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ANA Chicago Show Report... first big show in 2+ years
airplanenut
Posts: 22,745 ✭✭✭✭✭
My last big show was the Baltimore summer show in 2009, which conveniently took place during the one week I was home between graduating from college and moving west. I've tried to go to shows since, but the logistics for a quick visit just haven't panned out, so I've somewhat sat on the coin show sidelines since that Baltimore show.
As a location, I love Chicago. It's not a terribly long flight from Seattle (~3-4 hours), it's a well-served route, and booked early, it's cheap (O'Hare is also a treat for me). Above that, though, I have a lot of friends in Chicago, so a quick trip for a show becomes a long weekend with friends. This trip was the 4th I've taken to Chicago in the last year, and the first thing I did when I got back home was book another trip for about a month from now (even if that's 23 months early for the 2013 ANA).
I took the red-eye into Chicago, landing at 5:35am on Thursday after a whopping 3 1/2 hour flight (and I stayed up until 11:30PM!) and started the day off right by going to breakfast with a close college friend I didn't expect to see. He happened to be spending about 10 hours in Chicago before leaving on a year-long trip out of the country, and it happened that I was there for a few of those hours. Once he dropped me off at the show, it was coins for the rest of the day.
In my mind, I have two want lists. There's the list of coins I can only dream of right now (a nice chain cent, for example) and a practical list of coins I can afford. The latter list is small, and over the years I've become extremely particular about what I'll put in my collection. So during this show, my eyes were specifically on proof walkers, and of course anything else that catches my eye. But what I was looking for isn't the point. The point is that I went to the show well aware that I was planning to be picky and that many coins might be close to what I'm looking for, but not quite there. I came with cash to spend, but prepared to leave the show with nothing.
Over the years, this has become a repeated theme for me, and I've been to many shows where I've bought very little (in fact, I've only purchased 3 or 4 coins this year, I believe). What I've come to look forward to so much at shows is not just the coins, but the people. I've been fortunate to make many close friends over the nearly 10 years that I've been going to shows, and while a great purchase is nice, the value and enjoyment of the shows have really hinged on seeing old friends, and with that, I knew that this would be a great show no matter how much, or little, I purchased.
When I got to the show on Thursday, I was floored by its size. I've been to big shows, but this one was just gargantuan. I started off by heading towards a few dealers I wanted to see, and then attempted to walk through as much of the show as I could, knowing I'd be missing plenty of tables accidentally. As I ran into friends, I found myself taking seats at tables many times to catch up with them, and take a peek at their wares, as well. I did see quite a few proof walkers, but as I guessed, nothing was quite what I was looking for, so I finished the day hoarse and with no new coins (though I did sell one).
There were a few restaurants in the suburbs I'd been wanting to try, and I was able to talk Glenn (ponyexpress8), Mike (MFH), and Dennis (Dennis88) into slogging through heavy traffic to get there. If I do say so myself, it was well worth it, both for the food and conversation. I spent the night with friends, and headed back to the show on Friday, which would be my last of the two days.
When I got to the show on Friday, I decided to be more careful about seeing the full show. I started at the first row of the US section at 9am, and walked up and down each aisle until saw the whole show. True, I stopped a few times for conversation, but even still, it took me until 3:11pm before I finished the last row. Yes, 6 hours to walk the show. It was HUGE. Again I found some neat pieces that I liked, but since I didn't love them, I didn't buy them. Nearing the end of my journey, I was able to pick up a wildly toned Liberty nickel, so I didn't leave empty-handed.
While I didn't do much buying/selling at the show, I did see plenty going on, and quite a few dealers mentioned it was a good show. As I walked through the show, it became clear that getting a good table is key. Some of the tables at the end of rows or in the back of the show seemed deserted, and with a show so large, I think that was just a result of it being difficult to both see the show and remember what you have/haven't seen.
