I thought I would add a topic on this. Based on a previous topic, for those who attended the ANA show in Denver, kindly provide your impressions and feedback on how the Worlds Fair of Money went. Also, would it make sense to have it at a more permanent location like Chicago?
I did NOT go to the Denver show; too far for me. IMO location is very important. Note that Baltimore has 3 Whitman shows per year. And in general that are all successful (but saying that for the summer one may be stretching it). Part of that is there's a huge population concentration along the Atlantic coast. And the airport isn't too far away and quite accessible. And the FUN shows seem to work (but not so much the summer version) So where else has factors like that? For mid-US: -- Chicago makes sense -- St. Louis? -- I don't know about the Central States show For West coast: -- I think Long Beach works well -- LA? (I don't know where Long Beach is) -- San Francisco?
I went to the Denver ANA this year. The show itself was mildly busy, 5-6 on a 1-10 scale with 10 being extremely busy. I was very fortunate to meet with Robert Levinson, the author. A very enjoyable time discussing like interests. I sold a small group of coins. Todd from BluCC photos imaged a group of coins for me. I bought several groups of cheap Hungarian coins ( $25 or less per coin). Chicago is a great location for the Summer ANA. Easy to get to by plane or car, several hotel options and reasonable dining choices. I do not need casinos, theater, or other evening diversions. Just a place to discuss the hobby with like minded collectors. When discussing the Chicago choice , I of course mean Rosemont. I would even support the the ANA moving to Chicago because of the simple travel it would be for me.
As I was vacationing in Co. for the summer, I spent a few days in Denver so I could attend the show. I Totally enjoyed the show, not realizing that the light attendance was in my favor. I was looking for a couple of coins at a fair price and was mostly sucessful due to the lack of crouded tables and confusion. Being a collector and not a dealer, I had a very nice experience there. As for many dealers, the light traffic may have been a negative experience, but for me, it was very positive. I usually attend the Las Vegas shows because they're nearer to me, and look forward to the Long Beach show for similar reasons. Denver was a great place for this show location as far as I was concerned. A low profile city, nice surroundings, great Convention Center, easy parking, the Mint, and closeness to the ANA in Colo Springs were all positive for me.
I live in Alberta Canada, so I did make a trip out to Denver. It was a bit of a drive but I thought the show was very good. I have been to only one other ANA and that was in Anaheim. I thought the Denver show was better. There was a lot of activity but not to the point that it was impossible to see what was being offered by the dealers. I thought the selection was very good, there were a lot of coins in almost every budget range. I cannot comment on how well the dealers did at the show. I found the displays to be interesting, but I did not attend any of the talks. I cannot comment on the idea of a more permanent location i.e Chicago. Perhaps a shared arrangement where perhaps two/thirds of the shows are in a city like Chicago and one/third of the shows are in cities like Denver L.A. San Francisco or Seattle might work.
I may be missing the point? is the Idea of it allways in Chicago, as a better location. Because, I thought the show was great! Very easy to get around. Some very good deals, and also some outrageous prices. I'd like to add that my son also had a great time. The ANA had a treasure Trivia for the Kids, It took us to 27 different tables across the Bourse Fl. My favorite acquisition came while I was stopped for one of his questions. A 1909S/ over horizontal S MS63 I will be looking forward to the next ANA here. It was quite a pleasure to view the 33 Saints, and the Aluminum 74' Lincoln.
I had a great time at the Denver show. Met old friends, like @Cascade, and new, like Kurt Bellman. Enjoyed the exhibits and a couple of talks. Was able to do business with both NGC and PCGS and able to save postage as well as clear-up some issues that went much easier in person. Bought a few coins. Best part was my wife was with me, and she said it's the best show ever for her (she collects medals). I went to high school in the Denver area and still have relatives there, so visiting family was also a plus. The new train from the airport to downtown works great. It's cheap, and there's lots of security. Took 45 minutes from the airport to 2 blocks from our hotel. I think the show should be moved each year because it gives some folks an opportunity to attend without expensive travel. It also promotes the hobby in different areas of the country. Cal
Well, it's 5 weeks later and the Mint is still selling the 225th aniv. sets. They haven't sold out after all this time...I guess the long lines to buy these was a big waste of time for those buyers who didn't submit them for grading...why don't people just purchase them at cost rather than pay a premium on line, or from dealers?
Whats worse is the number sold keeps going down. It has "sold out" twice and been listed as unavailable, but it is still on sale and the number sold has dropped from 224,000+ to 187,000
