What types of people went to coin shows in the 60s, 70s, and 80s?

collegecoincollector · July 1, 2010 1:23PM

As a YN I've always wondered about this. Was it the same thing as the usual crowds we see today? Or was it filled with hippies, surfers, rock n' rollers, young people, women, etc?

I'm sure there are some good stories to tell here.

Justacommeman · July 1, 2010 1:26PM

The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ

crazyhounddog · July 1, 2010 1:31PM

I was one of those folks...It's the same crowd, but the coins were all raw. Some folks on this board would have a very hard time with this problem

Sonorandesertrat · July 1, 2010 1:36PM

<< The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ >>

Ain't that the truth!

In the 60's and early 70's, when I was a kid, I went to coin shows with my paternal grandmother, who was a coin collector. One of the shows
in the later 60's was an ANA convention held in Miami Beach, FL. I bought two British sovereigns from Dave Bowers. A couple of years ago, while
visiting relatives in south Florida, I went to the Gables Coin and Stamp Shop in Coral Gables, FL. The owner, John Albright, was still in business, and
he remembered my grandmother and that she occasionally brought her grandson (me) with her when she went to his shop.

Broadstruck · July 1, 2010 1:37PM

AuroraBorealis · July 1, 2010 1:38PM

Wow if we only knew back then what we know now...

To this day i have never been to one but look forward to my first time...

AB

collegecoincollector · July 1, 2010 1:38PM

<< 

<< The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ >>

Ain't that the truth!

In the 60's and early 70's, when I was a kid, I went to coin shows with my paternal grandmother, who was a coin collector. One of the shows
in the later 60's was an ANA convention held in Miami Beach, FL. I bought two British sovereigns from Dave Bowers. A couple of years ago, while
visiting relatives in south Florida, I went to the Gables Coin and Stamp Shop in Coral Gables, FL. The owner, John Albright, was still in business, and
he remembered my grandmother and that she occasionally brought her grandson (me) with her when she went to his shop. >>

pheh · July 1, 2010 1:51PM

<< The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ >>

Older with more padding I agree with. Grumpier... well... truth be told a lot of the guys I grew up around have mellowed significantly. They've gotten too old, and for some more wizened, to go batsh*tcrazy at people anymore.

Justacommeman · July 1, 2010 1:55PM

<< 

<< The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ >>

Older with more padding I agree with. Grumpier... well... truth be told a lot of the guys I grew up around have mellowed significantly. They've gotten too old, and for some more wizened, to go batsh*tcrazy at people anymore. >>

Ok. Scratch grumpy. We will go with less hair instead

MJ

Sonorandesertrat · July 1, 2010 1:55PM

Older and mellower, eh? That explains why Bear is becoming referred to as 'Boo-Boo'.

ProofArtworkonCircs · July 1, 2010 2:49PM

<<As a YN I've always wondered about this. Was it the same thing as the usual crowds we see today? Or was it filled with hippies, surfers, rock n' rollers, young people, women, etc?>>

THe nearest thing I ever saw to a hippie was Walter Breen walking the floor in full beard and shorts. Everybody seemed to recognize him.

melvin289 · July 1, 2010 3:10PM

The first coin show I remeber attending was put on by the local coin club. This was in 1967 or 68. I was one of the younger ones there at maybe 19 or 20 years old. Most of the people were old. I would say 40 and up. Of course 40 is young to me now but how time changes things. I don't remember any women attending unless they were with a dealer. I am guessing most of those people have gone to their reward by now or would be in their 80's. It always makes me wonder what happened to their collections. I got to know some of the people and what they collected. Very few, if any, brought grand children or their children with them. It's like I wonder sometimes what happened to my grandparents stuff. I used to visit and they had a house full of belongings and I have no idea where those things got to.

Ron

droopyd · July 1, 2010 3:12PM

<< Wow if we only knew back then what we know now...

>>

We get too soon old and too late smart.

PQpeace · July 1, 2010 3:40PM

I started going to shows at 9 years old.
That was in 1963.
There were so many shows in the Los Angeles area back then,I could find just about anything I was looking for.
I did 3 things back then..collected coins while working in a coin shop,practiced the trumpet,and played sports.

The good old days

Larry

Overdate · July 1, 2010 4:01PM

<< Wow if we only knew back then what we know now...

>>

For a while in the '60's, a couple of 1950-D nickels would get you a roll of BU Morgans and some change.

chumley · July 1, 2010 4:11PM

so Larry...did you make a career out of that trumpet

PQpeace · July 1, 2010 6:27PM

I stopped playing the trumpet in about 1983..did mostly jazz,but classical also.
I still have 7-8 horns,and someday when I get time,I may try it again.
Not enough time in the day..