I also couldn't help but notice how prevalent the use of computers behind tables is. Two years ago, some dealers were certainly using them with WiFi/cell phone cards, but at this show it seemed like many more were using them, with a large number holding iPads, and many more using smart phones. I guess that technology has really improved in the last two years. I found myself checking Heritage prices a few times a friends' tables, so I suppose this is one more reason I should get a smart phone.
As has been pointed out before, the show was very loud, and many times the PA announcements were blaring painfully. That volume knob could have worked wonders. I also heard complaints about how expensive the food was at the show, but since I don't eat at shows, it made no difference to me. I did hear lots of compliments regarding the Chicago location, though some dealers mentioned dissatisfaction with Rosemont specifically, as they had difficulty getting into downtown. One dealer mentioned having gone to downtown once in his 8 days at the show, though he wanted to go much more frequently.
I left the show a bit before 5 on Friday, and then spent the rest of the weekend with friends before heading back on Sunday evening. While I didn't buy much, I still left thinking it was a fantastic show, as it provided me a great chance to see coin friends, and the location made it easy to turn the show into a long weekend with non-coin friends, too, which made the whole trip feel like a real vacation. And since I didn't spend much money at the show, it will just go into savings, as a house, too, is on my want list. When there's something worth saving for, there's no shame in not spending.
Jeremy
As a location, I love Chicago. It's not a terribly long flight from Seattle (~3-4 hours), it's a well-served route, and booked early, it's cheap (O'Hare is also a treat for me). Above that, though, I have a lot of friends in Chicago, so a quick trip for a show becomes a long weekend with friends. This trip was the 4th I've taken to Chicago in the last year, and the first thing I did when I got back home was book another trip for about a month from now (even if that's 23 months early for the 2013 ANA).
I took the red-eye into Chicago, landing at 5:35am on Thursday after a whopping 3 1/2 hour flight (and I stayed up until 11:30PM!) and started the day off right by going to breakfast with a close college friend I didn't expect to see. He happened to be spending about 10 hours in Chicago before leaving on a year-long trip out of the country, and it happened that I was there for a few of those hours. Once he dropped me off at the show, it was coins for the rest of the day.
In my mind, I have two want lists. There's the list of coins I can only dream of right now (a nice chain cent, for example) and a practical list of coins I can afford. The latter list is small, and over the years I've become extremely particular about what I'll put in my collection. So during this show, my eyes were specifically on proof walkers, and of course anything else that catches my eye. But what I was looking for isn't the point. The point is that I went to the show well aware that I was planning to be picky and that many coins might be close to what I'm looking for, but not quite there. I came with cash to spend, but prepared to leave the show with nothing.
Over the years, this has become a repeated theme for me, and I've been to many shows where I've bought very little (in fact, I've only purchased 3 or 4 coins this year, I believe). What I've come to look forward to so much at shows is not just the coins, but the people. I've been fortunate to make many close friends over the nearly 10 years that I've been going to shows, and while a great purchase is nice, the value and enjoyment of the shows have really hinged on seeing old friends, and with that, I knew that this would be a great show no matter how much, or little, I purchased.
When I got to the show on Thursday, I was floored by its size. I've been to big shows, but this one was just gargantuan. I started off by heading towards a few dealers I wanted to see, and then attempted to walk through as much of the show as I could, knowing I'd be missing plenty of tables accidentally. As I ran into friends, I found myself taking seats at tables many times to catch up with them, and take a peek at their wares, as well. I did see quite a few proof walkers, but as I guessed, nothing was quite what I was looking for, so I finished the day hoarse and with no new coins (though I did sell one).
There were a few restaurants in the suburbs I'd been wanting to try, and I was able to talk Glenn (ponyexpress8), Mike (MFH), and Dennis (Dennis88) into slogging through heavy traffic to get there. If I do say so myself, it was well worth it, both for the food and conversation. I spent the night with friends, and headed back to the show on Friday, which would be my last of the two days.
