Featured Chicago ANA Show Report

NOT TRUE if the majority stands up to them and there is another way called boycotting them!

 

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They are talking about clads. 69 in clad is really really good. The highest I have seen so far is 68.

 

double post

 

Boycott who? I've probably never dealt with SilverTowne (possibly I bought some one-ouncers from them twenty years ago), and I suspect their customers for the certified gold Kennedys are not collectors as we know the term (I'm wondering if they are in China, given the many Chinese I saw in line). The Mint does not care greatly if I buy from them or not, generally I don't. I can't think who else to boycott. It would be pointless to boycott the ANA, who was probably the greatest victim of all of this.

 

Have you noticed that boycotts are rarely ever successful?

 

Very interesting and deeply disturbing at the same time. A thought to consider the hobby is what it is because of the dealers. The mint tried an experiment to curb the dealers a few years ago the experiment was hugely successful but it killed their coin sales. What we are up against is human nature and not an organization. Que sera sera

 

I remember the last time the collecting community got all torqued up at the Mint and words like boycott started whizzing around. It was 1996 and people were upset about the Atlanta Olympic program excesses on top of other commems being released and people threw up their hands in disgust. The only people who benefitted were those who DIDN'T boycott and bought it all. The boycotters paid huge premiums later to complete their sets.

It's a cruel truth, but true nonetheless. If your emotions say "go buy that coin now", you probably shouldn't. And if your emotions say don't buy it or even boycott, you should probably double your order instead. It's a contrarian's world, guys. Watch the herd and do the exact opposite.

 

Agreed!

 

That is how I have always collected.

When Barbers (dimes, quarters & half dollars) were obtainable at melt, I bought.
When premiums were added, I stopped. But, the better dates were still available, so I kept buying them. Now that the quarter keys have stagnated, I may start again.

When the states quarters program was announced, I started my Washington quarter collection in unc, except for the 'big three' (1932 D & S and 1936 D) which I got as AU's.

Completed the set before the 1st quarter was released, and was able to get VF's(1932 D & S) for $40 to $48. The XF 1932 S was a biggie @ $69, the 1932 D in AU was a giant $130. Dealers couldn't give them away. Then I stopped after I picked up about six + of each.

Picked up whatever was not in favor (read: unpopular) like Seated dimes with silly low mintages. Example; the 1846, with a mintage of #31,500. In G-04 for $45. Current trends? Check it out at $350

And many other examples.
I remember buying a Draped Bust $1/2 in F-12 (now an R-5 die marriage) for $145. I think the dealer was glad to get rid of it.

I always TRY to go against the crowd.

 

Yep, 1996 was the catalyst to limit the mint to only two commems per year. Yet, they inundated the market with a host of other products. What happened to limiting mint issues? Is the profit too great to forgo?

I can see it’s great for the mint, the tpg’s, and a few dealers – however, collectors would better off with fewer issues, spaced out, giving them time to form a stable market value, before the next big thing.

I have no time or cash to look back at previous issues, as I’m putting as much as possible into the next one. Why look back when one can get in on the ground floor on the next one, which stagnates the market for previous issues.

 

I have read all of the above remarks, watched vides of the chaos in Denver. I am an ANA member and had my badge for the show. I decided to try for a coin on wednesday morning at 12:00 a.m. The line was about 200 strong at that point. There did seem to be an unusual amount on non-english speaking asians in line, who seemed to have associates join them in line, despite people telling them to go to the back of the line. There were droves of paid people sporting yellow entry ribbons, which they got from their managers in line. For the most part barring the fact that many did not know who was on the coin, or why, it was a civil gathering. The main problem seemed to happen when the tour-bus full of paid people arrived at the back of the line. They gradually walked up along the hotel facade to stand about 10 feet behind those at the beginning of the line, but not cutting in. The problem started when the Rosemont police decided to move the line accross the street about 1:55 A.M.. There were about 7 to ten officers and several police cars present, but instead of trying to guide the line forward between them, basically stood out of the way except for one officer with a bull horn in the middle of the street. He announced we were to move accross in a neat and orderly fashion, but there was no effort to direct. There was an immediate stampede, as all of the bussed in people ran through the line and across the street, and were immediately followed by everyone else trying to at least stay in the first 500. The dealers who sponsored these people showed the utmost in greed, and they are whom I blame the most for the debacle that happened. It was true, I did have to stand all night in the middle of the sprinkler system for an hour,( one person took two trafic cones and covered two of the sprinklers which helped. I did have a few people offer to let me sit in their chairs, but I din't see any reason they should suffer for my lack of preparedness. I did watch the security try to weed out line cutters, check badges and do what they could. I believe I saw you, Mr. Bellum, on the inside between the two inside lines. I thought all of the staff was very friendly considering what they were dealing with. I did get my coin,( and a migraine from standing out all night in the cold and damp), so went home and came back the next day. I did enjoy the show, and would not want the U.S. Mint to not participate. I have always enjoyed their booth, and look forward to seeing their new releases. I wuld hate to see them not bring their newest products, as I firmly believe the quality of the coins they bring to the show are superior on an average from those ordered on line. If you read some of the blogs where people are now receiving the Kennedy they ordered on line, there is a lot of disatisfaction in the quality. Having said this I don't think there was much the ANA could have done that the culprit dealers that did the bussing couldn't have found a way to get around. I know not everyone agrees with this, but I think with the mint saying they had 40,000 ready for distribution through various outlets on the 5th, they could have brought in much more than 500 a day! If they would have brought 10,000 or there abouts for the show, they would I believe have eliminated the frenzy as supply would have met demand, and would still have left 30,000 for other distribution. I think they hyped this coin to overkill with teasing stories, check back later, leaked stories, and a refusal to state the mintage level until the very end, and for this reason besides the dealers mentioned, I believe the main fault lies with the Mint for shorting the supply.

 

My firmly held contrarian leanings lead me to an inescapable conclusion: OVER THE LONG HAUL (yes, I cyber-shouted there), the hands down winner among new 2014 US Mint releases, on at least a percentage basis if not an actual dollar basis, will be ... not curved, not gold, but the 1964 Civil Rights Act dollar, likely in BU rather than Proof. Sales total to date? Glad you asked. Only 22,529. Can you say, "SLEEPER"? Let's put that in context, shall we? That's lower than the 1995-W proof American Silver Eagle. What's that getting? $3K? $4K? Our hobby has a nasty case of myopic herd mentality. If you ain't the lead dog, the view doesn't change much.

 

The only commems that I have gotten (not so recently) were low mintage uncs.

 

Shoosh! I’m counting on the CR Commem remaining a sleeper until at least sold out. The Jackie Robinson & Black Revolutionary War Patriots were also sleepers, what does that tell you about our hobby?

 

You mean that the coin fan demographic and the NBA fan demographic have a smaller than random likelihood intersection set? Is that the one you're referring to?

 

Well said.

 

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