that brief exchange. I told him that PCGS was gracious enough to send one to me free of charge and it really made my day. The only disappointing thing was that I didn't have it with me for him to autograph, like that 'copper weenie' Goldbully(Goldbully
) had been able to do
Andy and Alynne always have a fabulous selection of Lincoln cents and Indian cents, and today was no exception. The Matteheads would have been in Longacresque frothy frenzies as he had nearly ever matte proof available, including a VDB in PCGS 65RD! I also got to hold the pop 2/0 1925-D in PCGS 66RD and it was simply a gorgeous coin. Later on in the day when I had returned to Andy's table I also got to meet the proprietor of the Thomas Irwin collection, how about that! Two of the top Lincoln cent collectors in one afternoon, it couldn't get much better than that.
After I initially left Andy's table, I went back to where I had left off to continue up and down the rows. Again, there really wasn't much that caught my eye. I ended up at a gentleman's table who had an array of rare minerals and fossils, very cool and interesting stuff! He hade a bunch of Megalodon teeth, rare pieces of fluorite, raw ruby stones, opals, etc. I have a small collection of geodes at home and I have been looking for a nice piece of citrine, which I was finally able to buy at this gentleman's table. I moved just in time as another customer told me he was just about to buy it as I was hesitating on it. In talking with the man behind the table he told me he goes all ove the world to find these pieces himself, and that quite a few pieces come from northern Pakistand, which is a bit tough to get into these days, and darn near impossible to take anything out of. It was very hard for him to replace the stuff he was now selling. I do look forward to seeing him at the Baltimore show to see what other neat items he might have by then.
After I left there I continued down the aisle and there was a gentleman selling meteorites, Libyan(?) desert glass, and also a huge piece of amber complete with encased insects that was bellieved to be around 5 million years old. I remarked that that was the biggest piece of amber I had ever seen and sat down to talk with this man. I told him that I always wanted a meteorite and asked him the price range. Surprisingly, they can be had for as little as $40. Not surprisingly, the one I really liked was much more than that! After handling the meteorites I asked about the desert glass, and I think I might have been influenced by the weights of the meteorites as the desert glass seemed very light in weight. The gentleman manning this table informed me that this was considered a precious gem in it's native land, and that it was formed when grains of sand fused together from a large meteor impact. It was a light translucent green and very attractive, if not a bit pricey.
I then saw Mr. Abraham Lincoln accepting people to have their photos taken with him. On seeing my nametag he asked me if it was short for Robert, to which I replied Yes. He then informed me that his eldest son was named Robert and that he never lived up to his expectations. I was impressed with how he really immersed himself into the role. I had two pictures taken with him, but unfortunately I can't seem to find them on the Whitman site.
I did see a gorgeous 1919 PCGS MS66RD Lincoln cent in an OGH with a greenbean on it, but every time I went to the table there was no one manning the table. I went back for the fourth time and finally the dealer was at his table. I asked to see the coin and it was a beautiful roll toned piece, but the price was just too strong for me to really consider it. Funny thing, while I was at this table, a gentleman walked up and was patiently waiting for me to finish. I glanced over and thought I recognized him. So I asked him, "Haven't I seen your picture somewhere before?" He told me it was possible, he wasn't sure. I told him I was on the PCGS forums and I could have sworn I saw his picture of him holding a magnifying glass. This turned out to be Mr. Ira Stein, and the 'famous' photo is of him looking at a lucite toilet seat with coins in it using a big magnifying glass. We both had a good laugh about it as it is a pretty funny picture, and Ira was a very nice person to talk to. It was a real pleasure to finally be able to meet him.
I did see forum favorite John Kralkevich of JK Americana, and as I was walking by he was wiping his glass display cases down with windex. I couldn't help myself to stop by and ask if Longacre had just been there in a frothy frenzy, and we both had a little laugh over it. Of course I also stopped and said Hi to, I think it was Dave of CoinRaritiesOnline, another forum favorite. Both of these dealer are very cordial and friendly, and I suppose that is why they have such a following here. I'm sure their stunning inventory doesn't hurt either
One last thing I did was renew my PCGS membership at the silver level. I usually do the platinum level, but I just don't think I will find eight coins to submit which is a big benefit of the platinum level. As it is, with the silver level you still get four free submissions in the way of the quarterly special, and I submitted my 1956 NGC MS67RB Lincoln for a cross at a minimum of 66BN. I also stopped by the Teletrade table and consigned about thirteen coins to be auctioned off. They have a good deal right now for half off of seller's fees through the end of September. Irma was very helpful in getting the paperwork filled out for me and I enjoyed being able to talk with her for a few minutes.
