Santa Clara report.
SanctionII
Posts: 12,605 ✭✭✭✭✭
Showed up at about 11:00 a.m. Stayed till about 4:40 p.m. Spent a long time at the food tables chatting with forum members. Nice to see forumites in person.
I left with more than I expected. I picked up a stunning 1929 Philly Lincoln from Charmy. It has a woodgrain appearance with blazing luster and rainbow toning. I also picked up a plum colored 1932 Philly Lincoln from her. Both are now in my Lincoln Dansco. Thanks Charmy.
I sold some unopened proof sets I picked up recently and used the money to buy a 1950 proof set in a Capital Holder. All five coins in the set have a Cameo look. The half has great mirrored fields (with hairlines, as usual) frosted obverse devices (probably not strong enough for a CAM designation though) and killer reverse frost. The quarter is lightly frosted on both sides and very nice. The dime has two sided frost and decent mirrored fields, though hazy on the reverse (maybe a dip would clean it up). The nickel has smokey haze and nice colors. The best coin is the cent. It has a killer CAM (maybe DCAM obverse) and a nice reverse (CAM).
I also picked up a 1967 SMS set with a very nice CAM cent.
Traffic seemed to be light most of the day. Talked to lots of dealers and forumites on the floor. Skyman and Carlwolforth brought some show and tell items that were great. Skyman has an 1858 half dime and silver trime that are wonderfully toned. He also showed off some of his space memorabilia items (way cool). Carl had a proof 20 Cent piece that he owned at one time, sold and recently bought a second time. It is gorgeous, with a Cameo look (he should resubmit for a second look, hopefully to receive a CAM designation) and it nicely toned.
I met Becoka and he returned to me the Capital holder containing the toned silver Roosies that he photographed so well and posted pics of in August. Nice to have the set back and am very happy that Becoka photographed them for me.
A fun way to spend a few hours on a Friday. Thanks to all who visited.
I left with more than I expected. I picked up a stunning 1929 Philly Lincoln from Charmy. It has a woodgrain appearance with blazing luster and rainbow toning. I also picked up a plum colored 1932 Philly Lincoln from her. Both are now in my Lincoln Dansco. Thanks Charmy.
I sold some unopened proof sets I picked up recently and used the money to buy a 1950 proof set in a Capital Holder. All five coins in the set have a Cameo look. The half has great mirrored fields (with hairlines, as usual) frosted obverse devices (probably not strong enough for a CAM designation though) and killer reverse frost. The quarter is lightly frosted on both sides and very nice. The dime has two sided frost and decent mirrored fields, though hazy on the reverse (maybe a dip would clean it up). The nickel has smokey haze and nice colors. The best coin is the cent. It has a killer CAM (maybe DCAM obverse) and a nice reverse (CAM).
I also picked up a 1967 SMS set with a very nice CAM cent.
Traffic seemed to be light most of the day. Talked to lots of dealers and forumites on the floor. Skyman and Carlwolforth brought some show and tell items that were great. Skyman has an 1858 half dime and silver trime that are wonderfully toned. He also showed off some of his space memorabilia items (way cool). Carl had a proof 20 Cent piece that he owned at one time, sold and recently bought a second time. It is gorgeous, with a Cameo look (he should resubmit for a second look, hopefully to receive a CAM designation) and it nicely toned.
I met Becoka and he returned to me the Capital holder containing the toned silver Roosies that he photographed so well and posted pics of in August. Nice to have the set back and am very happy that Becoka photographed them for me.
A fun way to spend a few hours on a Friday. Thanks to all who visited.
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Comments
As mentioned, show traffic was very light, with what seemed to me far more dealers than collectors. Over the past few years, this show has been poorly promoted, and attendance was disappointingly low. I did hear several dealers say that in spite of the light turnout, they individually had a decent show. Given that this used to be one of the largest shows on the West Coast, it's a little sad that it is now so diminished. Still, it was a lot of fun, and it was great to meet some forumites!
