Ups and Downs (!) At FUN 2026

Well, it certainly WAS different !!

I flew down early before FUN to visit some relatives on the West Coast. Hope to bring them to FUN in the future....one owns some gold/silver and even an SSCA coin....the other has a bunch of Saints and bullion but hasn't been active in years. He seemed interested in an MCMVII High Relief in the past -- God Knows he's blown so much $$$ on frivilous junk that he can afford to spend a fraction of that on something quality like an MCMVII !!! -- but that will have to wait.

Got to the Rosen Centre Hotel Wednesay....hooked up with LDHair and a bunch of nice dealers during off-hours. Met with an old college friend one night who walked the show....and a high school pal another night who was looking to buy gold and also took in the Mecum Auto Show in nearby Kissimmee.

Day 1: Set the alarms for 7:30 AM to let me get to the show opening before 10 AM. Unfortunately, another alarm got sounded -- the alarm of a medical emergency !! While sleeping/dreaming, I inadvertently threw myself out of the right-side hotel bed while sleeping at 6:21 AM and smashed my head right where the mattress hits the bed frame on the adjacent bed. I gave myself a 1 1/2" gash which had me bleeding over the sheets, carpets, and nighttime t-shirt. Blood-thinners I've been taking a few months didn't help with any clotting so I quickly called the Hotel staff and let them know what happened.

Long story short....paramedics and the Fire Dept. (?) came up to my room by 6:35-6:40 AM or so.....took me to the hospital ER.....got 4 stitches and a CAT Scan....Ubered back to Rosen Centre by about 10:15 AM. Showered, cleaned up, asked the hotel staff to send up some blood cleaner and took the shuttle to the OCCC.

Great way to start the show, huh ?

At FUN 2020 on Day 1, I made the mistake of heading straight for Aisle 1 and methodically going up-and-down each aisle. Not surpringingly, my hunt for a nice 1923-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle didn't bear much fruit that day. I now know that the bigger dealers and better inventory for what I want are more in the middle aisles and also the middle of the bourse (new attendees to FUN, take note !!). So I headed for the middle aisles and the middle of the bourse, taking notes of what I saw on my notepad or on the dealer's biz card.

Unfortunately....it soon became apparent that my #1 target at FUN 2020, a 1908 No-Motto Wells Fargo MS-66 Saint in an OGH w/CAC....was NOT going to be at the show. In fact, I only saw 2 MS-66's with the Wells Fargo pedigree, let alone the other attributes. The 1908 NM is notorious for a blase look without great luster, and to avoid that and get a good strike, I wanted WF+OGH+CAC. I realize now that when you want a coin this specific, best to get it online or whenever you see it rather than hope it pops up randomly with a dealer at a coin show. I actually saw a couple of non-WF 1908 NM's in MS-67 for $6,300 and $6,750, respectively. I liked the coins, but stayed true to my discipline and passed.

I hit about 75% of the aisles/tables/dealers without making a purchase when I decided that I wasn't going to replicate Day 1 from FUN 2020 and not come home with anything. No way that FUN 2026 Day 1 was going to be remembered ONLY for a trip to the ER and my first ever stitches !!! So.... passing by someone with an impressive array of 5-ounce Libertads, I got a PR68 DCAM 5-ouncer for about 75% premium over spot silver (actually, a good deal considering the prices for higher-graded or rarer low-mintage Libertads). If silver goes to $130 an ounce, I'm even, baby !!!

Went home....had a nice Thai dinner across the street from another Rosen property....back to the bar to hang out with LDHair and a few dealers/collectors....and then up to my room to consolidate and narrow down all the coin choices I gathered information on.

Day 2: I hit the remaining 25% of aisles and revisited some of the key tables. No gold purchases but I added to my silver purchase of Thursday: a 2015 ICG MS-70 PL Australian Koala; a 2011 PF-70 UCAM High Relief Kangaroo; and finally 1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 ounce PR70 DCAM Libertads (but no 1 ouncer in the set ). All at modest premiums to silver, all nice "coins" that I really don't care if they make me money or not. I like the design, grades, or look of them. Ultimately, that's what matters, right ?

Saw some nice 1909/08 overdates for the Saint in MS65 condition but it's an unreal pricey coin (~$35,000). Maybe if I win Powerball.

Caught dinner with an old college buddy....hung out at the bar with the usual suspects....went up early to narrow my gold choices as I (correctly) feared that Saturday FUN 2026 might look like Sunday FUN 2020 with dealers out of stuff or looking to leave.