So that was about it for me. I asked the dealers how the show was going for them and most said that Thursday seemed to be busier than Friday, with quite a few commenting that this was the Friday doldrums, with many hoping it would be busier on Saturday. I hope it is and I'm sure it will be as not many people have the luxury of being able to attend during the week. Unfortunately, I was only able to find one coin to buy and it is a downgrade for me. It is a PCGS MS66 1943-S Lincoln cent that is icy blue and pretty nice looking. I actually have a nearly prooflike MS67 now, but I couldn't resist this one as you very rarely see them toned.
Took me the same amount of time to get home due to the heavy Friday traffic, and I was wiped out by the time I got home. All in all, I had a great time and got to see and meet some great people, which is probably the biggest benefit of attending these big coin shows.
Thanks for reading my report!
Rob
I awoke around 7:30, a little later than what I had planned, but still within reason to get to the opening of the show. I had (foolishly, I learned) printed out directions from Google maps, and as I drove I realized they were the most asinine directions as they totally mislead me.
Not to worry, as I stopped at a few gas stations to get the correct directions to go over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge directly into Philadelphia. I found a parking lot to park in 1 block away from the convention center and walked inside.Upon entering the bourse, my first impression was that it was well-lit, had flashy red carpeting, and seemed to be well laid out. It did not seem to be as expansive as the Baltimore show is. I started to make my way over to the left side of the room to get a look in every case to look for Lincoln cents, as I always do. I saw a neat looking 1926-D in a new ANACS 62RB holder that was very sharp and very reasonably priced, but I passed on it as it was the very first coin I saw and I already have what I consider to be a nicer one in a PCGS 65RB holder. I contined to make my way around the room and there was very little to see in early gem Lincoln cents, preferably in RB so as to keep the price down. After three rows of coming up empty, I got out my floorplan to see where Angel Dee's was located.
So I walked over to where Andy had set up, and who was getting up as I approached but the ultimate aficionado of Lincoln cents, Mr. Stewart Blay! Let me tell you, it was such an honor to have the opportunity to meet Stewart, and while it wasn't a very long meeting, I did appreciate the few minutes I was able to have some small talk with him. I told him that I had sent him a pm a few months ago about possibly obtaining one of the catalogs that PCGS had produced for the displaying of his collection, and he had remembered me from that brief exchange. I told him that PCGS was gracious enough to send one to me free of charge and it really made my day. The only disappointing thing was that I didn't have it with me for him to autograph, like that 'copper weenie' Goldbully(Goldbully
) had been able to doAndy and Alynne always have a fabulous selection of Lincoln cents and Indian cents, and today was no exception. The Matteheads would have been in Longacresque frothy frenzies as he had nearly ever matte proof available, including a VDB in PCGS 65RD! I also got to hold the pop 2/0 1925-D in PCGS 66RD and it was simply a gorgeous coin. Later on in the day when I had returned to Andy's table I also got to meet the proprietor of the Thomas Irwin collection, how about that! Two of the top Lincoln cent collectors in one afternoon, it couldn't get much better than that.
After I initially left Andy's table, I went back to where I had left off to continue up and down the rows. Again, there really wasn't much that caught my eye. I ended up at a gentleman's table who had an array of rare minerals and fossils, very cool and interesting stuff! He hade a bunch of Megalodon teeth, rare pieces of fluorite, raw ruby stones, opals, etc. I have a small collection of geodes at home and I have been looking for a nice piece of citrine, which I was finally able to buy at this gentleman's table. I moved just in time as another customer told me he was just about to buy it as I was hesitating on it. In talking with the man behind the table he told me he goes all ove the world to find these pieces himself, and that quite a few pieces come from northern Pakistand, which is a bit tough to get into these days, and darn near impossible to take anything out of. It was very hard for him to replace the stuff he was now selling. I do look forward to seeing him at the Baltimore show to see what other neat items he might have by then.