Finally, if you ever get a chance to talk with Skyman about his flown-in-space collection, avail yourself of the opportunity. It's a trip!!!
"Question your assumptions."
"Intelligence is an evolutionary adaptation."
- SantionII (I'm really glad you like those two pretty Lincolns!)
- Adamlaneus (nice to meet you)
- Becoka (great seeing you again)
-Skyman (nice seeing you too)
-19Lyds (sorry for being so quick with you, just got too much to do and so little time, thanks for being patient!)
-Tbarecca (I really enjoyed our brief chat at the lunch tables)
- CrazyHoundDog (seems like a great user name for you - and no my 1914-D is still not for sell!)
- CarlWohlforth (I'm glad I finally got to meet you)
- and of course Blue2vette (my favorite coin photographer who puts up with my sass) and
- MustangGT (anyone who likes Mustangs is all right in my book - my very first and most favorite car was a 1968 California Special that I had for 10 years).
I know there were more forum members and lurkers who stopped by but I'm so tired and my mind is drawing a blank! Any way, thank you so much for saying hi, chatting, and showing me your new purchases. I really do enjoy meeting/seeing you and hearing about your experiences at the show.
I have bought quite a bit of really neat and unusual pieces at this show. I bought some pretty Indian proofs, a lot of decent circ Indians and Lincolns, and my best purchase so far is truly one of the most fantastic errors I have ever seen. I will share photos with you all once Todd has figured out how to best photograph it. I think a few jaws will drop when they see this piece, really.
I also bought a couple really neat error Indian cents that I am sending in for grading, and I also gave Todd a bunch more coins to photo that I will post later. It's really great having Todd here doing coin photographs on site at the show. Ive been feeding him coins to have photograph both for my personal set and to add to my website for resale. His booth is one row away from me and he always looks quite busy as well, and seems to be taking in a lot of business as well.
So tomorrow (Saturday) should also be a good day, but we'll see. More later.....
The Penny Lady®
Dealers reported plenty of overall interest in collector type coins as well as bullion related issues. Some of the paper currency dealers even reported an increase in interest for paper money, a part of the numismatic marketplace that has been lagging behind for the last year or so.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Heck, when somebody else posted an observational show report from their personal perspective on the show last night which was slightly negative in tone one of the lead naysayers was quick to jump on the thead and nod in approval. Here in this thread he's conveniently nowhere to be found.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
<< <i>I also find it very interesting how those forum members who are hell bent on their crusade of convincing everybody else how negative and bleak the future of the numismatic market is always seem to be conveniently quiet when all of the sudden a positive show report thead appears.
Heck, when somebody else posted an observational show report from their personal perspective on the show last night which was slightly negative in tone one of the lead naysayers was quick to jump on the thead and nod in approval. Here in this thread he's conveniently nowhere to be found. >>
If you keep it up, I am going to send my brother-in-law to the next Santa Clara show*.
*Not only will the show be weak, the facility will probably burn down, after a fire started by an earthquake.
Edit: Oh, thanks for the reports, guys and gals.
<< <i>....Heck, when somebody else posted an observational show report from their personal perspective on the show last night which was slightly negative in tone one of the lead naysayers was quick to jump on the thead and nod in approval. Here in this thread he's conveniently nowhere to be found. >>
Wei, don't you think it's a bit unfair to refer to the "naysayer" as " Here in this thread he's conveniently nowhere to be found" when this thread started very late on a Friday night and you posted the above at 1:31 AM, PST.
I'll stay away from the naysayers side topic.
I was there from 10:30 to about 12:30 yesterday (Friday) and the place was nearly empty. I could walk up to any table and be first to talk to whomever was there. I could also walk up to about half the tables and be the only one there. There were many dealers that used to attend that no longer do, and quite a few talking about never coming back.
I picked up 3 nice 1829 dimes (JR5, JR6 and JR9) all in f+ to ef.
I wandered past the food tables to see who was there, but everyone looked scary so I thought I'd leave them be. Coin geeks can be so mean, the lousy thugs!
Sorry I didn't see/say hi to anyone there. I'm just a lone wolf kinda guy.
