Ups and Downs (!) At FUN 2026

Well, it certainly WAS different !!

I flew down early before FUN to visit some relatives on the West Coast. Hope to bring them to FUN in the future....one owns some gold/silver and even an SSCA coin....the other has a bunch of Saints and bullion but hasn't been active in years. He seemed interested in an MCMVII High Relief in the past -- God Knows he's blown so much $$$ on frivilous junk that he can afford to spend a fraction of that on something quality like an MCMVII !!! -- but that will have to wait.

Got to the Rosen Centre Hotel Wednesay....hooked up with LDHair and a bunch of nice dealers during off-hours. Met with an old college friend one night who walked the show....and a high school pal another night who was looking to buy gold and also took in the Mecum Auto Show in nearby Kissimmee.

Day 1: Set the alarms for 7:30 AM to let me get to the show opening before 10 AM. Unfortunately, another alarm got sounded -- the alarm of a medical emergency !! While sleeping/dreaming, I inadvertently threw myself out of the right-side hotel bed while sleeping at 6:21 AM and smashed my head right where the mattress hits the bed frame on the adjacent bed. I gave myself a 1 1/2" gash which had me bleeding over the sheets, carpets, and nighttime t-shirt. Blood-thinners I've been taking a few months didn't help with any clotting so I quickly called the Hotel staff and let them know what happened.

Long story short....paramedics and the Fire Dept. (?) came up to my room by 6:35-6:40 AM or so.....took me to the hospital ER.....got 4 stitches and a CAT Scan....Ubered back to Rosen Centre by about 10:15 AM. Showered, cleaned up, asked the hotel staff to send up some blood cleaner and took the shuttle to the OCCC.

Great way to start the show, huh ?

At FUN 2020 on Day 1, I made the mistake of heading straight for Aisle 1 and methodically going up-and-down each aisle. Not surpringingly, my hunt for a nice 1923-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle didn't bear much fruit that day. I now know that the bigger dealers and better inventory for what I want are more in the middle aisles and also the middle of the bourse (new attendees to FUN, take note !!). So I headed for the middle aisles and the middle of the bourse, taking notes of what I saw on my notepad or on the dealer's biz card.

Unfortunately....it soon became apparent that my #1 target at FUN 2020, a 1908 No-Motto Wells Fargo MS-66 Saint in an OGH w/CAC....was NOT going to be at the show. In fact, I only saw 2 MS-66's with the Wells Fargo pedigree, let alone the other attributes. The 1908 NM is notorious for a blase look without great luster, and to avoid that and get a good strike, I wanted WF+OGH+CAC. I realize now that when you want a coin this specific, best to get it online or whenever you see it rather than hope it pops up randomly with a dealer at a coin show. I actually saw a couple of non-WF 1908 NM's in MS-67 for $6,300 and $6,750, respectively. I liked the coins, but stayed true to my discipline and passed.

I hit about 75% of the aisles/tables/dealers without making a purchase when I decided that I wasn't going to replicate Day 1 from FUN 2020 and not come home with anything. No way that FUN 2026 Day 1 was going to be remembered ONLY for a trip to the ER and my first ever stitches !!! So.... passing by someone with an impressive array of 5-ounce Libertads, I got a PR68 DCAM 5-ouncer for about 75% premium over spot silver (actually, a good deal considering the prices for higher-graded or rarer low-mintage Libertads). If silver goes to $130 an ounce, I'm even, baby !!!

Went home....had a nice Thai dinner across the street from another Rosen property....back to the bar to hang out with LDHair and a few dealers/collectors....and then up to my room to consolidate and narrow down all the coin choices I gathered information on.

Day 2: I hit the remaining 25% of aisles and revisited some of the key tables. No gold purchases but I added to my silver purchase of Thursday: a 2015 ICG MS-70 PL Australian Koala; a 2011 PF-70 UCAM High Relief Kangaroo; and finally 1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 ounce PR70 DCAM Libertads (but no 1 ouncer in the set ). All at modest premiums to silver, all nice "coins" that I really don't care if they make me money or not. I like the design, grades, or look of them. Ultimately, that's what matters, right ?

Saw some nice 1909/08 overdates for the Saint in MS65 condition but it's an unreal pricey coin (~$35,000). Maybe if I win Powerball.

Caught dinner with an old college buddy....hung out at the bar with the usual suspects....went up early to narrow my gold choices as I (correctly) feared that Saturday FUN 2026 might look like Sunday FUN 2020 with dealers out of stuff or looking to leave.