Day 3: Welcome To Panic City !! A few of my targeted Saints were either gone -- or the dealer was gone late-Friday or after the close. My top 3 choices were KO'd. I started to panic a little...caught myself....said it took a long time for me to save up the $$$, I wasn't going to blow it on stuff I'd look at in 6 months and regret buying. I went down my list and went to my backup choices including:

• A couple of 1923's.....an AU-58 CACG and a 1923 PCGS CAC both ~ $4,500
• A couple of 1922's.....an AU-58 PCGS CAC and an MS-63 OGH (both ~ $4,700)
• A 1903 MS64 CAC Liberty Head DE for $5,000 (or $5,700...see more later).
• A 1904 LHDE and a 1908 No Motto 63 OGH, both $4,500 and with CACs.
• An 1898-S MS-63 CAC for $4,650 but with luster GOOD not great.....and another one identical holder with GREAT luster.... but $4,800.
• Some really nice 1928 Saints...all holdered at about the same time...from MS-65 to MS-67...some CACed.....but would probably KO purchase of a 2nd coin.
• Some nice-looking Gold Certificates in the $750 - $2,000 range, plus some Large Denomination bills ($500/$1,000). Only if I couldn't find 1 or 2 coins, as these would deplete my ability to get 2 nice-looking Saints or Double Eagles.

I went back to a coin I saw on Day 1....a 1923 Saint MS-63 OGH CAC. Probably all that verbiage don't matter when gold hits $5,000 as the premium even today was only ~5% when you consider the 0.9675 ounce weight and the price. The luster seemed excellent on Day 1.....so-so on Day 2.....back to very good on Day 3. Tie goes to the pro-luster days.....SOLD !!!

I wanted the 1903 LHDE for $5K. Unfortunately, despite being quoted that price twice, I was told by the dealer that the price was $5,700. I was taken aback, I couldn't believe I got the price wrong and I was pointing at the right coin (I think I even gave the year and grade). But the guy was a bit standoffish and pointed in his response and I didn't feel like arguing with him, even though I was pretty sure he quoted me $5K. Maybe he was a bit upset because I had asked to see the coin 5 or 6 times in the 3 days, but I was very courteous each time. I wasn't paying that total even if it was the market price which I doubt. I was short the $$$ so it wasn't a question of $5,700 being the fair price -- I didn't have enough $$$. So I passed.

Lady Luck then hit me as I passed a dealer I stopped by quickly on Friday on the far-right side of the bourse. He had a really nice 1893-S Liberty Head Double Eagle MS-63 OGH CAC. A bit more luster than a slightly-cheaper 1893-S that I had missed out on. So I grabbed it at a MSD premium to spot gold. Might have cost myself $200 tops, but honestly.....if the luster is there, and I like the coin...who gives a darn, right ?

Besides, it'll be bullion anyway when gold hits $7,500. Finished up my buying by buying one each of the 2024 Morgan Dollars PR70DCAM and a PR68DCAM Peace Dollar, both in CACG holders. My first CACG holdered coins.

We hit Rocco's Tacos in Orlando on Saturday night.....best tacos I've ever had....try the pork belly tacos (dee-licious ). A final night hanging out at the Rosen Centre bar.

Day 4: Thought about checking in for an hour at the show on Sunday but decided I had bought enough stuff on Saturday and decided to get a head start on my savings for the next FUN by going home with some $$$ this time as opposed to FUN 2020. Said my good-byes.....then drove home Sunday and Monday with a friend and Teddy (my 9-year old, 15-pound Toy Goldendoodle) was happy to see me when I picked him up at my sister's home.

A productive FUN 2026, despite starting off in a manner I could never have imagined. Learned more about what coins I can expect to find, even with dozens of Saint/DE/gold dealers...they want mass-appeal coins, not specific coins for a single person that don't have much markup. I also took in JohnMilton's $5 Half Eagle talk (outstanding !! ) and a dealer did a presentation on Saints which wasn't bad but in all honesty I may talk to FUN officials about doing a Saint presentation in the future as I think I can do a tighter, more-focused, more detailed presentation.

Hope to be back next year, $$$-willing !!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Ehh...where are the pics, man?

 

Coins or the show ? Have a few of each.

 

Both

 

I really miss her show reports.

 

Next year register at the hotel as Scarface that should get you a bit of attention, and maybe even some discounts, pun intended. Better luck at the next show you attend. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

 

Sorry to hear about your first day but at least it wasn’t too bad. It could have been worse and kept you from the show. Please post pics offer coins you did buy.