And yet, there are a few dealers who are doing well and seem quite happy.
I think it has alot to do with how much it costs to travel. Folks for further away seem less happy than local folks.
I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm pretty sure I heard Angel Dees say that this was their last Santa Clara show last time. But they were back this time.
I tried to do my part. I've built up much of my total collection from this show. I don't really like to travel either, so the loss of this show would be a real loss for me.
I think coin shows are really hard on many of these folks and that they don't make a whole lot of money dealing in coins. One does it out of love more than anything. I suppose I could be wrong.
Funny how many dealers have so much dead time, yet other dealers are busy-busy-busy the whole time. I don't think that Mr. Falcone had any lulls at all. He seemed to always have at least two folks sitting at the tables chatting it up.
And then there was the cross-isle rubber band wars going on between bluccphotos and brokencc coins.
Those food tables are sort of scary. It has something to do with the food.
I want to go back today for more, but I am financially up against the wall. Hmmm. Wonder what I can do about that?
<< <i>I'm pretty sure I heard Angel Dees say that this was their last Santa Clara show last time. But they were back this time. >>
I spent a long time with Andy. Bought and traded a few IHC's and wheaties. He always has great coins and is a straight shooter. Andy spent 30 minutes with me reviewing nearly 40 of my earliest wheaties. I always appreciate his counsel.
Angel Dee's is already committed to the April show. But I agree, Adam. It's a $3000-expense journey for a dealer flying in from far away and if the sales don't support it guys like Andy Skrabalak won't keep coming back.
Lance.
I avoided the temptation to buy food at the show. Some of the other persons eating show food at the food tables received my sympathy. The food did not look very good. When I got back home I had a salad with the family at Round Table.
There seemed to be a lot of gold at the show. I did not ask about prices on gold. I did not see a lot of bullion silver.
Wish I could go back today, but chores to do and empty pockets.
A big surpise will be in store for you when Charmy posts pictures of an amazing error piece she mentioned in her reply to this thread. Unfrgging believable IMHO.
SanctionII
Charmy's error is truly spectacular! I've never seen anything like it. Incredible.
<< <i>
Sorry I didn't see/say hi to anyone there. I'm just a lone wolf kinda guy. >>
Well being a lurker I have to write I am the same. I was at the show on Thursday with Gerald when it opened and it was very empty. We trolled and said hi to a lot of dealers and I watched Gerald wheel and deal and learned a lot. I laughed when Eugene and several other dealer had got In and Out delivered and Gerald ended up selling a coin for 120.00 if Eugene through in his extra burger. I got to hold my most expensive coin to date a 1870CC Double Eagle which they made me guess the price which I said 100g. I turned over the coin and it was marked 200+ I said I will have to think about it. I bought some Barber dimes but left with something worth a lot more knowledge.
If you want quality Bay Area local shows, try Fremont, Livermore, Naperdack, Concord, and San Jose. If you want quality northern CA small shows, try Modesto, Fresno, and Sacramento.
TRUTH
I saw a variety of material that interested me on the floor, but the dealers were asking quite strong prices for the coins that I was interested in. I have recently purchased a Lunar surface flown page from the Lunar Rover manual for Apollo 17, so I was a little more conscientious about prices at this show, so I didn't buy anything (well, at least yet
U.S. Type Set
<< <i>I've talked to a few dealers at the show. I have to concur that there is a negative attitude coming from many of them.
And yet, there are a few dealers who are doing well and seem quite happy.
I think it has alot to do with how much it costs to travel. Folks for further away seem less happy than local folks.
I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm pretty sure I heard Angel Dees say that this was their last Santa Clara show last time. But they were back this time.
I tried to do my part. I've built up much of my total collection from this show. I don't really like to travel either, so the loss of this show would be a real loss for me.
I think coin shows are really hard on many of these folks and that they don't make a whole lot of money dealing in coins. One does it out of love more than anything. I suppose I could be wrong.
