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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TIF, post: 2402957, member: 56859&quot;]<b>Chicago International Coin Fair, Rosemont IL</b></p><p><b>April 14-17, 2016</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This is a show report of sorts, although somehow I forgot to take even a single picture of the bourse or people!&nbsp; I was too busy looking at coins <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve only attended one other show, ANA World&#039;s Fair of Money, 2014.&nbsp; For an ancients collector CICF was more fun since there wasn&#039;t a sea of slabbed Morgans filling most tables <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie105" alt=":yuck:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />, nor were there mile-long lines of poor saps waiting for Kennedy gold. CICF pushes world and ancient coins.&nbsp; Although considerably smaller than WFOM, there were almost as many ancient coin dealers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trip was an unexpected and serendipitous event.&nbsp; There was a work-related meeting that Saturday so except for the extra days of hotel, it was a freebie.&nbsp; Considering that there aren&#039;t any coin shows within a thousand miles of me, it was a most welcome gift.</p><p><br /></p><p>The bourse was open to dealers and early birds on Thursday.&nbsp; My plane landed in the mid afternoon on Thursday and I scrambled to check in and run over to the convention center before the start of Heritage&#039;s Signature auction which began at 5 pm.&nbsp; I wasn&#039;t planning on bidding-- the catalog for that auction was very lackluster-- surprisingly so since it was a print auction.&nbsp; I wanted to lotview anyway, just for the experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lotviewing was at the Heritage tables within the bourse rather than in a separate room.&nbsp; Hmm.&nbsp; Well, I certainly wasn&#039;t going to pay $50 for early entry to spend only an hour lotviewing!&nbsp; I just breezed through the lobby and walked into the bourse like I belonged there, sans badge or wrist band.&nbsp; Security didn&#039;t even blink <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; After chatting briefly with a dealer I met a couple of years ago, I headed over to Heritage, registered, and pulled up a chair.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the coins were far better in hand... er, in plastic.&nbsp; That may be due to my increasingly poor near vision <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie10" alt=":oops:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; Interestingly, most of the bronzes I viewed were brown in the catalog but deep green in hand.&nbsp; An example:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]495471[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The catalog description does say the coin is green.&nbsp; I suppose the take-home lesson is to trust HA&#039;s written description of color instead the images, if color is important to you.</p><p><br /></p><p>I attended the auction for a short while with the intent of bidding on a lot or two if it looked like I could get them for a palatable price.</p><p><br /></p><p>The auction room was almost empty except for HA personnel.&nbsp; That wasn&#039;t surprising given the mostly unremarkable catalog (speaking about their ancients only since I don&#039;t know anything about world coins) and the fact that CICF isn&#039;t a huge show.&nbsp; Heritage does have a robust live bidding platform on their website and I bet most of the bids came from there.&nbsp; I was still perusing the catalog when my first lot of interest hit the block.&nbsp; I looked up just in time to register that fact and raise my paddle for a bid.&nbsp; My bid was countered and after brief consideration, I bid again and the other bidder quit.&nbsp; The price was satisfactory and it&#039;s a type that has been on my wish list for a while:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]495475[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysius I (400-345 BC)</b></p><p>Æ 20 mm, 8.23 gm</p><p>Struck c. 390 BCE</p><p>Obv:&nbsp; head of Athena left, wearing wreathed Corinthian helmet pushed back on head</p><p>Rev:&nbsp; hippocamp left</p><p>Ref:&nbsp; Calciati 35. SNG ANS 426</p><p>As with most Heritage lots, this coin was slabbed and upon returning home it was freed within minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp; NGC gave it the baffling grade of MS 5/5 strike, 4/5 surfaces, Fine Style.&nbsp; &quot;Mint State&quot;... I think we&#039;ve discussed that nonsense many times before.&nbsp; I wanted it simply because of the exceptional hippocamp <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>Friday I had all day free to spend at the show.&nbsp; First stop:&nbsp; Heritage, to pick up my hippocamp and to express my feelings about slabs.&nbsp; I&#039;d been looking forward to this moment since soon after confirming that I&#039;d be able to attend the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my first coin show I celebrated by making a collage of my coin photos, printing it to fabric, and sewing some garments to wear at that show.&nbsp; It was great fun; pictures are <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-someone-has-done-this-before.252350/page-3#post-1989617" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-someone-has-done-this-before.252350/page-3#post-1989617">here</a> and <a href="http://www.tifcollection.com/#!ancient-coin-clothing/c14h6" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.tifcollection.com/#!ancient-coin-clothing/c14h6" rel="nofollow">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp; I wanted to make another garment for this show.&nbsp; Since Heritage was the main (well, only) live auctioneer at CICF and they are the worst offenders when it comes to slabbing, I went with a <i>different</i> coin theme:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wixstatic.com%2Fmedia%2Fae43f8_5716054bd8754b13b69f5f42d05e3c86%7Emv2.jpg&amp;hash=0180b948d3167a16288fec3f90b35814" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s the pattern&#039;s repeat:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]495477[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>With wicked glee I sauntered over to David Michaels (Director of Ancients, Heritage) and watched as he slowly noticed my blouse <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie59" alt=":joyful:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie59" alt=":joyful:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; He burst out laughing, asked if BigCollector* put me up to it, gathered his colleagues to see the shirt, and took a picture.</p><p><font size="3">*For purposes of this public story, I&#039;m using a pseudonym for this notoriously enthusiastic collector.