After the summer doldrums for coin shows (at least for me) things are beginning to stir. There's a mid-sized show (30-50 dealers) scheduled for Hagerstown, MD, 4-5 Sept. As local shows go, this is a good one. MFD has two IHCs on hold for me which I'll pick up at this show. Then there's the Philly Whitman show which I'll go to 1 Oct. This is a shot at getting one or two of my hard-to-find coins. I need these shows. If I don't get these boosts fairly often I get desperate and start buying coins that get me scratching my head later (Why did I buy this?) Last show for me was the June Baltimore Whitman show.
You could have taken the Acela Express train to the Boston ANA a couple weeks ago. Isn't there also going to be a CoinFest in Connecticut later this year? I've never been to the Philadelphia Whitman show. I take it you recommend it. Is there any reason to stay at a local hotel for the show or should I plan to just drive in & out? I'll look it up & see how many dealers are scheduled etc.
For anyone who has never attended the FUN Show (Florida United Numismatists), this is one that everybody should try to attend at least once. There are about 1000 dealers present and there are free seminars galore. For you northerners, the fact that it is held in January would be a good opportunity to take advantage of a vacation from the frozen north and attend this show which will be held in Tampa in 2011. Chris
I seriously considered going to the Boston ANA but the logistics didn't work out well. It would have been a week-long trip with several side visits. Couldn't work it out well. And this year MFD wasn't going to be there fulltime. The Baltimore Whitman shows are my primary shows, esp. since there are 3 each year (Mar, Jun & Nov). But the Philly Whitman fits nicely in the Jun-Nov gap. And it's almost door-to-door using Amtrak. Seriously considered the Summer FUN also. In this case it was a purely financial decision. Too much money for just going to the show. Earlier in the year I had also considered the Nashville Whitman show. Didn't go. It was a combination of financial and travel considerations that stopped me.
Boston was terrific. I don't think Hagerstown is worth it for me... it's 5 hours.. But Baltimore for sure!
Don't know if pre-show registration is open yet, but this is where you'd do it. http://www.whitmanexpo.com/contentPages/Main_Philadelphia.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Yeh, the show doesn't merit a 5 hour trip. For me it's an hour or less. There's something about Baltimore that lots of people like. To the best of my knowledge it's the only Whitman location that has more than one show a year ... and it has three! And with Philly that gives me a nice spread of 4 shows a year. That's really more than my wallet can support but that doesn't stop me from going.
The Boston ANA was a GREAT show, there were lots of good deals there, not to mention fantastic site-seeing. I have a conflict so I won't be at the Philly show, but I'll be setting up at CoinFest for the first time this October, and then staying out there on the east coast to do the Baltimore show which is the next week. Baltimore is always a good show, and I've heard so is CoinFest. There are really some very good shows coming up in the next few months - can't wait!! Hope to see some east coast CTers!
I look forward to seeing you at CoinFest. All the CoinTalkers should wear something that other CoinTalkers can recognize. Maybe we could wear a simple (and bright) CT sticker on our badge? At all big shows we always have a badge.
