For me, this local show has been a treat for the past 5 years. A chance to personally engage (offline) with the various stakeholders in this hobby - auction houses, dealers and of course, sense the collector vibe. This is an end of an era as the show will no longer be held at the Waldorf, which on one hand will modernize the venue, on the other lose some of the special feeling you get when walking into a NYC landmark where US Presidents and historical figures have stayed over decades. The week started on a very negative and embarrassing note for me - I came in for lot viewing particularly focusing on the Heritage Moore collection, which presented some superb quality crowns. I reserved some funds for this purpose. The sale was held at 1PM EST on Monday and I thought for some strange reason that it is at 1PM CST (some auctions use this time zone in their catalogs). I stroll in to the live auction and... Chinese coins are being offered - clearly I missed the Austrian section. Frustration is an understatement, yet as in certain situations in life, from bad comes good. I vented to others about my disastrous Moore sale outcome seeking consolation, and rush to lot viewing to have a look at one lot on Platinum Night which seemed to be scarcer than listed - a Hungarian 2 Taler as written up here - https://www.cointalk.com/threads/newp-1601-hungary-rudolph-ii-double-taler-mega-rarity.289295/ The following days I come in/out of the Waldorf from the office for lot viewing and bidding on CNG, New York Sale. No luck there as bidding seemed to have no limits on certain pieces I was after, which ended far higher than market, while not being scarce. Makes one wonder who was actually bidding on them - perhaps an attempt to protect a consignment or set a new high? Not clear. Then the early bird begins on Thursday - much awaited as whether you end up buying coins or not, you see lots of them! Walking the show floor (in 4 different rooms) can be addictive and repetitive yet uncontrollable. I can't get enough of this stuff. And of course the most fun part for me - the people. I meet up with many PCGS forums friends and Todd @ BlueCC Photo who was as friendly as always and placed one of my coins in his brochure!! (what an honor). I also spend quality time with an Italian dealer friend who I saw this past summer in Florence. I scan the floor and come across very few pieces of interest. However, in an unexpected table of mostly British material, I find a stellar old collection of German, Italian and Austrian Crowns. Here is a wicked coin that laid in the case which gave me sticker shock, yet for a good reason - stunner! I look further and I find a multi Taler of Rudolph II which weighs like a hockey puck- a 3 Taler! Pricey, yet the coin kicks butt for what it is. I don't know the dealer, yet wanted to take the coin for second opinions. Dealer doesn't know me but I suggest leaving my wallet as collateral for 15 minutes of consultation - they agree. I head to Kunker and another dealer for confirmation. Now the difficult part, the price, A partial trade soothes the pain. It's mine - look at that rim! I spend the Saturday hanging around with another friend joking around the halls while looking at coins and people. I end up buying another coin a bit out of my traditional scope an Austrian Netherlands 1789B 1/2 Kronenthaler conditionally scarce within a mintage of 24,000. I came in again Sunday with my 7 year old daughter as we do every year since she was 4. Not sure if she likes the coins as much as walking around looking at people with coins.... Much lighter traffic which allows for calmer discussions with collectors and dealers. We buy two bags of theme coins (birds and countries) from Educational Coin Company which we like to sort together from time to time. Say goodbye to a couple of friends and sell a few coins on the way out which was nice. Also drop off a few coins for grading, re-designation (as PL) and re-holdering at NGC. Lastly, market and show observations: 1) Thinner traffic overall, with fewer younger collectors. Perhaps the cost of coming in, or the comfort of the internet 2) Auctions were busy. Hit or miss - rarities or quality coins do EXTREMELY well, commonly replaceable coins are softer. 3) Dealer inventories are limited with quality navigating to auctions. Exception - Atlas Numismatics who keeps a broad high grade inventory (priced accordingly). 4) Weak Euro/Strong Dollar is felt (almost parity) - You almost sensed a dead European vibe with respect to even attempting to buy, while eagerness to get US Dollars for their material. European export headaches, however, prevent them from bringing in much in inventory. Frustrating as seller and buyer. To conclude - great show and week in spite of the hiccups. Todd @ BlueCC Photo was kind enough to burn my raw (unedited) images on a CD. I had 21 coins imaged, here are a few as preview and fully edited will be listed separately when done. See you all next year at the Grand Hyatt!
