Whew! Just got home. Made some coffe and put my poor tired feet up! I forgot everything you guys told me. Carried my redbook all day....never looked at once! Since I'm not serious about any one series yet, I just bought whatever caught my eye...especailly foreign coins. My wife on the other hand, being 40 times smater and observant than I'll ever be, settled down to work at once. In 15 minutes she had the whole joint cased,knew which dealer prices were lowest, and came to get me to grade what she was interested in. Me? Kinda like taking a duck to a cock fight! Anyway, I have never met more cordial dealers anywhere. She found 9 examples of her coin (1934-1937) Texas Centennial commerative. I looked at them real,real close (course I picked the brightest one) and we bought our first slabbed coin, MS64 1937. She sure is proud of that coin. The dealer showed me how you check the definition of the fingers on Liberty, and boy his was the best coin by a mile. He wanted us to buy on of his 1934's saying they were a better investment, but we don't invest much...except in having fun! I bought some good buffalo nickels, merc dimes,one Peace,tons of supplies (but not enough when I got home),and lots of foreign coins for 20cents apiece that had great artwork and were not scratched up. One was from 1955 and said Federatina Norodna Republika Jugoslavia...how cool is that, the country doen't even exist anymore! Got my first half cent,and some big silver coin with Queen Elizabeth astride a prancing horse. Well my wife's prize would suit the "coin chat" group better than my treasure, but I'm really happy. When we got home, my wifes one buffalo she bougt for a dollar, was an S and had a 3/4 horn. The redbook said $2...she grinned and said "lets go back!",it's only 65 mile drive.
Great Hobby It's great you and the Missus can share this great hobby :hug:, also glad you both had a good time . Many more to the both of you . rzage:smile:hatch::hammer:
Great story about you and the Mrs., however, you two don't quite live up to the name of tightwad (LOL). Glad you had fun and scored some good stuff.
Wait! There's more to tell about the show. Cop's and schoolteachers both miss nothing that goes on around them..I on the other hand am oblibious to all. Knowing how I am, Elsie waited till we got to Whataburger (see..tightwad), to tell me what had happened! While I was pawing through $1 buffs, she was observing a dealer go to the police in the front of the place,saying people were stealing coins! Delears here were so kind and trusting, that when groups of people started handleing 2X2's it was hard to keep track. The policeman, like my teacher wife, set back 40ft and observed some theft. Escorted thieves to two way glass room, later returned coins to dealers. Apparently dealers mark something on the 2X2's as ID. I guess they let the theives go, as there were no forms filled out. It was all real low key, and the customers never even knew it happened. Next door was an indian turquois jewelry show, and the same thing happened there! That doll I'm married to also wanted to see that Wisconsin quarter with the extra corn leaf. We found a dealer with two different types, high leaf and low leaf. SHE of course overheard him tell another dealer that 3 bank employees walked in one day with their bank name shirts on, and sold them several ( 2 or 20?) rolls of these quarters, all Wisconsin uncirculated, and many with the odd stamp extra leaf. Now that just sounds devious to me.
So tell us honestly Tight Wad. Were you a bit pumped? Do you really need coffee? Sounds like you had a BLAST man! My wife has never gone to a show with me. She has said IF I ever decide to sell at one she will though. That extra set of eyes you know. Unfortunate that people steal. Only wish the dealers had taken the time to file. THAT'S how you send a message. clembo
tight wad - sounds like you and your wife have the addiction now! Good thing it's the right kind. Ain't this hobby great? Now be careful and not jump at everything you want. Take some time to learn about what you might collect. Education is power in this hobby........it will save you money AND you'll be more happy with what you buy.
I did learn one thing. Look at the coin, not the price! The dealer who sold me "bargains" had what seemed like great deals, but close inspection showed lots of wear and blemishes. The dealer we bought the Texas coin from had a small collection (said it was his 3rd collection in 40yrs of collecting),and his coins were flawless....plus he really enjoyed educating us on grading coins. Which leads to my next question. This coin is slabbed and graded MS64 by "Numismatic Guaranty Corporation". Is that the best source of grading? Is there another grading source that collectors prefer?
PCGS and NGC are considered the top two grading companies out there for coins ( in that order ). I find that NGC is a bit tighter on some things but not others.....JMO Smaugy...
Smaugy: Thanks for the info. I thought there were two grading sources, I just didn't know they were both "official". I feel better about the coin now.
But don't forget the axiom , buy the coin not the slab , don't rule out ANACS and some of the other tpgs because of their name , I've found some great coins in ANACS slabs , and been burned in a NGC slab , so learn how to grade , it will help you a lot in the long run . rzage:hatch::hammer:
Fantastic ! Sounds like a great show. I wanted to go, but I had a better offer... family in town to celebrate my lovely bride's birthday ! :thumb: We used the same 29 candles from last year ! hee hee Glad you had a good time. If you liked that one, there's always the Forth Worth show next week ! www.coinshows.com
Tightwad, Sounds like you had a great time.The one good thing about coin collecting is that it can be family fun also. I like PCGS and NGC also but I have been checking out the new kid on the block Dominion Grading. Will have to see how they grade,. I also like ANACS as RZAGE mentioned.
Tightwad, Glad you shared your adventure with us. I know when I first went to coin shows I was all over the place. I think a kid in a candy store would have been better mannered, lol. I only have two a year I currently go to, so I haven't changed much...lol. I have learned the key factors as everyone here has pointed out as far as what to buy, how to buy, etc. As far as family, I have a relative I go with as well. He is a little older, and we do not see each other often, but twice a year, for a whole weekend, days are taking off work, calendars cleared, and cell phone is off. Oh and the bank account takes a dip, lol. Regards, S
you found some nice coins It sounds like you found some nice coins & you bought the ones that you liked. It sounds like you will be very happy with what you purchased for many years to come. Please share some photos of what you picked-up. Very best regards, collect89
