You know you can't go to such a large coin show as the Fun Show and not see some strange things. There was this seller that had many Memorial Cents for sale. The asking prices were all posted on the coin flips and all were red in good shape with asking prices $4.00 to $10.00 for non proofs and $10.00 to $15.00 for the proofs. Made me rethink the value of my set of these and the ones I saw in flips were common, nothing special. But, the most amazing thing I saw was a 1944 cent. Don't remember the mint and as you know it is what is called a shell cent. It was certified MS 64 in a NGC holder, but the amazing thing it also had a CAC green bean on it. I don't know what it costs to send it to CAC for evaluation, but on top of the NGC certification with the CAC it seems like way more than one to hope to get in return. I have a set of these in MS65 and the average price for mine was less than 10 for each, three I bought as a year set for twelve dollars. There was no price on this, and I didn't ask because the seller was quite busy. This just seemed very strange to me. I wished I would have waited to ask the price.
Some dealers have crazy prices on everything, including common coins. Being a big show also tends to mean higher prices to cover costs. I recall seeing a dealer with a bin of world coins at the last Central States Show (2023) where they had $3-$10 marked on each one. This is the type that you would normally see for $0.50-$2 (and I found some of those same coins for less than the dealer's price, including shipping, on eBay). As far as the 1944 cent: toning, an error, or anything else special (older holder, sample holder) could dramatically increase the price. If it was just a normal red cent in a normal holder with a green CAC, then it shouldn't be worth any sort of premium. It now costs $22 to send to CAC but it used to be lower (I recall $14 around two years ago). One possibility is that someone tried for a gold sticker (which would make it a $150-$250 coin in the current market-even for a coin that would normally be $5-$10) and wasn't successful.
Not all but a lot of dealers have higher prices at the shows. Don’t be concerned about not asking. There will always be another show. If you really want to know, call a dealer and ask them. I’m glad you were able to attend this show.
