Charmy's March 2012 BALTIMORE SHOW REPORT w/lots of pics!!!

Wednesday : My flight was very early in the morning and when I arrived at the airport, it was nice to see some familiar faces since several PCGS folks were leaving on the same plane as me. Then when I got to my connection in Houston, the plane had another bunch of coin people, some of whom were seated in my row and the immediate surrounding rows. So it was great to be able to chat with other coin dealers during our flight, and then even share a taxi to our hotels. The best thing when I arrived in Baltimore was that the weather was so wonderfully warm - I felt like I was still in SoCal!

Here’s a photo of the city from my room


After settling in, I met up with Rick at M&S Grill. We sat out on the patio that overlooked the harbor and the USS Constellation. It was so great to have dinner and drinks outside in such comfortable weather with beautiful scenery – made me feel like I was at home!




Mmmmm, the Guinness tasted so good!


Rick was checking the Stacks Bowers auction which was going on right then


After dinner, we met up with some other folks at a familiar Shula’s Steakhouse. I always look forward to getting together with and catching up with my dealer friends at these coin shows. But with the all day traveling and time change, it was soon time to call it a night.

Thursday: Set up for the dealers began at 8am, but I try to give Todd a head start setting up his photography equipment before I arrive so we’re not in each other’s way, so I didn’t arrive until around 9am (that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!). Here are some photos of the convention center and lounge area.










The wonderful Whitman show helpers!




We were on a waiting list to get a better booth location and finally were able to move a little closer to the center of the bourse so we had new neighbors, including a very pleasant surprise - Matt/BillyGoatsGruff who works for Pinnacle was right behind us! We had a good time throughout the show bantering back and forth and shooting rubber bands (ok, I admit that was only a one-way activity). Unfortunately, I forgot to take his picture!

Mark Feld was Todd’s first customer, so of course I had to get the obligatory Feld funny face photo for my report!


Also, another familiar face (Goldbully) stopped by early to say hi


During setup, the show was already beginning to buzz with all the activity that goes with unpacking and organizing a coin booth. The usual early birds were all over the bourse, and I had several dealers bring me some great coins that I bought for my inventory, including a beautiful magenta-toned proof 1866 2 cent piece. I can’t wait to see how Todd’s image of this beauty comes out. Here’s a group of some of my pretty newps.


The public was let in around noon, and there was quite a crowd who steadily began streaming in and soon filled up the bourse.


MsMorrisine stopped by and brought me a very nice bottle of Napa cab, for which I was very grateful since I would have had to hunt some down at a local store since I don’t usually bring wine with me when I have to fly to a show. He also brought a huge pile of blue PCGS boxes that we gave out.

After the show on Thursday, I met up with a bunch of folks at my favorite chain restaurant PF Changs for drinks and appetizers. (I especially love their dumplings!)


I was in the mood for something sweet, so I asked the bartender to make me what I call a “foo foo drink.” She created this wonderful blue rum-filled concoction called a “Poolside.” That’s the kind of drink that could be dangerous as it goes down so smooth and then kicks you in the butt before you know it!


We then headed over to Da Mimmo’s Italian restaurant for dinner where we met up with even more folks.




Rick Snow, me, Brian Wagner, Ricks FBI friend Neil, and his other friend Steve


Me and Rick’s friend, Neil


Now let me just say that this place is a little pricey but I’d count it as one of my top 5 restaurants of all time, and probably in my top 2 Italian restaurants of all time. Every dish was extremely tasty, the staff was over-the-top helpful, and the wine was superb!




I loved their fancy personalized plates!


This oyster appetizer actually had a live little fish floating around in the glass below the oysters!


You can never go wrong with Silver Patron


I had the most yummy lobster dish I’ve ever eaten- it was served in a burgundy wine/garlic cream sauce.


And their lamb was so huge (25 oz. I think) that even split in half each piece was more than sufficient.


Oh, and did I mention their garlic bread? It was the BEST garlic bread on the planet – just ask anyone who’s tasted it!!!


The atmosphere was also very nice since the room we were in only had about 10 tables – there were even a couple other groups of coin dealers having dinner.