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>BigCollector is apparently known for his vociferous opposition to slabs <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I browsed the bourse, most dealers who noticed my blouse said variations of the same thing after recovering from their laughter:&nbsp; &quot;Has BigCollector seen it yet?&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>I hadn&#039;t formally met BigCollector but was aware of him.&nbsp; Everyone assumed I must know him, so I kept my mouth shut and smiled.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the HJB table, Harlan saw my shirt and immediately wanted me to make him one. He was very serious about it. He wants me to make him a plain-style T-shirt with this fabric. Then he reconsidered and said, &quot;No, wait! Make <i>two</i> of them. I want to give one to BigCollector!&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>I was really getting a sense of how much BigCollector hates slabs if everyone in the place immediately thought of him upon seeing my shirt. I agreed to make the shirts and will order more fabric this week.&nbsp; Guess I&#039;d better order a t-shirt pattern too since my usual &quot;make it up as I go&quot; approach won&#039;t work.</p><p><br /></p><p>I went back to browsing and some time later heard the distinctive sound of hammering. There was BigCollector, happily cracking out 35 coins while sitting at a dealer&#039;s table <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. He brings his own hammer and chisel to shows!&nbsp; That certainly makes a statement <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie59" alt=":joyful:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie59" alt=":joyful:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; Rather than waiting for a formal introduction, I walked over, got his attention, and said &quot;I think you might appreciate this shirt,&quot; pointing to my blouse. After taking a moment to understand, he laughed. He was busy and I didn&#039;t want to interrupt so I went back to browsing after a very brief chat about our mutual hatred of slabs.</p><p><br /></p><p>I was formally introduced to him later that afternoon. He was in the middle of a deal so we didn&#039;t talk extensively and planned to get together later in the day.&nbsp; He had a bunch of coins to show me but only had time to bring out the remarkable <a href="https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&amp;sid=1466&amp;lot=29193" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&amp;sid=1466&amp;lot=29193" rel="nofollow">Otho drachm</a> he picked up the night before in the Heritage auction.&nbsp; An aside:&nbsp; &quot;everyone&quot; at the show was shocked that there weren&#039;t more bidders on that coin.&nbsp; Despite its rather homely appearance, it is a rare and desirable coin and the seller must&#039;ve been very disappointed in the hammer.</p><p><br /></p><p>I was busily buried in dealer boxes all over the bourse the rest of the day and didn&#039;t run into him again.&nbsp; Too bad... I really wanted to see more of his purchases and to talk to him about various coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>Prior to the show I contacted Perry Siegel (Herakles Numismatics) to let him know I would be there.&nbsp; I met Perry at WFOM, where we went to dinner one night and had a great time.&nbsp; Thursday we had dinner at <a href="http://www.maharajachicago.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.maharajachicago.com/" rel="nofollow">Maharaja</a>, a fantastic Indian restaurant a mile or so from the convention center.&nbsp; Once again Perry was a delightful dinner companion and an old customer/collector friend of his, Dan, joined us.</p><p><br /></p><p>The next night dinner was at a rowdy Mexican restaurant, this time with Perry, Mark Reid (Time Machine), Bill Kalmbach (Nilus), and Dan.&nbsp; We had a fabulous time and it&#039;s always a mood boost being the only woman in a group of men <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark is a very interesting man.&nbsp; A former educator (many different roles) and Berkeley think-tanker, he was quite a versatile conversationalist.&nbsp; I also spent a lot of time talking to Bill and browsing his coins too.&nbsp; Bill lives in my former home city.&nbsp; Dan must have an amazing collection.&nbsp; I badgered him to join CoinTalk and to take pictures of his coins.&nbsp; We shall see if he follows through.&nbsp; At the show Dan bought the finest Antinous Alexandrian drachm (or hemidrachm, I can&#039;t remember <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie10" alt=":oops:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />) I&#039;ve ever seen.&nbsp; <i>Very</i> jealous <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>Saturday&#039;s dinner was back at the Indian restaurant.&nbsp; I&#039;d have eaten there for every meal if it were up to me.&nbsp; Actually, I did eat their food every day-- the portions were so generous that I had leftovers each time.&nbsp; Murgh makhani makes a fine breakfast <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; Wish I had some right now.</p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>After winning my Syracuse hippocamp Thursday, I promptly left the auction in order to avoid temptation since I hadn&#039;t yet browsed the bourse.&nbsp; I did pretty well for the first few hours on Friday, exercising good judgement and restraint.&nbsp; Of course that all went to hell as the hours flew by.&nbsp; I came home with thirteen coins <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; Some were good deals, some weren&#039;t.&nbsp; Some were &quot;smart&quot; purchases, some weren&#039;t.&nbsp; That&#039;s just how it goes at shows unless you have a phenomenal memory, discipline, and good internet access.&nbsp; I had none of those things <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp;&nbsp; While the total dollar amount spent certainly added up to a fairly painful figure, I&#039;m pretty pleased with the purchases.&nbsp; At least I didn&#039;t make as many overtly stupid choices as I did at WFOM.&nbsp; I&#039;ll be posting the rest of my goodies in their own threads as I take pictures and make writeups.&nbsp; Some of the &quot;lesser&quot; coins will just be dropped into existing threads.</p><p><br /></p><p>...</p><p><br /></p><p>In summary, as a collector of ancient coins I found CICF to be very worthwhile.&nbsp; Word of caution though:&nbsp; things may change next year.&nbsp; HJB has an inaugural &quot;big&quot; show downtown and right now it is scheduled concurrently with CICF.&nbsp; Yeah, <i>that</i> sounds like a political mess...&nbsp; Rumors are flying and CICF may be moved to another date, perhaps another month.&nbsp; The HJB show sounds like it will be fantastic.&nbsp; Maybe I can find another work-related meeting to attend around that time <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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