Funny how many dealers have so much dead time, yet other dealers are busy-busy-busy the whole time. I don't think that Mr. Falcone had any lulls at all. He seemed to always have at least two folks sitting at the tables chatting it up.
And then there was the cross-isle rubber band wars going on between bluccphotos and brokencc coins.
Those food tables are sort of scary. It has something to do with the food.
I want to go back today for more, but I am financially up against the wall. Hmmm. Wonder what I can do about that? >>
Falcone is a great guy.
Nice to see charmy, wei (gave me a great tip!) bluvette & mustangGT.
Hong kong/Long Beach JUNE Table #838
MACAU
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PCGS, NGC, CCE & NCS, CGC, PSA, Auth. Dealer
<< <i>The economics are fairly simple for the Santa Clara show. If you set up or attend this show and you are from the Bay Area, your expenses are low and you can make money. If you fly in or travel many miles, this coin show rarely supports the large financial investment, so many dealers no longer attend. "etc"
TRUTH >>
Not to try to be contrarian, but there are local dealers I spoke with that are considering seriously making this the last SC show they attend. Of course, seriously considering may simply be a threat or frustration and not a real intent.
However, I can recall when I went to the show in 1999 and 2000 it was pretty well packed. It was one day shorter, tables were much more reasonable for dealers and traffic was generally deep at most tables. It seemed to be strong into the early millenia (01, 02 maybe even 03) but at some point was sold to someone that seemed to jack table prices up drastically. At that point many good dealers stopped coming, that caused many attendees to stop coming, causing more dealers to stop and they told 2 friends and they told 2 friends . . .
That's great news, as far as I'm concerned, because to lose this show would be a tremendous negative for those of us who live on Northern CA.
As previously mentioned, the best part was meeting the people who I know from here, and those who I missed, including Todd among others, I am looking forward to meeting the next time!!
My quote for the day is this: A coin show is money having fun!!!
"Question your assumptions."
"Intelligence is an evolutionary adaptation."
<< <i>The good news is that attendance today was way up fro0m yesterday, and virtually all the dealers seemed to be considerably busier.
That's great news, as far as I'm concerned, because to lose this show would be a tremendous negative for those of us who live on Northern CA.
As previously mentioned, the best part was meeting the people who I know from here, and those who I missed, including Todd among others, I am looking forward to meeting the next time!!
My quote for the day is this: A coin show is money having fun!!! >>
I heard a report you were at the tables at one point but honestly today I stood in the same spot from 11:00 to 5:30 doing photos. I had a good show but I will report more later....
If you were busy all day taking photos, who was keeping your dad out of trouble?
<< <i>Todd:
If you were busy all day taking photos, who was keeping your dad out of trouble? >>
Logan, bad decision on my part.
<< <i>And then there was the cross-isle rubber band wars going on between bluccphotos and brokencc coins.
>>
There were a lot of rubber bands wasted but I got Mike once on the nose so it was worth it.
'67 cameo cents are tough.
<< <i>Attendance was way up today.... >>
I believe I sold two coins to your father.
TRUTH
<< <i>
<< <i>Attendance was way up today.... >>
I believe I sold two coins to your father.
TRUTH >>
ANACS morgans? That was me!
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Attendance was way up today.... >>
I believe I sold two coins to your father.
TRUTH >>
ANACS morgans? That was me! >>
No, no, this was Thursday, a PCGS66 Iowa and a raw 1935 Washington quarter.
TRUTH
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Attendance was way up today.... >>
I believe I sold two coins to your father.
TRUTH >>
ANACS morgans? That was me! >>
No, no, this was Thursday, a PCGS66 Iowa and a raw 1935 Washington quarter.
Not me or my dad but maybe Glenn, aka ponyexpress8 my tablemate. I think I remember an album toned Iowa.
TRUTH >>
Blu62vette's photography service was a good additon to the show. He does a great job on his pictures, his fees are a bargain and turnaround times are fast. I gave him a few very nice coins to photograph and we'll share a few of the images on this forum in the near future.