DoubleEagle59 · July 1, 2010 7:30PM

I'll tell you one thing about coin shows in the '70's......you couldn't find a toned coin in the whole room!!

Brilliant shining white was the desired state of coinage and any color was frowned upon.

That's the way it was here in Canada, I'd assume it was similar in the US.

SeaEagleCoins · July 1, 2010 8:15PM

<< 

<< Wow if we only knew back then what we know now...

>>

We get too soon old and too late smart. >>

Ah yes... youth is wasted on the young...

BillJones · July 1, 2010 11:03PM

<< The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ >>

Also they used to smoke cigars. I enjoyed going to big coin shows in New York City so much that for a short while I began to associate cigar smoke with something pleasurable. Today I can't stand the stuff.

johnny9434 · July 1, 2010 11:50PM

i remember going to some coin shows back in the 60s with my uncle. most of the dealers passed on or have looooong sinse retired. i still keep in touch with some from the 70s and its still good to see them

it was a bit different then and i cherish the memories as well

FredWeinberg · July 2, 2010 12:08AM

There were always a few 'hard asset' freaks
at shows, buying up whatever bullion was
legal at the time (before 1973/74).

LanLord · July 2, 2010 12:21AM

when I was about 10 or 11 I talked my dad into taking me to a show that was being held at a local junior college in Santa Ana. That was around 1970 or so (if my memory serves me right).

I recall it being a fairly large event (something like an ANA show, but I don't know what the sponsoring group was - what did that matter to a kid?).

I remember walking around looking at all the tables, participating in the auction (I bought a 1804 half cent that had seen better days) and just being amazed at all the hoopla going on. It seems to me there was also a great presentation of coins there with many rarities and such.

All in all, it seemed much like shows today.

OKbustchaser · July 2, 2010 1:16AM

Pretty much the same thing as today...90 percent of the attendees were 40+ white males who all wondered if anyone in the younger generation would continue the hobby.

The major differences were that the coins were all raw, of course. You were expected to actually know something about what you were buying instead of simply how to read a label. The other was that the coins were all nicely shined up and glowing. If a person did happen to find a coin that hadn't been dipped then the dealer would do so for him right there at the table.

MICHAELDIXON · July 2, 2010 1:23AM

Same type of people as today. The major difference is back then, they were "battle hardened veterans" of the shows. They knew how to argue grade and price with the best of them. I remember "Crazy Harry" always coming to the shows with a stack of coins in 2 X 2 holders, with the grade marked in purple ink, everything MS65 and priced at Redbook prices. I was the first one he came to see, because I could get his blood flowing by telling him how overgraded and overpriced his stuff was. Oh, the good old days!

Sonorandesertrat · July 2, 2010 1:38AM

"The other was that the coins were all nicely shined up and glowing. If a person did happen to find a coin that hadn't been dipped then the dealer would do so for him right there at the table."

Yep---very few people wanted toned coins. Whizzed and polished coins were far more commonly seen in dealer inventories too.
Today, price guides are only a starting point in determining the value of a coin. In 1970 or so, the Red Book (and maybe information
in Coin World) was all that most collectors had access to as far as price determination went. Far fewer collectors participated in
coin auctions, with the result that dealers frequently got coins for what amounted to wholesale values. Today, many auctions
yield prices that approach or even greatly exceed retail values, making it far more difficult for dealers to obtain fresh inventory items
from auctions (because of collector competition). The dramatic increases in many coin prices has also resulted in the appearance of
'new' grades---this is even happening today, with the recent appearance of + grades (these new grades are always rooted in money).

The really notable differences between the hobby today and back then are the appearance of third-party grading firms (which undercut some
abusive dealers) and the rise of the internet (providing collectors with LOTS of useful information, including more access to coin prices and
collector tips). Slabbed coins attracted interest from Wall Street types, who frequently got burned, especially when it became apparent (via
published population numbers) that many 'investor' coins were actually quite common.

However, the 'types' of people who are collecting today and were collecting back then haven't changed much, IMO.

RWB · July 2, 2010 3:20AM

During the 1960’s and 70’s coin collectors were very different from today’s hobbyists. The most obvious difference was age. Back then, nearly all collectors were young, with full heads of hair carefully managed with Brylcreem. Except for a few genuine old timers, the oldest collectors were 40-year olds who fought in WW-II as Colonels, Commanders, Generals and Admirals. These folks were cultured and world-wise having spent their 20’s as flying aces, code breakers, tank commanders and carrier captains.

