Here are my observations and thoughts from the ANA Show. ~Arriving a little after the 10 AM opening meant the line to get tickets ($10 per day or $25 for all days for non-ANA members) was fairly short and there was no buildup near the entrance ~Minted Assets were giving out a free coin specially made for the show at their booth (#730) and they should have some for a few days. I think this is a pretty cool design and you can’t beat the price! ~The bourse is large and there seemed to be more dealers than last year (I did not check the numbers to verify). There were plenty of people walking the show and certain tables were busy. I liked that there was a world mint section. It is a bit disappointing that most were not selling anything at the show-just advertising so that you can buy online. At previous ANA shows (I want to say circa 2015), I was able to buy some cool coins from the Austrian Mint and the mint in Ukraine. The US Mint was also present (I recall there was a thread on the CU forum a month or so ago mentioning that they had not yet been confirmed as having a table). ~Gold spot has decreased about $100 from its high point last week but dealers were below spot for US bullion. I had a ½ oz Spouse and the person I have normally sold to was not interested. I did end up finding a smaller dealer that offered $40 under (so $80 per oz/ ~3.5% under). I figured it was a good time to cash out of a coin I didn’t have much attraction too and turn the funds into something for the collection. ~There was plenty of gold and silver on the bourse but I did not notice many deals/fervor (I could have missed it of course but it did feel like some previous shows had more affinity for metals). Platinum, as usual, is even scarcer on the floor. Only a few dealers carry any and I’m guessing the drop in price over the last week has further diminished the prospects of much activity (which is too bad in my opinion since the platinum coins, especially some of the proof Eagles, have some nice designs). ~Buying can be a challenge since nice coins are priced strong (and this show was no different). I’m willing to step up for the right coins but a few that I liked were in moon territory. A very nice common date MS 62 high end toned Morgan was just one example-it was priced at $2k. This same coin was $1,600 at Central States (in May of this year), so the price is going up! Now it was with a different dealer but I’m not sure if a sale has happened in between or if it is just on consignment. I was willing to pay crazy money for that coin but not that crazy! ~Luckily I did walk away with two cool coins (photos to follow at the bottom). One was a nice reverse toned CAC slabbed Morgan. Having seen some other dealer prices, I figured this one would be in that range. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be fairly priced (probably half of what others would ask and within the margins of what I could expect to pay if it were auctioned at a place like GC, eBay, or Heritage). The other “coin” is a toned Dan Carr Society of Silver Dollar Collectors overstruck Peace Dollar. It’s a toned version with only 12 made. I liked the color and enjoy Carr’s work, so this was a fun addition. ~Selling was a process but overall I was satisfied with the results. Like usual, it took showing items to multiple dealers before the right deal was reached. Several dealers passed or offered quite a bit less than I expected but I usually found someone who met my price (or close enough to make the deal). I was able to move several toners that I had upgraded in my collection or optimistically stretched on previously (that turned out to not fit my eye appeal threshold). I did let go of one Morgan that I still liked and would have kept but it helped seal a multi item deal at a price that was fair to both the dealer and me. ~Random item inserted to see if anyone is still reading: did the soap in the bathrooms smell odd to anyone?....ok back to your regularly scheduled programming….. ~I found the exhibits interesting. My favorite was one that showed the periodic table of elements via coins. I have seen something similar before but this exhibit used a tantalum coin from Kazakhstan (one of my favorite world mints), so that pushed it to the top. The Norfed display caught my eye too (I also found out that NGC started grading these in 2023). And the one with information about the PCGS Regency slab was back (saw it at a previous show). It had some cool items that included the original price sheets and order forms. ~There were more world coins at this show than Central States (as expected) but I still have not found that one person who has a silver proof from Uzbekistan that I need for one of my sets (I did not expect to find one either). There did not appear to be many pick/junk bins either. I recall seeing two (Central States seemed to have more). I know people like these as it’s a fun way to find something on a budget but it also does not make sense for most dealers to carry these with them (unless they are local and can drive). ~I did not see many oddball slabs. There were some small white Anacs holders, several SEGS slabs, multiple PCI, and even a few of the photo slabs/photo certificates but nothing super scarce. In terms of PCGS/NGC, many tables have some PCGS rattlers and occasionally someone has an NGC white label (2.0/2.1). GreatCollections had a set of NGC 1.0 black label slabs on display (not selling) and some PCGS prototypes (rattler and Regency) that are being auctioned. ~Overall it was a fun show and any day one gets to spend around a ton of coins is a good one in my book
I think the idea is to not carry inventory from Europe and have to deal with taking payments (especially if currency conversion is needed). They have a handful of coins on display to give buyers an idea. Some also have agreements/partnerships with US dealers. For example, at a show several years ago, the Austrian Mint was telling people that the coins are all available on APMEX (you could not order direct from their website). Edit: the Lithuanian mint had a coin I've admired for a few years that is like a honeycomb. These sold out a while back and increased significantly on the secondary market. I guess the idea behind including it in their display was to show a cool design and the value the coins can achieve but you can't buy it anywhere outside of a few eBay dealers. Here is a link to that coin. It is actually Latvian but made by the Lithuanian Mint. Issue price was 53 Euro and nowadays they sell for $500 or more. https://www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/latvian-honeycomb-coin.html
Super summary! I was at the ANA today; had an absolute blast. The international mint area you mention was exceptionally cool. In my limited experience attending smaller shows (biggest being CSNS), that was really unique and new. Quite enjoyed walking around there an exploring a bit. My dad purchased a silver Maple Leaf from the Canadian mint there. Walked it over to their cash register and was told to place the order on their website and delivery was immediate right there at their counter. Kinda different, but it worked. The other international mint which stood out to me was the Netherlands mint. One particular series was appealing: obverse had an animal and the reverse had a baby of that animal. They were struck in very high relief and had exceptionally detailed backgrounds and environments. Did you see the 1943 bronze cent and 1913 V nickel exhibits?