Though I shouldn't uniformly speak for PCGS customer service, Peter at PCGS stated that there was an unexpected rush of customers on Saturday and that because of the higher than expected volume of business he and his security guy Quentin had to rush to get everything in order so they wouldn't miss their flight home. The Santa Clara show has traditionally been the slowest show of the year that PCGS sets up at and the show that the customer service reps most dread attending. At this show last year one rep suffered a mild case of food poisoning while the other had to head home a day early to deal with a medical emergency involving her youngest son.
Regarding the exodus of dealers over the last several years, it appears that the show has been losing just as many of the local (California) dealers as the guys that come in from out of state. Expenses tend to be slightly higher for those who require air travel to make it to Santa Clara but it's not to say that the dealers who are within driving distance are more likely to accept fewer sales in return for the convenience of being able to drive to the show.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
It was Todd's table mate (me) that bought the Iowa and 35 quarter.
As Todd reported today was very busy, by far the busiest day on the bourse.
It's interesting the perspectives here and there regarding this show. Some observations:
- Cutting back a day seems appropriate with Thursday afternoon setup and a Friday- mid day Sunday format a positive. Setting up Wednesday afternoon clear through Sunday early afternoon is just too long for any show except maybe FUN and the ANA.
- The early departures of dealers today (Saturday) were far less then last week in Baltimore. Those that left early today didn't leave until after 3:00 that I saw while in Baltimore some of the largest dealers were packed up and gone by 11 AM.
- Having the show start the Wednesday afternoon immediately after Baltimore makes no sense. It was announced that next year there would be at least 2 or 3 weeks between Baltimore and Santa Clara. This will help those traveling greater distances.
- PCGS left just after 1:00 PM today but that is about the same as usual. NGC didn't show at all which is sad but it may have something to do with the tight turnaround from Baltimore. Onsite grading would help this show.
- The economy is still a factor but at shows there seems to be steady improvement since September. My West Coast shows which had been very weak the first half of the year with the exception of the Portland Spring ANA which was exceptional and probably the best show of the year, while the East Coast shows were good in the earlier part of the year but haven't shown improvement for dealers I talk to recently.
- I had a good Baltimore show but if you weren't a mega dealer in gold, then Baltimore was just a C+ show and not quite what was hoped for by most dealers. On the other hand Santa Clara has been a surprise for a lot of dealers. Like I stated I had a good show in Baltimore, but i have done 2X this week in Santa Clara what I did in Baltimore. I have been scratching my head as to why and don't have all the answers yet. But whatever it is I am just going to enjoy it as from show to show it's pretty hard to figure out why they can be so different.
- Advertising does pay. A concerted and focused marketing effort to get the word out, spending some money on advertising, updating the website regularly, etc. would go a long way to getting turnout and rebuilding this show. There is a good collector base in Northern California and good promotion with well thought out scheduling will go a long way to getting this show turned around.
It was great to meet many of you at the show and I had a blast sharing the corner with Todd and seeing some of the coins being photographed. Todd was pretty worked over by the end of the day. LOL. Even if I had to duck a lot of flying objects.
Glenn
Website-Americana Rare Coin Inc
The show is always nice for me because it is only 40 minutes away. I got a coin imaged by Todd and bought a few coins throughout (nothing pricey) but there is one coin I MUST buy... (And I can't say what coin or who had it until I own it)
Anyhow... I would have stayed longer if I had more dinero. Maybe next show!
1. Onsite grading does indeed boost attendance.
2. An auction, particularly one with fresh material, generates more interest in a show. (Didn't Superior previously run an auction in conjunction with the Santa Clara shows?)
3. With the increased number of shows, there seems to be a greater number of choices for dealers and a trend toward dealers staying in their own region, rather than travel long distances to attend some of the non-major shows.
<< <i>Two comments about shows, in general, that are germane to the discussion of the Santa Clara show (which I did not attend):
1. Onsite grading does indeed boost attendance.
2. An auction, particularly one with fresh material, generates more interest in a show. (Didn't Superior previously run an auction in conjunction with the Santa Clara shows?)