The coin shows were very large. Some were held at baseball stadiums in order to accommodate the crowds. I recall one bourse where collectors had to take numbers and sit in the bleachers until their number was called to get into the bourse area. One major show was held in New York each year during the World Series – it consistency drew more fans than any Yankee series game.

Dealers were nattily dressed and it was not uncommon to see a booth manned by Brooks Brothers clothiers who spent much of their time taking custom business suit orders and accessorizing the crowds of dealers. Walter Breen was well known for his sartorial splendor and was never seen without a freshly pressed suit, silk French cuff white shirt, platinum cuff links and a fresh red carnation pinned to his jacket lapel. A shoe shine stand was a common sight, also.

Coins were displayed in attractive vertical cases with excellent lighting. The rarest coins were accompanied by extensive pedigree and historical discussions prepared by the best researcher minds in the hobby. Collectors selected coins, examined them at their leisure, and then paid for the purchase or replaced it in the case. In the center of most coin bourse floor plans was an extensive free research library staffed with series specialists and experts for American, world and ancient coins.

There were no security people with unloaded guns at the entrance. Dealers and collectors commonly left rare coins on tables or passed them around to others with no fear of loss. One major old time dealer was known for taking a 2 hour lunch break. During that time, he left his cases open and put up a small sign stating that everything was on the honor system, and to leave payment in the case.

Shows opened early – 6am was typical – followed by a buffet breakfast served at 8am in the main concourse of the show venue. This was usually free to all dealers and show attendees. One year, I think it was 1964, there was a huge scandal when one show organizer attempted to charge 50-cents for breakfast. As word spread, every dealer closed his table and nearly all the collectors joined them in a protest march outside the big armory where the show was held. The promoter quickly capitulated. At 1pm, the show promoters had luncheon served to the dealers at their tables. The food was from the best of the city’s caterers and was accompanied by a selection of estate wines and port. Regrettably, since everyone smoked, no one could taste the food, but the ambiance was outstanding.

Dealers and collectors had little interest in profit or in quickly reselling a coin. In those days, people were in the hobby for its intellectual and historical challenges. Collectors would have extended arguments on whether a certain engraver was left-handed or right-handed. The King of Coins was the 1804 dollar which sold from $15,000-25,000 for a nice EF example. More common coins were proportionally less, and bags of unsearched silver dollars lined many of the shows' carpeted aisles.

After all these years my memory has faded, so that’s all I can remember for now. Maybe I’ll remember more after the nurse finishes with the enema.

Justacommeman · July 2, 2010 3:33AM

MJ

bidask · July 2, 2010 3:36AM

Harry Forman was my mentor.....I hustled the bourse for him as a teenager in the late 60's early 70's.

Mercury · July 2, 2010 3:38AM

RWB
Now that was FUNNY

RWB · July 2, 2010 3:42AM

I sure hope that’s not the same kind of “mentoring” Leonard Bernstein got from Sergei Koussevitzky!

BillJones · July 2, 2010 3:50AM

<< Harry Forman was my mentor.....I hustled the bourse for him as a teenager in the late 60's early 70's. >>

I never understood the Harry Forman thing. In the 1970s, when I was in my 20s, some veteran collectors (in their 60s and 70s) spoke of him in awe. They spoke about how he had so much inventory and had so many coins. The few times I visited his shop I saw lots of rolls and lots quantity, but very little quality and rarity. I cherry picked a scarce half cent die variety from him, and it was not one of the more difficult ones to spot. Perhaps, like some dealers, he had all the good stuff “out back” and only showed that material to selected clients, but from what I could see, he didn’t have much that grabbed my interest

BillJones · July 2, 2010 4:08AM

<< Dealers were nattily dressed and it was not uncommon to see a booth manned by Brooks Brothers clothiers who spent much of their time taking custom business suit orders and accessorizing the crowds of dealers. Walter Breen was well known for his sartorial splendor and was never seen without a freshly pressed suit, silk French cuff white shirt, platinum cuff links and a fresh red carnation pinned to his jacket lapel. A shoe shine stand was a common sight, also. >>

I didn't start going to the major New York shows until around 1973. By then the guys who were wearing the Brooks Brothers suits where the ones who were talking about "coin investments." So far I was concerned they were type of people who prompted me to watch my wallet. Their prices were often high, and their grading, at least to my eyes, was suspect.

There were some great dealers with whom I did do quite a bit of business. Catherine Bullowa had a lot of great material that was very conservatively graded at fair prices. The late Robert Bachelor always had some very interesting material as well. One the best coins I purchased from him was a 1795 S-76b in Mint State. Back then the price was less than a tenth of what you would pay today. Tony Terranova was just getting started, and always had some very interesting material.