And the walls were covered with photographs of famous people who had eaten there over the years.




So if you ever want to know how to find a good place to eat after a coin show, just ask a coin dealer!

After dinner we all went to our now familiar dueling piano bar – Howl at the Moon in the Power Plant district.






Once again, we had a ton of fun – that place is such a hoot! The same guys who played when we were there last November were there again. They have a lot of personality and really know how to engage the audience.


The “top that dollar” message board with my typical message


Souvenir tee-shirt

 

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Friday: It was an absolutely beautiful day!!! Baltimore was bright and warm, even in the morning.


The public was let in at 10am and there soon was a large buzz all around the bourse. All of the aisles seemed full of collectors on the hunt. Todd and I were quite busy well into the afternoon, which was unusual for a Friday.


Todd photographed an extremely amazing toned Indian cent proof collection!! They were all PF66 and PF67’s with one PF68 which had to be the most perfect Indian cent I have examined. I was literally drooling because my mouth dropped open as I peered at each one of these stunning pieces. Each one had gorgeous and vibrant neon colors – from intense St. Patrick’s day green to electric royal blues and violet purples – all with deep glass-like mirrors. Every time I looked at another piece, I gasped in awe. The owner told me he spent years compiling this collection, some of which he bought raw and got holdered himself. Being able to view in person such one-of-a-kind and extremely beautiful pieces like these makes it worth having to share a booth with Todd!!! (JK of course!) Hopefully with the owner’s permission Todd will be able to post some of them but in the meantime, here’s a mediocre picture of a picture of just one.


I bought some more inventory pieces, including a really nice 1877 Indian cent in PCGS AU50 and a hard-to-find PCGS MS63 BN 1867/67 Indian cent – both of which lasted about an hour in my case then went to new happy homes. I also bought a few more beautiful Conder tokens to add to my personal collection which I submitted to NGC, along with several others I had bought over the past few months. One new piece is extremely rare and I was very pleased to add it to my collection. I can’t wait to get those little puppies back in my hands!

Here are some of the Conder tokens that I submitted to NGC for grading








Several of the usual forum members stopped by, some of whom I didn’t get a chance to photograph because I was quite busy, but here are a couple of them.

Shorecall/Leon


Leebone/Leo and Penny


PCGS was busy as usual!


TeleTrade and one of their cute hardworking young reps, Sydney


And here’s Todd actually working and selling some of my coins to a customer!!


Friday night after the show since we all enjoyed the appetizers at PF Chang's we decided to just go back there for dinner - it's right across from the Power Plant district




Some of the same group as Friday night!


There was this adorable duck couple that just hung out all evening right next to the patio


There was one weird incident while we were having dinner on the patio. A guy on the sidewalk next to the patio just passed out and started having convulsions. I called 911 but the guy eventually woke up and didn't want any help because he said he was sniffing from a can of the stuff that you use to clean computer keyboards. He then stood up and just took off running. Very strange!

After dinner, I was pooped so I just headed back to my cozy bed and watched a movie.


Saturday: I arrived early (early for me is any time before 10am!) so I could get my Conder tokens ready to be submitted to NGC and to finish some inventorying and paperwork. It was relatively quiet on the bourse until the public was let in. Then the buzz began again. Whitman reps told me that there was a larger than usual attendance for a Saturday, perhaps due to the change in weather from warm and sunny to cool and rainy.

Here are a couple more forum members who stopped by…

Crypto/John and his very cute little guy Paddy


Halfhunter06/Chris


Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to charge my cell phone/camera Friday night so my batter was very low and I had to keep it teathered to my computer for recharging and wasn’t able to take as many photos on Saturday.

Then before we knew it, it was time for Todd to begin packing (he had a 4pm flight), then as soon as he left for the airport, I had to pack since I had a 5pm flight. I don’t know about other coin dealers but for me, traveling to and from a show by air is the most stressful part of being a coin dealer. I get very anxious and tense each time before I fly to a show because I am thinking about all the things that can go wrong– forgetting something crucial, being followed by some unscrupulous person, being hassled by TSA, missing my flight, etc. So I am not very chatty during this time and hope if you happen to stop by during this time, you’ll understand.