3. With the increased number of shows, there seems to be a greater number of choices for dealers and a trend toward dealers staying in their own region, rather than travel long distances to attend some of the non-major shows. >>
Onsite grading can help boost attendance of dealers, especially the crackout dealers, but isn't a major factor in bolstering public attendance.
A live auction is a positive addition to any coin show, but those auctions need to carry some premium, fresh material that people will look forward to bidding on instead of recycled wholesale inventory that is unattractive and unappealing. Years ago the official auctioneer for Santa Clara was Heritage, then that concession transferred to Superior. Superior operated the auctions for several years until last year when they decided to close their auction division and subsequently cancelled their last Santa Clara auction on two days notice.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
And yes, I can't wait to show you all this most amazing error I think I've ever seen. Todd took photos so I'm just waiting for him to let me know when it's ready. I think most of you will be truly amazed at this piece.
It was a lot of fun having Todd (and Roger and Glenn) just up the aisle from me, and I'm really sorry I missed the rubberband wars on Friday - I must have been too busy with real customers (or at least forum members) (he he he) (by the way, there was lots of "evidence" of this little war strewn all over the their booth). However, I'm sure with some nice big strong rubberbands, I could have launched some good missile attacks from my table over to theirs! In any event, I'm not really sure how Todd found the time to engage in rb wars when I thought I was keeping him quite busy all by myself with all my new purchases! I think at one point I was bringing new coins over to him about every hour! I can tell you, even aside from the business I was giving Todd, and other than the rb wars, he sure was busy most of the show. I think he will be filling a nice little niche that is long overdue! I believe he will also be setting up at Long Beach in June, so any of you who are attending that show, be sure to bring some of your coins for him to shoot - you will not be disappointed!
By the way, Logan's table is right next to mine, so I had to keep an eye on Roger whenever he came over to fill in for Logan! Well, it was more like, I got to be his whipping girl whenever he was there! Roger (and Todd) sure have sharp witted tongues that they practiced on me every chance they got (guess I made it easy for them)! They kept assuring me they wouldn't be having so much fun at my expense unless they really liked me......
The show turned out to be quite successful for most of the dealers I talked to, and for me, though I was pounding the pavement this morning trying to sell more coins just so I could afford that awesome error I bought. I ended up selling about $3,500 this morning, which is very unusual for me for a Sunday! I did buy some other really neat Indian cent errors that I will be posting in the next couple weeks as well. I am also getting into Conder tokens which I find very fascinating. I found a couple beautiful ones in Baltimore and some more in Santa Clara, so I will be posting some of those soon too. I have ordered Conder's book and can't wait to read it to learn more about these neat tokens.
As packed and busy as Saturday was, of course, Sunday was the opposite. It was pretty much a ghost town and the consensus among all of the dealers I spoke with is they would have preferred Expos Unlimited cancel Sunday instead of Thursday as a show day (keeping Wednesday as set up day). We're all very glad that Expos shortened the show by a day, but Expos told me the majority of the dealers voted to keep Sunday instead of Thursday, however, we are all scratching our heads as to who actually voted to do it this way. Oh well, we will just have to wait and see how it plays out.
I personally like the Santa Clara show and enjoy being in Northern California for a few days. The show has always ended up being very good for me, I've been able to buy some great coins, and it especially gives me an opportunity to see all my NoCal friends, have some good food, and (as usual) play some poker at the local casinos! At this show, I had my son Troy with me who was a super great help! He is great at all the heavy lifting and knows how to set up and tear down my booth. Neither of my regular booth buddies could make it, so having Troy there made all the difference. It even allowed me to run around and do some shopping at the show, which is usually hard for me to get away from my table when I'm by myself. Plus, Troy likes playing poker too!
Any way, again, it was great seeing and talking with so many forum members at this show and to hear about all their new purchases and experiences. It's especially fun seeing all the different coins and interests of the various members. I look forward to seeing more of you at the FUN show in January - and I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!
The Penny Lady®
Edited to add:
Ya got a killer 16' matte!