The photographed toned Morgan is nice, similar to the kind of coin which I'm looking for. That was an enjoyable report. What was the situation like per ancients?
The Canadian Mint experience you mention I'm good with. If you can pick up at the show but have to pay on their website that is fine (and it allows you to use a credit card/not have to carry as much cash). I do not recall the 1943 bronze cent or 1913 V nickel (I did go by some exhibits faster than others).
Thanks! Hopefully you will eventually find the one that fits your set! In terms of ancients, there were several tables that were almost exclusively ancient and a few more that had a mix of world and ancient. I have not delved into ancients myself, so I can't comment on prices. The only thing I do recall is one table had a small box that said ancients under $100. That made me think they either had mostly higher end inventory or their prices were very strong (could be both).
An update from my second day, 8/8/24, at the ANA ~Again there wasn’t much of a line to purchase tickets or a crowd to get in a little after the 10 AM general entrance time. ~I tried my luck at the NGC contest. This year was different than previous times. Instead of a pure grading test, there were three portions. Part 1 had general trivia questions, part 2 involved identifying coins, and part 3 was grading. I don’t want to give much away since the contest is still ongoing but for me there was a combination of easy and harder parts (some of which would be easy for those people that collect a certain region that I don’t know much about). Everyone who partakes gets a free participant slab and the winners will get some prizes (grading credits, etc). ~ Having mostly sold what I wanted yesterday, I decided to bring a few more coins today. These were more of a test of the market. I liked all of them and was only willing to sell at strong rates. As expected, only one coin sold after several efforts. With some others it seemed like a few dealers were close but did not think they could make enough on the coins to seal the deal. I was ok with that and happy to keep those coins. One I thought looked very nice under the show lights and I questioned why I was selling it. Of course I can’t keep them all if I want to continue to get upgrades, so sometimes sacrifices are made on nice coins in order to get even better ones. ~In terms of buying, I was focused on finding a world crown that had great eye appeal and a design that I liked for under $1k. I saw some decent items (Mexico, Central American Republic, French Indochina, Japan) but nothing that stood out. Either the prices were more than I wanted to spend or the coins were just average (yet still priced strong). I did not want to overpay just to get something. ~As mentioned yesterday, I’m also on the hunt for a coin from Uzbekistan. I came very close-Tajikistan! And it was priced at the $100 mark that I like. Unfortunately it wasn’t the right country (I already have a coin I like from Tajikistan and the design on this one wasn’t as captivating). ~I did find several US toned coins to buy in a combo deal. I paid a little more than I wanted for one but the others I was actually able to resell later at the show to effectively get the one keeper closer to my desired price. A little extra work paid off! ~I’m not one to shy away from a coin in a details slab if I like the look and it’s priced right. I saw one such Capped Bust Half Dollar. PCGS had called it UNC questionable color. I think the color is a toss-up but I liked the look. The dealer wanted 4,500 for it. That is in the MS 64-65 price range. I understand that the dealer thinks it is natural but that is the kind of price where you really need to get it in a straight graded holder. ~I ran into some people from Instagram and was able to talk/look at coins with one of them. Sometimes I’m super focused on the mission of hunting out something to buy or sell so I don’t stop to talk much. I also feel like it isn’t the best to take up extensive time, especially at a table, when others are waiting to buy/sell. I have been in that situation where it took a long time and I had to leave a table where there was something potentially interesting. ~I verified and the soap still smelled odd! It wasn’t me either since the soap at a fast food place smelled much better! ~Some dealers I have completely given up on and don’t think I will stop by again. I have not been able to reach a deal buying or selling after years of trying. One annoyance is those that say top prices paid or buying all coins and they pass without even listening to a price. Bonus points to those that have prices that are multiples of what I’m asking yet they can’t make any money at my prices (maybe they need to lower their spreads and move some of those coins). ~Kudos to the dealers that pass on coins gracefully. I understand a deal can’t always be made and some are good at being nice about it. ~I saw one Compugrade holder today! It said NFS (not for sale). It wasn’t a rarer version. All are tough but this was a Morgan with a grade that is seen occasionally, 64.3 (it is not on the list that Lakesamman, from the PCGS forum, needs so it can’t be that rare!). ~The show wasn’t packed today but there were plenty of people there. It will be interesting to see what total attendance turns out to be. Although I don’t think this show will set any records, it should still see decent numbers. ~Well two days are in the books and it was fun! Hopefully others that went enjoyed their time too and everyone else got a little taste from reading the reports.
Thanks for the write up. I live nearby but it's a hard time to take time off from work. It sounds like I probably wouldn't have found much to buy as you said there were few junk bins and that's what I enjoy. I did find a few good ones at the Central States show though.
If you have time on Saturday, it might still be worth going. That day is free admission. While plenty of dealers will have left, my guess is the ones who have the cheaper junk bins will be around (at least in the morning). Plus there might be some that are more willing to deal so that they don't have to take as much inventory back.
And for those wondering about my prowess as an NGC triathlete, I ended up being #36 out of 200 with a 74% accuracy (hey it's a passing grade ).
