I'll start by saying that it was really fun and busy most of the time. I went in on Wed. dealer setup day and was able to get some stuff done early. They were able to get in and start about 2 PM and everyone was really positive. It was crazy seeing all the dealers moving in with carts, bags and boxes. Thursday morning it looked like a different place. Most were ready for business. The lines were long for collectors to get a badge on Thursday but the FUN staff were fast and friendly. @Insider with ICG helped me with a group of coins for conservation and grading. Great guy to work with and CT members get a nice discount. Great Collections were kind to me and had 27 of my coins that are up for auction on display in their cases. I never expected to see that. Great folks to work with. The owner of GC is pretty cool. @ToughCOINS was there with many really nice coins on display. I ran into many old friends from different forums to chat with and that's what this show is all about for me. I didn't buy any coins this year but learned a lot from dealers and friends. NGC had a small party and for the first time ever, I won a door prize. It was a 2023 Silver Eagle in a sample slab with a special label for the show. I may add more but need to catch a flight.
Thanks for the brief writeup, Larry. Hope you were able to take some pix for the rest of us. You do know we all attend vicariously through you Safe travels.....
Were there many dealers in ancients? It's probably been since 2010 that I've been to a coin show. However, I've gotten some memorable pieces at shows.
Do you check your inventory with the airline or carry it on or ship it down ahead of time? Always wondered about dealers who fly in for a major show.
I was there from Wednesday through noon on Sunday. Missed @ldhair unfortunately but @lardan stopped by my local coin club table and we had a nice chat. Show was well-attended. Gold was going a-begging from what I observed and was told by several dealers. As a result, I picked up a nice PCGS MS-62 1876-S double eagle for a very nice price. CAC/CACG was at the show and I think I saw John Albanese but I had no reason to stop at the table. Everybody's impression will differ depending on what they are interested in but I found that the pickings for nice 18th and 19th century type was kinda slim. OTOH, I had a great show for picking up R-5, R-6 and R-7 capped bust half dimes. Way overspent the budget. I was sitting at David Perkins table and a gentleman sat next to me and showed us some extremely (wow!) nice early type in his collection. He talked about how he was debating internally if he could justify spending $65K on a Chain Cent that he was contemplating. Wish I had that problem. So, naturally I suggested that as long as he wasn't taking food from the kiddie's mouths and it was his play money, he should what he wanted and not feel guilty about it. Late Saturday, I was walking by CVM Early Cents and looked in for the first time this show and found what I've been seeking for over a year: A very nice, PCGS AU-58 Massachusetts half cent which, after a bit of negotiating, came home at a decent price. There were several ancients dealers and I looked over their inventory but didn't pull the trigger on anything. While the area is fascinating and I'm an ancient history fan, I just don't know enough about the numismatics to buy anything. I'll post on a different thread some of the pickups. Right now I'm home trying to recover-totally exhausting show for an old guy - I turn 72 this week.
Love these show writeups, as I've never been to a big show. Thank you both for sharing. Makes me feel excited for the hobby.
@Publius2, Happy Birthday! It was great to meet you at FUN, enjoy some Indian food with you, and even hook a few rides in your pickup truck. One of my regrets is that I didn't stop by the club table... but there was a whole quadrant of the (immense) floor that I never even got to. Got waylaid, shanghaied, and distracted every time I headed in that direction. I'm waaaaaay younger than you and I'm barely recovered. heheh
Oh, yeah @bikergeek, go ahead and laugh. I not only picked up coins at the show but also a nice bug that I've been dealing with since Monday. The wife is threatening not to let me go to shows anymore if I'm going to come home ill.
