Charmy's August 2016 SANTA CLARA COIN SHOW REPORT w/lots of Pics!

I missed the last Santa Clara Coin Show in April since it overlapped with the Central States show, so I was especially looking forward to being back in Northern California. I left early Thursday morning and drove the long 6 hours up the 5 freeway while listening to a really good audio book, “The Quiet Game” by Greg Iles. I don’t mind long drives as long as I have an engaging book to listen to like this one!







I arrived at the Santa Clara Convention Center early in the afternoon.











I parked and unloaded through the usual back loading dock. It’s one of the easiest loading docks to access, with no hassles. If you face away from the loading dock, you have a perfect view of the new Levi Stadium right behind the convention center.















I got my booth ready, then walked around to look at coins. I found a few that were on my customer want lists, and some just for inventory. These are my new purchases.







While I was still getting things organized, John Schuch walked over to my table and asked if I had a wine opener. I laughed and said, that’s like asking my hubby if he has any motorcycles. The real question would be HOW MANY wine openers do I have! Anyway, I gladly offered him one, at which time he offered me a cup of his wine. It was a wonderful 2012 Williams Selyem Pinot!







After set up, I headed over to Bay 101 to play some cards, which I think I was looking forward to doing as much as being at the coin show!







The next day I arrived right when the show opened to dealers and was one of the first dealers there. The bourse was so quiet and deserted looking!











It was great to see my friend and one of the nicest dealers on the planet, Glen Holsenbake







Soon after the show opened, the bourse got the usual buzz and everyone was pretty busy, including me.















Don Kagin stopped by my table and told me how excited they were to be hosting the upcoming auction at the Orlando ANA next March.











Also, when I got a chance, I stopped by Kagin’s table to see some of the Saddle Ridge hoard coins that were on display. They also had a booklet with the fascinating story of this historic find.



































I also saw the largest and thickest PCGS slab I’ve ever seen! I thought NGC had the biggest slab. I had no idea they came this huge!















We found out there was a 49er’s pre-season game on Friday night at the Levi Stadium, so a lot of the dealers left early in order to avoid the traffic and parking nightmare surrounding the convention center. I left about 3pm and some of the streets were already blocked off with police officers directing traffic.







I headed back to Bay 101, even being there early I was very surprised to find the sign-up board was already packed!











I got to play with my dealer friend Greg and played a limit game for about 4 hours on $100.



Saturday morning was steadily busy, with lots of kids and families. I saw a few board members and had several regular customers stop by. This is Mike/anoldgoat, he's mostly a "lurker."







The show ended at 5pm on Saturday so I went over to the Hyatt Hotel restaurant for dinner with Glenn and another of my favorite dealers, Joe Wargo.







Joe brought this very tasty wine for us to share.











The food was fantastic!















Since the night was still early, I decided to try the Matrix Casino this time. It’s literally right across the freeway from Bay 101, even at the same freeway exit, but it’s a little smaller than Bay 101 with all the tables, including black jack, 3 card poker, etc., in one big room. I played Ultimate Texas hold-um this time and walked away with a nice “profit.”















Sunday morning I decided to just go in, pack up, and head out because I was taking the Coast Highway home in order to visit my dad on the way. Taking this route adds a couple hours of extra driving time on top of the regular 6-hour drive, not to mention the time I spend with my dad, so I wanted to get on the road early.



Along the way, I stopped in Paseo Robles to get gas and grab a bite to eat. I went through one of the old MacDonald’s with the vintage iconic Golden Arches.







The drive down the coast is relaxing and beautiful.











However, I was actually pulled over for speeding outside of Santa Barbara as I was coming down a hill. I knew I had been caught and just pulled over as soon as I saw the CHP come up behind me. I was going probably 12 miles over the speed limit, but that was enough. So I apologized, and handed over my paperwork. He took the documents and oddly, went around to the front of my car, took a look, then headed back to his patrol car to write me up.



When he was finished, I was shocked when he came back to the passenger window, handed me the ticket, and explained that he only wrote me up for not having a front license plate, and just warned me for my speeding! Wow, that just saved me a BUNCH of money, and I was very grateful. But I did let out a chuckle because I’ve had my car for 12 years, and had bought it from my friend who had it for 4 years and that car has never had a front license plate. There weren’t even any holes drilled for the plates. But again, I was very grateful that the CHP officer was kind enough to let me off with just a fix-it ticket!



So I continued on my journey, and once I got into my old home town, I grabbed some dinner for my dad and his caretaker, pulled into the house I grew up in, and had a nice visit with my amazing dad. As many of you know, he just turned 95 and is a Pearl Harbor survivor. He is in great health considering his age. I am proud to be his daughter and am grateful to still have him in our lives.







After my visit, I headed home, driving down the very familiar beautiful Coast Highway through Mailbu and Santa Monica, then onto the freeways of L.A., Long Beach, and finally Orange County to home! When I arrived home, I began putting things away. At one point, I turned my back for a minute only to find my little Penny tucked away in my safe where she had knocked a few things out of the way so she had enough space to stretch out and claim as her own. When I went to move her out of the way, Penny had that “don’t mess with me” look, so I didn’t!







Overall the show was as expected, not a block buster, but most everyone said it was steadily busy. Scott Griffin works really hard to make this a good show, with an auction, educational programs, door prizes, and even a “want list” dry erase board at the front of the hall where people can write down coins they’re looking for and dealers can write their table number next to the coin if they happen to have one. I think it’s a great idea!



That’s it for now. Next up is Long Beach, following by a speaking engagement at the Northern California Numismatic Association’s symposium, then the Las Vegas show, and then the PNNA Portland show at the end of the month!