After I left there I continued down the aisle and there was a gentleman selling meteorites, Libyan(?) desert glass, and also a huge piece of amber complete with encased insects that was bellieved to be around 5 million years old. I remarked that that was the biggest piece of amber I had ever seen and sat down to talk with this man. I told him that I always wanted a meteorite and asked him the price range. Surprisingly, they can be had for as little as $40. Not surprisingly, the one I really liked was much more than that! After handling the meteorites I asked about the desert glass, and I think I might have been influenced by the weights of the meteorites as the desert glass seemed very light in weight. The gentleman manning this table informed me that this was considered a precious gem in it's native land, and that it was formed when grains of sand fused together from a large meteor impact. It was a light translucent green and very attractive, if not a bit pricey.
I then saw Mr. Abraham Lincoln accepting people to have their photos taken with him. On seeing my nametag he asked me if it was short for Robert, to which I replied Yes. He then informed me that his eldest son was named Robert and that he never lived up to his expectations. I was impressed with how he really immersed himself into the role. I had two pictures taken with him, but unfortunately I can't seem to find them on the Whitman site.
I did see a gorgeous 1919 PCGS MS66RD Lincoln cent in an OGH with a greenbean on it, but every time I went to the table there was no one manning the table. I went back for the fourth time and finally the dealer was at his table. I asked to see the coin and it was a beautiful roll toned piece, but the price was just too strong for me to really consider it. Funny thing, while I was at this table, a gentleman walked up and was patiently waiting for me to finish. I glanced over and thought I recognized him. So I asked him, "Haven't I seen your picture somewhere before?" He told me it was possible, he wasn't sure. I told him I was on the PCGS forums and I could have sworn I saw his picture of him holding a magnifying glass. This turned out to be Mr. Ira Stein, and the 'famous' photo is of him looking at a lucite toilet seat with coins in it using a big magnifying glass. We both had a good laugh about it as it is a pretty funny picture, and Ira was a very nice person to talk to. It was a real pleasure to finally be able to meet him.
I did see forum favorite John Kralkevich of JK Americana, and as I was walking by he was wiping his glass display cases down with windex. I couldn't help myself to stop by and ask if Longacre had just been there in a frothy frenzy, and we both had a little laugh over it. Of course I also stopped and said Hi to, I think it was Dave of CoinRaritiesOnline, another forum favorite. Both of these dealer are very cordial and friendly, and I suppose that is why they have such a following here. I'm sure their stunning inventory doesn't hurt either
One last thing I did was renew my PCGS membership at the silver level. I usually do the platinum level, but I just don't think I will find eight coins to submit which is a big benefit of the platinum level. As it is, with the silver level you still get four free submissions in the way of the quarterly special, and I submitted my 1956 NGC MS67RB Lincoln for a cross at a minimum of 66BN. I also stopped by the Teletrade table and consigned about thirteen coins to be auctioned off. They have a good deal right now for half off of seller's fees through the end of September. Irma was very helpful in getting the paperwork filled out for me and I enjoyed being able to talk with her for a few minutes.
So that was about it for me. I asked the dealers how the show was going for them and most said that Thursday seemed to be busier than Friday, with quite a few commenting that this was the Friday doldrums, with many hoping it would be busier on Saturday. I hope it is and I'm sure it will be as not many people have the luxury of being able to attend during the week. Unfortunately, I was only able to find one coin to buy and it is a downgrade for me. It is a PCGS MS66 1943-S Lincoln cent that is icy blue and pretty nice looking. I actually have a nearly prooflike MS67 now, but I couldn't resist this one as you very rarely see them toned.
Took me the same amount of time to get home due to the heavy Friday traffic, and I was wiped out by the time I got home. All in all, I had a great time and got to see and meet some great people, which is probably the biggest benefit of attending these big coin shows.
Thanks for reading my report!