Luckily, however, so far all my travels have gone relatively smoothly with no significant issues, and thankfully this trip was also uneventful. I arrived at my terminal, headed to the bar/restaurant nearest my gate for a snack and my usual pre-flight beverage.


I even ran into some other coin dealers who were on my same flight (which is actually reassuring since we tend to “watch each other’s back” – they were as equally exhausted as I was!

One of my poker playing dealer buddies, Bill


The Baltimore weather sure changed on Saturday being cloudy with dreary rain all day. I saw our plane sitting on the tarmac in the rain and began looking forward to getting home.


I soon boarded my plane and once again began the long journey home where my sweet hubby was waiting for me!

So my overall thoughts and impressions of this March Baltimore show are that it was a very well-attended show and we were very busy, but from my own experience and from talking with other dealers, this particular show had more than its share of people who were “just looking because I didn’t bring any money” and “just wanted to see how much you’re selling your coin for because I have one just like it” and “can you tell me how much each penny in this baggy full of 1950’s wheaties are worth” and “I have this coin that has a weird thingy on the date, can you tell me what it’s worth even though I left it at home” and my favorite, a guy says, after looking at 30 different coins in the exact dates and grades requested, “nope, didn’t see anything I like.” But of course I understand that is part of this business and is also what teaches me more patience than my kids ever did (and probably why I REALLY enjoy having a glass of wine at my shows!!!).

 

Great report, Charmy! Thanks!

 

Great report and photos as usual. That lobster & lamb both look good :9

 

Okay so I have always found myself wondering that after the airfare, hotel, food, and bottles of wine and drinks is there still plenty of meat on the bone to turn a profit at these shows for the dealers......I am sure there is or nobody would go to these shows but it still seems like alot of expenses to me......that being said I think you do a really good job of capturing what it is like at a coin show for a dealer and I always enjoy reading your posts...thanks for taking time out of your day to write them for us......do you ever make it up to the northwest area?.....we got some good wines up here too!

 

See http://www.cointalk.com/t167645/ and http://www.cointalk.com/t103417/

 

Thanks for the report, Charmy!

I usually stay at a motel in Aberdeen on the way down, it's more in my price range than the ones in Baltimore. I go to the show and have dinner at Whole Foods on the other side of the harbor.

Also check out Coin Rarities online and their show report. It was mind-boggling to me that they had several CAC gold stickered coins that sold for two grade levels higher, not just one.

 

Thanks for the report. Go Teletrade! . TC

 

Another great report! Loving reading about your coin show experiences.

 

Thank You for the report.

 

Thanks everyone, I appreciate knowing you enjoy these reports - that's why I spend the time putting them together!

Cmillado, traveling to shows can be quite expensive but we dealers do know how to cut them down where possible. We usually let each other know when there are priceline deals on hotels, or special rates on airfares (or use miles since we travel so much). But when it comes to dinner, although I know many dealers choose economical dinner locations, my group likes to splurge somewhat at least one night. Believe it or not, we do work pretty hard preparing for and attending these shows and I for one definitely look forward to relaxing with a glass of wine and a good dinner at a nice restaurant after the show.

And as RLM pointed out, I do get up to Portland and the Seattle area each year (I'll be at the Tukwila/Seattle show in a few weeks).

 

Wonderful report.
Welcome to Balmer, Hon

 

Gosh, looks like so much fun! I can't wait to go to my first event, whenever that may take place!!

Glad you had a blast!

 

Just by any chance, might you be coming to the PNNA Show here in WA?

 

Love the report.
Thanks again Charmy!
Glad it went well.

 

Yep! I'm really looking forward to it, it's always been a great show - plus my brother lives there and I get to spend time with him as well! Please stop by my table if you get a chance.

 

Sure thing! I would love to!

 

Great report! Thanks again for posting these Always an enjoyable read.

 

Charmy: Please take a pic of Cazkaboom at the show so we know he is not the zombie/walker shown in his avatar. TC

 

I enjoy your reports, and even better the great photos of the event and city. Thanks again, and I'm with TopCat, Cannyn's ugly mug needs to be exposed lol!