I believe the FUN show will be @Fred Weinberg last show now that he is retiring. If anyone see him there then congratulate him
@Fred Weinberg This morning I cancelled my trip to Orlando/FUN. Don't need to take even a 10-20% chance that either I'll get sick (fully vac'd) or a flight might be cancelled. I'll miss saying 'goodby' to some old friends, and won't be able to watch live my currency errors selling on Platinum Night, but don't feel like taking a risk at 72 years old. Enjoy the show for those that attend... This was posted Dec.27, 2021 on the CU Forum.
I stood in line at his table at the recent ANA. A true scholar and gentleman. I hope his retirement will be part time so that we can still learn from him.
Here at FUN since 9 am. Did the Heritage lot viewing then show opened at 10. So far, the crowd is about what it was at Summer FUN, that is, smaller than most Winter FUN shows pre-pandemic. Dealer attendance seems a trifle down but it is still a huge show. Significantly more dealers in ancients and world than in the past. DLRC has the D.L. Hanson collection of LS Quarters on display. Nice! I'm only through aisle 500 with six more to go. Picked up a nice 1923-S SLQ in PCGS AU-53 and some Buffalo Nickels. Got my eye on a nice 1839 ND quarter but price is a bit stiff. Juries still out on that one. The 1839 ND half in the Heritage lots I judged a C coin due to hairlines and weak strike (PCGS AU-55) so probably a no bid. Saying hi to lots of folks.
I’m looking forward to going to a coin show sometime soon I hope, but a couple of questions, 1. How much is admission and do you need to preregister or join an organization? 2. How do prices compare to auctions? Do you use a price guide in negotiating? Congrats on that fine SLQ - I saw a PCGS green CAC in AU55 sold recently on eBay for about $1850.
1. Between $0 and about $10. FUN is 0 and I think ANA is 10. Parking at FUN is discounted $10 but can be pretty pricy in a major urban core. Most local and many regional shows have free parking. Si it just varies quite a bit. Never heard of any pre-registration. And you donlt have to join an organization. 2. Prices! Well, prices are sometimes/often higher than auctions because dealers have costs at shows they dont have in online auctions. But it also depends on what youre buyinig. Big advantages at a show are you see the coin in hand and you make contacts/friends. Negilotiations are the same everywhere but you can throw the price guides out the window rigjt now with this rising market.
@Fred Weinberg. 72 yrs. young. Just a baby. Remember, you're younger than quite a few of the coins you have inspected over the years. Stay healthy and enjoy your leisure, sir.
I'd loved to meet that man, he is a legend in his own time. Retirement is grand I can relate to that.
Was at the show Thursday. There seemed to be a good crowd. About half masked. Lots of empty dealer tables, but enough around to make it a worthwhile trip.
I am at the show. Crowded but not extremely so. Dealers complaining that they don't have enough stock. (I heard it a couple of times from dealers talking), however they were also stating that they were having a good show. One thing that I observed was that less Morgan dollars were on display than from two years ago. (I don't collect them and this is just an observation. Prices are strong. I even saw a table for Legacy Currency Grading there, (and I thought they were defunct since their website hasn't worked for several years. It looks as if they moved to Santa Rosa CA. (Dead cat bounce???)
Went all three days. Attended EAC Club meeting this morning. This afternoon, Gerry Fortin gave a nice talk on Liberty Seated Quarters. Then an interesting Q&A afterwards with some discussion about CAC and attribution sources. Lots of activity all three days but the last day always gets a bit slower. By noon, a few dealers had left or were packing up but most were staying put. Lots of talk about lack of inventory. I believe prices were strong - still looks like a rising market and dealers were saying the same thing. A dealer showed me his new pick-up: 1848 Quarter Eagle with the CAL on the reverse. This coin was made from 230 ounces of the first gold mined in CA that was shipped east and coined. Neat coin. In a PCGS holder, AU-Details, Smoothed Surfaces. I couldn't see it in my brief examination but the coin looked nice. Overall, a great big show as always but maybe a little smaller than past years. I picked up some nice coins: 1786 New Jersey, PCGS VF-20 1803 Half Dime, NGC F-12 1834 Half Eagle, PCGS AU-55 1832 Half Dime, PCGS AU-50 1839 No Drapery Liberty Seated Quarter, PCGS AU-53 1923-S SLQ, PCGS AU-53 1930 SLQ, PCGS MS-65 FH And a few raw Buffalo Nickels in key dates to finish off the raw, circulated set. I'm tired but now I have to help the wife put together her newly-delivered automatic cat feeder. Joy!
I picked up several PCGS 64 Buffalo nickels and a couple fractional notes to upgrade ones in my collection. For me, it was a successful show. My main purpose was to cross my old PCGS fractional notes to PMG so I could participate in the Registry. As you may know, PCGS currency ended after the 10-year license was over. Legacy was to be the replacement, but it never took off. PCGS took it back in-house and it is now PCGS Banknote, but they do not recognize the previously graded notes as part of theirs. It was expensive but I had a good result with the net value staying exactly the same. Some of the notes went up, some down, some stayed the same.
Lack of inventory at FUN is not good at all. If lack of inventory was present at a major show, it will be worse at local shows.
My wife and I driving talking about the lack of supply at FUN. What are causes of this? COVID? Spike in prices? Are people hoarding? As a buyer, it is really frustrating especially at a personal level when I hope to finish sets.