When I got to the show on Friday, I decided to be more careful about seeing the full show. I started at the first row of the US section at 9am, and walked up and down each aisle until saw the whole show. True, I stopped a few times for conversation, but even still, it took me until 3:11pm before I finished the last row. Yes, 6 hours to walk the show. It was HUGE. Again I found some neat pieces that I liked, but since I didn't love them, I didn't buy them. Nearing the end of my journey, I was able to pick up a wildly toned Liberty nickel, so I didn't leave empty-handed.
While I didn't do much buying/selling at the show, I did see plenty going on, and quite a few dealers mentioned it was a good show. As I walked through the show, it became clear that getting a good table is key. Some of the tables at the end of rows or in the back of the show seemed deserted, and with a show so large, I think that was just a result of it being difficult to both see the show and remember what you have/haven't seen.
I also couldn't help but notice how prevalent the use of computers behind tables is. Two years ago, some dealers were certainly using them with WiFi/cell phone cards, but at this show it seemed like many more were using them, with a large number holding iPads, and many more using smart phones. I guess that technology has really improved in the last two years. I found myself checking Heritage prices a few times a friends' tables, so I suppose this is one more reason I should get a smart phone.
As has been pointed out before, the show was very loud, and many times the PA announcements were blaring painfully. That volume knob could have worked wonders. I also heard complaints about how expensive the food was at the show, but since I don't eat at shows, it made no difference to me. I did hear lots of compliments regarding the Chicago location, though some dealers mentioned dissatisfaction with Rosemont specifically, as they had difficulty getting into downtown. One dealer mentioned having gone to downtown once in his 8 days at the show, though he wanted to go much more frequently.
I left the show a bit before 5 on Friday, and then spent the rest of the weekend with friends before heading back on Sunday evening. While I didn't buy much, I still left thinking it was a fantastic show, as it provided me a great chance to see coin friends, and the location made it easy to turn the show into a long weekend with non-coin friends, too, which made the whole trip feel like a real vacation. And since I didn't spend much money at the show, it will just go into savings, as a house, too, is on my want list. When there's something worth saving for, there's no shame in not spending.
Jeremy
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Comments
I've really enjoyed the show reports of the ANA, even if they serve as painful reminders that I passed up the opportunity to attend a show within driving distance (9 hrs). The reports motivate me to lobby my wife a little stronger the next time around.
Food wasn't too bad - $5.50 for a great sloppy joe. Reminded me of Jr. High lunches.
Hope you get that house before the gov't does away with the "American Dream" deduction.
<< <i>(O'Hare is also a treat for me) >>
Chalk it up to pure luck. If you've had the pleasure of trying to land or leave O'Hare during peak push or bad weather you won't ever feel that way again. Talk to the folks who tried to leave the show Saturday afternoon. Some weather disruptions in the late morning largely scudded operations for the rest of the day.
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>Chalk it up to pure luck. If you've had the pleasure of trying to land or leave O'Hare during peak push or bad weather you won't ever feel that way again. Talk to the folks who tried to leave the show Saturday afternoon. Some weather disruptions in the late morning largely scudded operations for the rest of the day. >>
Last time I went to Chicago, we made it to Chicago airspace, then spent 3 hours in Minneapolis. My love for O'Hare is a reflection of the exceptional air traffic diversity they have. I'm one of the few people you'll find who doesn't mind getting stuck at the airport.
<< <i> I also heard complaints about how expensive the food was at the show, but since I don't eat at shows, it made no difference to me. I did hear lots of compliments regarding the Chicago location, though some dealers mentioned dissatisfaction with Rosemont specifically, as they had difficulty getting into downtown. One dealer mentioned having gone to downtown once in his 8 days at the show, though he wanted to go much more
there's no shame in not spending. >>
You always hear complaints about the food at convention centers. Much more so than anywhere else the food at this convention center was obscenely expensive and for the most part absolutely disgusting. Luckily there were some good restaurants nearby.