Day 3: Welcome To Panic City !! A few of my targeted Saints were either gone -- or the dealer was gone late-Friday or after the close. My top 3 choices were KO'd. I started to panic a little...caught myself....said it took a long time for me to save up the $$$, I wasn't going to blow it on stuff I'd look at in 6 months and regret buying. I went down my list and went to my backup choices including:

• A couple of 1923's.....an AU-58 CACG and a 1923 PCGS CAC both ~ $4,500
• A couple of 1922's.....an AU-58 PCGS CAC and an MS-63 OGH (both ~ $4,700)
• A 1903 MS64 CAC Liberty Head DE for $5,000 (or $5,700...see more later).
• A 1904 LHDE and a 1908 No Motto 63 OGH, both $4,500 and with CACs.
• An 1898-S MS-63 CAC for $4,650 but with luster GOOD not great.....and another one identical holder with GREAT luster.... but $4,800.
• Some really nice 1928 Saints...all holdered at about the same time...from MS-65 to MS-67...some CACed.....but would probably KO purchase of a 2nd coin.
• Some nice-looking Gold Certificates in the $750 - $2,000 range, plus some Large Denomination bills ($500/$1,000). Only if I couldn't find 1 or 2 coins, as these would deplete my ability to get 2 nice-looking Saints or Double Eagles.

I went back to a coin I saw on Day 1....a 1923 Saint MS-63 OGH CAC. Probably all that verbiage don't matter when gold hits $5,000 as the premium even today was only ~5% when you consider the 0.9675 ounce weight and the price. The luster seemed excellent on Day 1.....so-so on Day 2.....back to very good on Day 3. Tie goes to the pro-luster days.....SOLD !!!

I wanted the 1903 LHDE for $5K. Unfortunately, despite being quoted that price twice, I was told by the dealer that the price was $5,700. I was taken aback, I couldn't believe I got the price wrong and I was pointing at the right coin (I think I even gave the year and grade). But the guy was a bit standoffish and pointed in his response and I didn't feel like arguing with him, even though I was pretty sure he quoted me $5K. Maybe he was a bit upset because I had asked to see the coin 5 or 6 times in the 3 days, but I was very courteous each time. I wasn't paying that total even if it was the market price which I doubt. I was short the $$$ so it wasn't a question of $5,700 being the fair price -- I didn't have enough $$$. So I passed.

Lady Luck then hit me as I passed a dealer I stopped by quickly on Friday on the far-right side of the bourse. He had a really nice 1893-S Liberty Head Double Eagle MS-63 OGH CAC. A bit more luster than a slightly-cheaper 1893-S that I had missed out on. So I grabbed it at a MSD premium to spot gold. Might have cost myself $200 tops, but honestly.....if the luster is there, and I like the coin...who gives a darn, right ?

Besides, it'll be bullion anyway when gold hits $7,500. Finished up my buying by buying one each of the 2024 Morgan Dollars PR70DCAM and a PR68DCAM Peace Dollar, both in CACG holders. My first CACG holdered coins.

We hit Rocco's Tacos in Orlando on Saturday night.....best tacos I've ever had....try the pork belly tacos (dee-licious ). A final night hanging out at the Rosen Centre bar.

Day 4: Thought about checking in for an hour at the show on Sunday but decided I had bought enough stuff on Saturday and decided to get a head start on my savings for the next FUN by going home with some $$$ this time as opposed to FUN 2020. Said my good-byes.....then drove home Sunday and Monday with a friend and Teddy (my 9-year old, 15-pound Toy Goldendoodle) was happy to see me when I picked him up at my sister's home.

A productive FUN 2026, despite starting off in a manner I could never have imagined. Learned more about what coins I can expect to find, even with dozens of Saint/DE/gold dealers...they want mass-appeal coins, not specific coins for a single person that don't have much markup. I also took in JohnMilton's $5 Half Eagle talk (outstanding !! ) and a dealer did a presentation on Saints which wasn't bad but in all honesty I may talk to FUN officials about doing a Saint presentation in the future as I think I can do a tighter, more-focused, more detailed presentation.

Hope to be back next year, $$$-willing !!

 

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Ehh...where are the pics, man?

 

Coins or the show ? Have a few of each.

 

Both

 

I really miss her show reports.

 

Next year register at the hotel as Scarface that should get you a bit of attention, and maybe even some discounts, pun intended. Better luck at the next show you attend. Thanks for sharing your adventure.