Rob
0
Comments
Dan
I was also at the show yesterday afternoon and had the opportunity to meet Andy and Alynne for the first time. These folks are a class act all the way and genuinely good people. We chatted it up for a while and Andy showed me the toned Buffalo nickel set that he is working on. Some of the most colorful high-grade toners that I've ever seen...67*, 68*, etc. I asked Andy if Stewart Blay was "in the house" and he replied yes. Shortly thereafter Andy looks out into the Bourse and says "Stewart, somebody over here wants to meet you"! Yowzer, my copper idol in the flesh! Stewart came over and Andy introduced me....my life is now complete! Mr. Blay was an absolute gentleman and we had a brief discussion about the sub-par quality of 1954 cents. Andy and Stewart than proceeded to tell me the "story" behind some high-grade 1954's they came across some time ago. I ended up spending at least an hour at Andy's table. What a selection of high-grade copper this man has. Truly spectacular. His Buffalo Nickels and other coins are equally as nice (imho). I ended up buying a 1913 Type 1 Nickel from Andy and then we parted company.
Thought you would be interested in my Angel Dee's visit, especially considering we both got introduced to Stewart under very similar circumstances!
Collector of Early 20th Century U.S. Coinage.
ANA Member R-3147111
Lincoln set Colorless Set
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
<< <i>Great report ...so how crowded (or not) was the bourse......? >>
Thanks for the reports, guys. I was there on Thurs from 11am-5pm. The floor was not particularly crowded, but there was a steady flow of collectors throughout the day. Many of the popular dealers always had one or two people at their tables, so I had to pass by a few times before I got a seat. I would describe it as a very comfortable show. Not too many people, but enough. Nice, tidy environment and layout. Friendly attitudes from most of the dealers, great conversations with others. A very pleasant experience overall.
A few incidents of people with all of their stuff spread out over the cases and, quite frankly, if I have to go back two or three times to try and look and they're still there, I'm just not going to make the effort to go back again. Too many other dealers who might have something I want and are willing to move it along with their 'tablesquatters'.
Lincoln set Colorless Set
<< <i>Pete, sorry we missed each other at the show, it would have been a pleasure to meet you in addition to everyone else I was able to meet. I suppose there's always the Baltimore show and Coinfest
Yeah Rob, I should have pm'd you. With my work schedule I really didn't know which day I'd be able to break free. This was my first "big-time" coin show since I re-emerged into coins back in late 2003. In retrospect, I should have been going to these shows long ago as the variety, selection and specialist dealers all in one place is simply unbeatable. Now that the East Coast is back as a major player, I'll hit two shows a year - Philly in the Fall and Baltimore in the Spring.
Given the economy and tough times for the middle of the road collectors, there was definitely a buzz on the bourse when I was there.
Collector of Early 20th Century U.S. Coinage.
ANA Member R-3147111
About your Lincoln photo, it will be on the Whitman website in several weeks. I think my photo taken at the Spritn Baltimore show did not show up unti 4 to 6 weeks after the show.
I was kinda surprised that Whitman did not arrange a tour of the US Mint. It was less than a 10 minute walk down Arch Street.
Next time you see Stewart, tell him Tootawl sent ya!
While I couldn't be there your report almost made me feel like I was!
We have learned long ago not to trust Google Maps...they send you down roads that don't exist!
<< <i>I was kinda surprised that Whitman did not arrange a tour of the US Mint. It was less than a 10 minute walk down Arch Street.
Next time you see Stewart, tell him Tootawl sent ya! >>
They would've had to alter the Mint's normal hours - it's generally closed on weekends, I think.
56' please, can't believe you go holding out on your brothers.
Jeff
<< <i>Need to see coin, need to see coin, need to see coin .
56' please, can't believe you go holding out on your brothers.
Jeff >>
woops, sorry Jeff!
I always like to be safe rather than sorry, which is why I specified BN. The obverse luster is blinding, the reverse is a bit weak, so I think MS66 is a safe bet
Lincoln set Colorless Set
Not that people generally care about high grade colorful lincolns but I think it'll have to go 66RB as long as that area of the reverse is a "red", and not brown. The grading Reminds me of the PCGS 66BN 57'D I have with the big obverse color, and where the reverse literally has either delaminated areas or areas where direct contact with the paper somehow "burned" the copper. NGC has always been easy one coins where the planchet flaws show through by a weak O because the copper got sucked into the shoulder/coat area, but PCGS is not nearly as lenient.