I was at the Iowa Numismatics Association show yesterday, and was looking forward to it for awhile. Similar to many businesses nationwide, The dealer inventory overall was quite low. There just wasn’t much worth considering purchasing after perusing 70+ tables, and there were many empty spots in cases where coins can be purchased. This is analogous to lack of parts to building products in industry, or grocery shelves far from being sufficiently stocked. I wonder if we are seeing the same at larger or more national-intent shows. It’s a bummer.
Depends on what coins you are looking for. A few years ago, precious metals were all the rage, and many dealers focused on selling precious-metal bullion. I couldn't find ANYTHING I was looking for, and then a couple of years later, BAM, I could find what I was after. I was at the world's fair of money in Chicago, and there were very few of the world coins that I seek out. It seems to be feast or famine for some reason.
I can honestly say that here that isnt a problem....dealers seem to have ample inventory. I do knowcsome have told me they have picked up huge collections some due to covid deaths,others natural passing. I've had dealers friends who saw an opportunity to sell on line...one stating his best year ever! Another dealer who I worked his show,that he was at a point that unless it was the bomb he had hos cash flow at its lowest buying as much as he has....so my take is that its feast or famine depending on your location....I'm finding more than my wallet can handel.
I hope to be able to attend the FUN Show in January, 2022. It is generally regarded as the bellwether event for the year in numismatics. I haven't been for quite a few years, and I'm sure that COVID-19 hasn't helped many dealers the last couple of years. If the FUN Show turns out to be successful, then maybe we will see a rosier picture for 2022.
Don't feel too bad, I look for Sicilian coins from the 1700's and it's always famine for me at these coin shows. I'm lucky if I can find one at a show. Ancient Sicilian coins from the Roman and Greek era are easy to find but not the 1700's
I am trying to complete some sets and perhaps I need to attend a more national show. I will say the local show was light on decent inventory and for what I’m looking for
This made me pull out my Davenport book on European Crowns. There are some really neat issues From Naples/Sicily. I'm curious... are the Crowns really difficult to track down? Seems like they would be pretty rare. Super interesting field, though. As a fellow Sicilian, I approve.
The 1700's silver crowns from Naples and Sicily are getting expensive and are scarce . Naples had their silver crowns of Piastra 120 Grana and Sicily had theirs of 12 Tari. In 1735 the Naples 120 Grana crown weighed 25.61 Grams. The Sicilian 12 Tari crown weighed 27.34 Grams In the 1700's under the Borbone rule (Regno di Borbone), Sicily and Naples had slightly different monetary systems. The mint in Napoli made different denomination coins than the mint in Palermo. King Carlo III di Borbone ruled over both Naples and Sicily but the Sicilians wanted their own coins with different denomination's and different designs. Sicilian silver coins from the Palermo mint had on the reverse, either the Sicilian eagle with a crown or a Christian cross. Most silver coins from the Napoli mint had the King's coat of arms.
