Anyone Else Going to Dallas? (ANA Convention March 1-5)?

I missed everyone too, except for Todd. I had a nice time on Thursday and came down today to see what I had missed and for one of the Money Talk sessions.

Unfortunately a lot of dealers missed today or were packing up...

I did find a cool late stage die crack on an 1852 3cs.

 

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Yeah I was there, kinda funny that the walking dead was right next door. Picked up a '54 proof set with a rainbow toned wheat cent, so all in all a good day.

 

Even funnier was that all the dealers were commenting (even the ones with them to sell) that "Somebody" should be selling the deaders the Zombucks.

Guess that's why coin dealers are a dying breed - not willing to get up off the comfy chair to make a sale.

However, at least one miracle. One of the old line dealers, swore he would never have anything to do with those slabs, grumpy, stayed in the back of the booth and let the wife deal with those customers who didn't walk in disgust? He had mostly slabs, was out front, charming, engaged, cheerful. Guess there really are miracle drugs...

 

The Walker/Stalker convention next door to the ANA was truly a paradigm moment. I took some snapshots.

 

That being as it may... I had a relatively good convention only because I managed to salvage it.

I attended the convention only to have my presentation "From the Earth to the Moon with John Leonard Riddell" recorded for the ANA Library. However, David Lisot had a family emergency and left. So, my talk to exactly one person was not recorded.

I did manage to test the new Dariusz Jasek book, Netherlands Gold Ducts, against the actual offerings on the floor. I did see some old friends, such as ANA editor Barbara Gregory. I did buy a couple of coins - $25 total for two. But all in all the convention was a deadweight loss for me because my talk was not recorded. I should have stayed home.

Mike M.

 

I'm sorry to hear that Mike. I'm glad there was at least some salvage.

I didn't do a lot of buying either, a combo of not having any money, expensive parking and all the coins that I need for my sets are well into 4 figures. I bought one relatively rare promotional slab for $5 and a cool late stage die crack 3 cent silver (I had never seen one before where the crack progressed to the point that part of it was a blob). I finally gave in and bought examples of the 1929 Lundy puffin and half puffin, just because it's such a cool denomination.

I take comfort in the fact that I didn't see any 1860/70s XF business strike 3CSes other than the one 1870 that came on the market late last year just after I bought mine at PNNA in Portland. And mine is nicer. So it's not like I missed anything.

And I did have a lot of fun talking to people - some I know and some I didn't.

 

I spoke with one of the Zombucks dealers (Shawnda at Leo Frese's table, sporting an "I heart Zombies" lanyard) and she was a little distraught that she couldn't be in two places at the same time.

 

Sorry I didn't make the show, you would have been able to give your talk to two people.

 

This is from my convention report on my blog:

"The best part of any numismatic convention is what you did not expect to learn. I was sitting at a table waiting for the dealer and the guy next to me was admiring a banknote. It was French Overseas Territories, a nice note with a fair price to go with it, but way beyond my interest. I asked him where it was from. Neither of us recognized the territory. So, he googled it. We both were even more puzzled. The note showed Africans and grass huts. "They're gonna be pretty cold in Newfoundland," I said. He googled it again and got the same answer.


Aluminum but still pretty.

That night, in my room, I fired up my computer and read aboutSt. Pierre et Miquelon. It is the only French Overseas Territory in North America. Following the French-Indian Wars, it stayed with France. Over the years it changed hands as a result of this treaty or that. For some years, it apparently was unpopulated. During World War II, the official government was supposed to be under Vichy, but the people kicked them out and went Free French. The banknote series is intended for all of the territories in general, with the specific territory added as an overprint. Hence, the tropical theme for the very untropical St. Pierre et Miquelon. Then, I found a set of uncirculated 1F and 2F coins, which I added to my collection. The obverse features a woman with wings on her head. I have them from other French colonies with my set of Mercury numismatics."