Big Shows with Small $

Hey Folks, I am going to the Baltimore Show in July and it will be the biggest show I'll have ever been to since 1998 when I couldn't afford anything but a 1900 IHC (still have it). My budget will be under $400 and I'm hoping to add to my XF+ US Type Set (specifically, I'll be looking for large cents, Liberty Nickel no cents, Liberty Nickel with cents, 3 cent piece Type III, CuNi IHC, and 1859 IHC). I worry that I'm going to be a little fish in a big pond. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I'm happy to hear any tips as far as getting the best deal, whether I'd get a better deal the last day of the show vs the first, what to bring (I've got a coin grading guide and 10x loupe, would I offend dealers if I pulled it out?) etc.

 

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You will be, but so what. Many dealers are there only for the wholesale trade, just ignore them and move on.

By the last day many dealers will have left. First day is often nutso. Second day it can quiet down a lot.

No. Everybody uses loupes (ESPECIALLY on 3c Silvers). A grading guide just says 'student'. Some dealers will ignore you, sure, but many (smarter ones) will bend over backwards to share knowledge if they aren't crazy busy.

For example, at the last ANA show in Dallas (March), Col. Ellsworth - a reasonably big fish, ANA governor, etc. - spent 30m just chatting because he could because it was quiet.

 

I hope to see you there. The loupe won't be a problem and you will feel welcome at many tables. However, some of the wholesale dealers like Coleman Foster and others are in it for speed. If they sense you're wasting time or cherrypicking them, they'll try to get you outta there. I kind of get it. I mean, they're making like $5 per coin on 95% of their stuff, so if you're sitting there they don't want you to waste an hour and a half to only buy 4 coins.

 

Don't worry too much. I think you'll be able to find a few pieces for your set.

I have noticed that the last day does tend to bring out a tendency to deal, but some dealers will already be gone by then. So, it's a bit of a balance. If you're just looking for type coins, I don't think you need to worry too much about the one dealer who has "your" coin leaving before you get to them on the last day.

Nobody is going to be offended if you use a loupe on their coin. Typically, they will even lend you theirs if you forget yours. I don't see any problem with carrying around a grading guide, but, as @Burton Strauss III said, it will tag you as a newbie. That's not always a bad thing.

If you want something easier to carry around, though, I suggest the PCGS Photograde app. I find it pretty handy. I'd say it's about 80% as useful as carrying around an actual grading book.

Edit: just saw this rather good point:

These are primarily not the people you want to be buying from, anyway. Unless you have a very good idea what you're after, I'd stick to the less busy tables.

 

Seek the smaller shows, more local stuff and are much more productive for the mid-range buyers, and the left-over buyers (like myself).

 

[QUOTE="Seattlite86, Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I'm happy to hear any tips as far as getting the best deal, whether I'd get a better deal the last day of the show vs the first, what to bring (I've got a coin grading guide and 10x loupe, would I offend dealers if I pulled it out?) etc.[/QUOTE]

Tip #1 ...bypass all the dealers dressed in suit and tie...

 

400 is not chump change. I've been to many shows and 400 was the most I had once. I usually bring 100-150 and stuff to sell. That one time I sold and got a good amount ending up at 400. I ended up getting a gold Australian sovereign, around ms 62, graded, early 1900s, for 300 I think. I ended up selling it at another show though. 300 tied up in one coin was too much for me. I sold for 350 so it wasn't bad except I had to lose such a lovely coin

 

In case you need types that you can't find at the show, there's pretty much a 24/7 coin show online here:

http://www.collectorscorner.com/Coins/

You might need to do some scrolling to get to a coin of your choice that's in your price range though.

 

You'll find if you wait until the Gettysburg show that 400 clams will buy you a heck a lot more. Baltimore is a great show,but I very seldom buy there. Tables are $1000 ! Compare that to a local show where tables are in the 50 to 100 dollar range. Now think about it how much wiggle room do you as a dealer have when you're laying out that for the table, a hotel room, food, etc.....
I personally would pace myself..... go look and if you find a specimen that is had to have....buy it. But in this area there's about a show monthly. This is where you're going to get more bang for your bucks.

 

Wahoo saving up for the Baltimore show in July as well. Made this past one ..key thing is get there for the first two days. I made it for Saturday and Sunday only and by the time I managed to walk around one time and start over dealers were packing up already!

 

The show at Annandale Va. Community college is another good show to attend . Off Little River Turnpike . June 11-12/16 . This show has a nice selection of dealers from over the tri-state area.

 

You will certainly be a small fish in a big pond, but this shouldn't discourage you at all. These large shows are a great learning experience and you will see some magnificent coins. Even if you don't find anything to buy, meet some people and make some contacts; there will be specialists for just about every series there and those contacts really come in handy down the line.

 

Bring your carry weapon.

 

when i was looking for nice original attractive xf/au type coins at bigger shows like FUN, etc, the material for sale was 98% picked over, cleaned, scuffy, problem coins that seem to always be looking for a naive buyer. That said, its often the same at smaller shows and ebay as well. You just have to put in the time to find the nice stuff, but eventually you will find them.

 

There will be a *lot* of small fish in the pond; you'll go unnoticed.

And your budget is twice what I brought to the last Baltimore show. Go early - Thursday or Friday - if you want to see everyone there; I went Saturday and 15-20% of the dealers were already gone (hey, that may be a way of weeding out the ones you didn't want to see anyways....). See every table before you purchase anything. Don't miss the tables which apparently specialize in completely unrelated stuff; there are gems to be had from folks dealing out of their specialization. Not to mention it exposes you to things you haven't seen before, and may like - that's one of the advantages of bigger shows. You can handle stuff you've never held before, and the opportunity for learning is vast.

True coin geeks carry a loupe at all times. I wouldn't walk out the house without a loupe any more than leaving my keys.

 

That's another important point - even in this Internet Age where one can form a nice collection without ever sharing meatspace with another collector, dealer relationships can make numismatics a lot more rewarding for you. A dealer friend who knows I will immediately buy that nice Gem Brown Lincoln from him will cut me slack on the profit margin if he finds one, because it'll be a quick turnover and keep his money working for him. Good dealers interact with each other a lot, and are constantly exposed to pieces you the consumer might never see.

It's nice to have more than one person looking for what you want, don't you think?

 

A slight caution on "seeing every table first". I've been burned doing that, sometimes when I come back the coin has been sold. I had an instance years ago at a show, I was looking at a Lincoln (a conditionally rare one) and another collector came up and asked to see "that coin again". I literally had it in my hand, his comment ended the looking stage...so I bought it before he could snag it. LOL This is one of many similar stories. Remember, a show can also be a competition between buyers (and other dealers) for the best coins.

Another tool I find useful besides some magnification, is a powered, lighted magnifier. Some dealers don't have lighting, it's poor or someone else is hogging it. Having my own light source is VERY handy. It also gives me a consistent light, not the best, but at least consistent and I'm used to it.

 

It's a battle between losing the one you wanted, and finding the one you wanted when the one you bought is already in your pocket. At least with the former, you can console yourself that "there's always another one."

Even better yet, have a precise idea of what you're looking for, and don't buy it until you find it.

 

I avoid those types (Mormons......Jehovas?) like the plague.........