Ever since that time about a decade ago when I was in a taxi going from the convention center to downtown when we got caught in traffic and arrived 100 minutes and $90 later I consider the L Blue Line the only way to get from Rosemont to downtown Chicago. It only costs $2.25 each way and takes 35 minutes. That Harlan Berk bus was free but it took an average of 80-100 minutes to make that same trip. Time is money and I'd rather spend $2.25 to not experience the dread of being on a non-moving bus on a hot and humid afternoon. You've got to be a total cheapskate to disagree with that.
From a dealer's perspective, you can't make money without spending some first. Dealers cannot not spend at shows.
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>Chalk it up to pure luck. If you've had the pleasure of trying to land or leave O'Hare during peak push or bad weather you won't ever feel that way again. Talk to the folks who tried to leave the show Saturday afternoon. Some weather disruptions in the late morning largely scudded operations for the rest of the day. >>
Last time I went to Chicago, we made it to Chicago airspace, then spent 3 hours in Minneapolis. My love for O'Hare is a reflection of the exceptional air traffic diversity they have. I'm one of the few people you'll find who doesn't mind getting stuck at the airport. >>
Last time I was diverted on an O'Hare bound flight we spent some quality time waiting it out in South Bend, IN (SBN). At least it was Minneapolis St. Paul.
O'Hare is busy but I disagree that it has excellent air movement diversity unless you're a fan of regional jets and narrowbodies. I believe JFK, LAX and MIA are better. If you consider worldwide, nowhere beats LHR, FRA, HKG and NRT.
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>O'Hare is busy but I disagree that it has excellent air movement diversity unless you're a fan of regional jets and narrowbodies. I believe JFK, LAX and MIA are better. If you consider worldwide, nowhere beats LHR, FRA, HKG and NRT. >>
I'm not disagreeing there, but I come from the land of Alaska and Southwest 737s everywhere. ORD still has an impressive lineup of widebodies.
<< <i>I'm not disagreeing there, but I come from the land of Alaska and Southwest 737s everywhere. ORD still has an impressive lineup of widebodies. >>
It could be worse. You could be living in Portland, where they have a beautiful airport but nothing other than Alaska and Southwest 737's except they land less frequently than at SeaTac.
Considering what O'Hare is, it is worth noting they are not one of the five U.S. Airports with scheduled A380 service (JFK, LAX, SFO, IAD, MIA are the five).
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
Website-Americana Rare Coin Inc
I flew in thru Midway on southwest. Nice airport not anywhere as busy as O'Hare.
It was a good show lots an lots of nice coins. the ANA message table people were extremely helpful
and really did know everything going on even small details. excellent job.
You are right though the loudspeaker was so loud .
you could probably sue for loss of hearing. I also hated the fact that there were no aisle numbering banners.
Took me forever to find dealers i wanted to revisit. something new here too. The table for flyers and info was no where to be found out in the lobby area.
All flyers put out on the only table there :the internet cafe, where dumped in what looked like soda can boxes
and pushed into the corner where folks thought they were trash and threw their empty soda cups and burger bags on. I have pictures to post later. I talked with Rich Hartzog who was furious with this. Later a small folding table was put out in the lobby and flyers appeared till the flyer police saw it and removed the flyers and the table. I can't understand what this was all about?
Krueger
<< <i>I think WTCG's must have had a girl from Chicago dump him at one time. No better explanation for him being such a Debbie Downer on Chicago all of the time. >>
Nah, I don't chase Chicago or Midwestern girls. I prefer my women without mullets and under 300lbs...
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 a pleasure meeting you at the show!
you coming to philly?
<< <i>
<< <i>I think WTCG's must have had a girl from Chicago dump him at one time. No better explanation for him being such a Debbie Downer on Chicago all of the time. >>
Nah, I don't chase Chicago or Midwestern girls. I prefer my women without mullets and under 300lbs...
Nest time someone on this board uses a Chinese stereotype, I'm not going to let it bother me. Thanks.