Here is my detailed review of the Fishkill NY coin show held on 6/19/11. This was only my second show ever, and first since 2009. I really didn't know what to expect. When I got there, the first thing I noticed was how small it was- but I only had CoinFest to judge it against, and that is/was one of the biggest shows in the Northeast, I was told. But, despite the size of the show, there was some really good material there. If you are a fan of Morgan Dollars, this show would have left you very happy- I saw plenty of original Morgans, some toned, even a few proofs. When you first go into the show you see the table of Anthony's Jewelers, who puts on the show. One of his cases, the first I looked at, was mainly large size currency, the next case was solely gold. A little too rich for my pockets. Well, actually a lot too rich for my pockets. Most of the dealers were dealing in slabbed coins. There were more PCGS than any others, but hardly any NGC at all. There was a decent number of some other brand, I think it started with an I. I don't really know for sure as I am not really into slabbed coins much at all. There were, as noted, more Morgans than anything else but there was also a decent supply of copper, including some Colonials, which were my favorites. There were also at least two 1795 dollars in attendance and at least one 1795 half dollar as well. There was one currency only dealer who had a very impressive display, and there was one stamp only dealer who seemed a little on the high side pricewise. (I didn't add any of either to my collections, unfortunatly) As it turns out, I didn't add any standard US coinage to my collection- which is what all but two of the dealers were offering. I did add three elongateds though, all with an automotive theme. That kind of surprised me, that I didn't add any standard US. I added 7 British and one each Canadian and Mexican, though. And that leads me to the revelation, as well. I think my collecting has started to evolve, somewhat. There were plenty of coins there that I could have added easily- even some for roughly $1. But instead of just getting them because they were cheap, I decided to hold out for a better example. Previously, I would have filled up a bag with the cheapo low grade buffalo nickels, I could have even taken home a dateless Type 1 for $2....but I didn't. I also thought long and hard about a 1802 half cent that was within my price range- as I may have mentioned before, I don't have a single US half cent and I would really like to get one. But as I was looking closer, I discovered there was a scratch on it that looks like it has been there a long time, but again I decided to hold out for a better example. I kind of surprised myself. As it turns out, I apparently DO have some form of standard! lol. And, I did hit kind of a milestone at the show. I was able to pick up a coin from 1891- well, actually two of them, both British- and I now have at least one coin from every year from 1882-2011. I had wanted one example from each year from 100 years before I was born to current, and I was able to get that, and then some. (I was born in 1984, so 1884-current was the goal). Now I'll work on 200 years before I was born to current, and so forth Most of those coins probably won't be US. Earlier this week I had recieved a gift of some coins which included an example of 1905, which was the only year in the 20th century I didn't have. For what it's worth, 1933-current has been found in circulation, which I think is a pretty decent feat in and of itself. And I also want to say thank you to my brother, who took me to the show. I could not have gotten there without him, as I don't drive. Normally my mom takes me around but she's battling some health issues now and my brother was drafted- even though he really doesn't have any interest in this hobby, he didn't mind taking me, standing around while I looked at stuff, and listening to me pointing out historical info and other stuff about the coins for almost two hours! Even though it's a small show, I had a lot of fun and I do expect to try and get to them whenever they have them. Although I left around 12:30, it seemed like every dealer was making sales, I only purchased from three dealers and I had to wait for a transaction to finish for all three of them!
I've gone to a lot of shows over the years Billy, large and small, and find that sometimes the small ones are the best to attend. You don't get the variety, but the dealers usually have more time to spend with you and the shows aren't overwhelming like the big ones are. There's advantages to both, and I don't miss many when they're within driving distance. I've picked up some really nice and unusual coins and paper from small shows and always recommend them to new collectors especially. It sounds like you had fun and found some nice additions to your collection. Congrats! Bruce
Yes the show was small but remember,I think, this is the 2nd show up in this area in quite awhile. The paper money dealer is Carl Bombara, He does the Memphis show,I use to go there before my back operations now I can do only the small shows.I bought 2 Buffalo nickels off a older gentleman named M.P. Ventrella guy said he is 90 God Bless him. Saw another dealer who does the albany show there.It wasn't a bad show. Give it time.
I think you may have made a mistake passing on that 1802 half cent, especially if you had to look closely to see that scratch. You say you don't have a half cent and would really like to get one, and that the 1802 was priced within your price range. You could have bought a really nice half cent for what that 1802 should have been priced at. 1802 is a key date in the half cent series, #3 coin after the 1796 and 1793. 1802 comes in two varieties, the common one is $400 in AG, $1500 in Good. The rare variety is $25K in good. Morgans are so common that a a Morgan dollar fan can be happy at any show unless they have a really advanced collection.
FYI, the 2012 Early American Copper convention will be in your neck of the woods—Buffalo, NY. This year's EAC convention had over 50 dealers with the best selection of half cents varying from tens to tens of thousands of dollars. You should be able to find something that will fit your budget if you can afford to wait.
Unfortunatly Buffalo is about 8 hours away from me, a little too far to travel at this point. That sounds like something I probably would enjoy. Bummer. The asking price was $32. The scratch was very noticible if you looked at it from the right angle. I didn't at first. I plan to keep going back to the show as often as they have them! I agree, it was a small show but not anywhere near as crowded as I expected. I like that.
If you are looking for some half cents, I would recommend the following EAC members/dealers: Shawn Yancy http://www.earlycoppercoins.com/ Chris McCawley http://www.earlycents.com/ Greg Hannigan http://www.usrarecoinsonline.com/index.php?src= eBay store website: http://stores.ebay.com/US-RARE-COINS-ONLINE Doug Bird doesn't have a website, but his phone number is (310) 489-1425 he lives in Manhattan Beach, CA These are just a few of the EAC members who are also dealers. Let me know if you need more names, etc.
Unfortunatly everything on all three of those websites is WELL out of my price range...usually by hundreds of dollars, or even by thousands of dollars.
They usually have much larger inventories and only show the expensive ones on their website. You should contact them directly, tell them what you are looking for and see what they recommend. Ask what their return privileges are should you not like the coin(s).
Hey Billy. Thanks for your write up and opinions on this Fishkill, NY Coin Show. Did you see any Mercury dimes there? It's been a while since we've talked but I'm still hanging in there. I saw a listing for coin shows and it said there was to be one in Fishkill in Winter. Any info on that. I call Anthony's Jewelers and ask,too. Keep up the fine work. zeke
Zeke, I guess ,because it is a small show, they never list them in the Coin World magazine. I've only chanced on a show when seeing it posted while driving on 84. I usually go to the White Plan shows.