At the local shows in northern New Jersey a condition census (MS-63 or 64) 1838-D half eagle sat for months before it sold. The asking price was $1,800. I didn’t buy it because I was chasing after early type coins, and could only afford a couple of those pieces a year. I paid less than $500 for this 1805 dime, which was graded “EF.” Coins like this were not very popular because they had no "investment potential."

At the 1976 ANA in New York, I bought an oiginal 1909 Proof set for less than $2,000 and a rare variety of an 1800 Bust Dollar that had been the plate coin in Bolender's book.

Those were the "good old days" in a lot of ways, but you had to live by your wits. There were no slabs and not grading services. You were on your own when it came to counterfeits unless the dealer backed their merchandise. And lots of coins had been whizzed to look like Unc. Thank goodness I know how to spot them. Practices like whizzing would lead to third party grading a slabs.

Sonorandesertrat · July 2, 2010 4:11AM

'...Walter Breen was well known for his sartorial splendor and was never seen without a freshly pressed suit, silk French cuff white shirt, platinum cuff links and a fresh red carnation pinned to his jacket lapel....'

RWB:
I remember seeing (and smelling!) Breen on a couple of occasions....And I'd like to have some of what you're inhaling right now.

BillJones · July 2, 2010 4:15AM

<< '...Walter Breen was well known for his sartorial splendor and was never seen without a freshly pressed suit, silk French cuff white shirt, platinum cuff links and a fresh red carnation pinned to his jacket lapel....'

RWB:
I remember seeing (and smelling!) Breen on a couple of occasions....And I'd like to have some of what you're inhaling right now.

>>

Yea I agree, I never saw him wearing anything but, long hair, a long beard, sandals, a tie dye t-shirt and shorts or jeans depending upon the weather. Perhaps you are confusing him with Don Taxey.

mdwoods · July 2, 2010 4:37AM

Geez I took RWB's post seriously until I read a few more of the replies. I was feeling bad about missing out on such events.

SportsModerator · July 2, 2010 4:43AM

<< The same exact ones that are still going today. Just older, grumpier and with more padding around the waist

MJ >>

I resemble that remark!

RWB · July 2, 2010 5:49AM

Sorry folks - the post above was supposed to be an "over the top" humorous post....Did not intend to mislead anyone.

To be honest, not much has changed except the show are bigger and less locally oriented. Back then, you could visit a show in Texas and see totally different material than a show in Maryland. Now, things have been so homogenized and "nationalized" that it's just a big road trip with most of the same participants.

collegecoincollector · July 2, 2010 5:53AM

Thanks for sharing everyone! Even if all of the stories aren't 100% true this has been a great read.

GritsMan · July 2, 2010 5:53AM

The only reason I suspected RWB's comments might be a little off is that if you lived in THAT world then and THIS world now, you'd probably have no choice but to shoot yourself. Then again, maybe he tried with one of those unloaded guns he mentioned!

LRCTom · July 2, 2010 4:55PM

As a teenager in the 60s I was going to the one-day Chicago-area shows, as were hundreds of others of kids my age. There was a collecting boom...at least half the guys I knew collected coins (none of the girls, though...). Most of us were trying to fill those tough holes we couldn't fill from circulation...grading was rarely an issue.

When the 80s hit, shows were filled with people looking for "good investments." There was so much hype about the investment potential of "rare coins" such as MS-65 1880-S Morgans, that people were fighting for the opportunity to buy such rarities at whatever price it took.

When the 00s hit, it seemed like it was only the old farts that had been the 60's teenagers (yes, I include myself in that group) that you'd see at shows.

I'm happy to say now that families with kids are starting to come to shows again. State quarters and other modern designs do seem to have gotten people to look at their coins again, and some of those folks are becoming interested in the classics, as well. I'm optimistic about the future.

..Tom

ttxp · July 3, 2010 2:15AM

I left some of my earliest coin shows in the 80's less than impressed I wasn't well received because of gender. It seemed difficult to get beyond the stereotype that a woman at a show was only at the show because her husband dragged her into it?

The "good old boy network" was well established at the time. I asked a dealer back then to show me a rarer token, he pointed out it was quite expensive and asked me to get my husband as it wasn't my place to decide for him if it would fit into his collection?

Flash forward to today, the local dealers know me and place value on experience if not longevity, some shows held out of state I still encounter the occasional dealer who feels that I "must be bored to death being forced to come to these shows"? Today its somewhat humorous when it occurs.

Sonorandesertrat · July 3, 2010 2:24AM

<< I sure hope that’s not the same kind of “mentoring” Leonard Bernstein got from Sergei Koussevitzky! >>

This is a family forum.

What types of people went to coin shows in the 60s, 70s, and 80s?

Comments

Leave a Comment