I’ve never been to the show and was wondering if people who had felt there was a good number of world/ancient dealers.
I know that Herakles Numismatics will be there. I am more of a US coin guy but when I need an ancient, he is my go-to guy. Wish Raleigh wasn't so far from me.
I go every year, but I don't focus on world/ancients myself, so I'm not in a good position to advise. My impression is that there are usually at least a handful of dealers with a lot of world and ancient material. I have no idea if it's good material. If you haven't already seen it, here's a list of dealers expected to attend. I count 90. There's at least one world dealer coming in from Wyoming.
Ephesus Numismatics (Tom Wood) is one of my favorite people in the hobby. He specializes in Biblical which is a very minor part of my interest. Jonathan Kern was one of my favorite dealers 20 years ago but I thought he retired. He went through a phase where all he had was slabbed but the last time I saw him, he had some raw. Guy Clark Collection (last I saw at a show) was Guy's widow who was a joy to talk to and had a decent range of lower priced coins. I do not know if she is buying replacement stock or just spreading out leftovers from Guy's huge stock. I have no idea how many coins Guy had when he passed but lets just say it was a lot. Herakles Numismatics tends to have higher priced coins than I buy but, again, is a pleasant and informative person and well worth a stop. I miss shows but Raleigh is out of my roaming zone. Hint: Birds of a feather flock together. At many coin shows, ancient dealers often get tables near each other. If you see ancients at one table, ask those nearby if they have ancients even if none show on the table. They may have a box under the table. At small shows, you could ask every dealer but be prepared for stupid answers like, 'Thousands, but I didn't bring them.' At least you will get some disgusted stares from people who think wheat pennies are 'ancient'. Here is a fact: You only need one dealer to make the trip worthwhile. Most of those mentioned would have enough coins to bleed your bank account dry unless you are looking for unusual things or only collect mint state coins at super discount prices. I have been known to take an hour looking at stock to buy a dozen coins. Some customers are looking for a specific coin and disappointed when they don't find it. One of my most popular pages on my website addresses this exact question. Consider visiting this page but the prices will be higher now. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/acmshow.html
I would usually attend this show but I can’t this year (AP Grading is taking place the same weekend… and I don’t know when there will be another show I can attend!). From the past couple years I recall two or three specializing in ancients, but if you took the time hunting around the world coin dealers you could find some more hiding in their stock.
I went over for a scouting run this afternoon, and I counted 10 or so dealers that had a significant amount of ancient and/or world material (I didn't count the ones with "5/$1" world coin bins and everything else US.) I think there were at least 7 or 8 that had ancients. About as many dealers as usual, but not as many customers -- and out of the several hundred people present, I think I saw two wearing masks, and one with a mask around his neck. Just in case that matters to you.
I actually went to the show today and a had a successful trip. I met a few dealers I had never met and had some great conversations with them and other dealers that I knew and had not seen for a while. I picked up 10 or so coins and filled a few holes in my collection. All in all, I had a great time.
