After a 2.5 hour drive I arrived in Nashville, just after 11AM for the show. Traffic was light and the convention center had a parking garage next to it! Finding the location of the show was a bit difficult because the center is enormous. This was eased by helpful staff posted at stations that knew which way to go. Check-in was slow, but I got through the line in about 15 minutes, receiving a free PCGS certified TN state quarter because I had a postcard for the event. I have no clue how I got it! Either way, the slab was gifted to an Instagram friend. Then I hit the bourse. It was huge! I had no expectations, but knew what I was looking for. I did a quick run through which took an hour. I noted a couple tables to return to. Lots of coins were being bought and sold, lots of cash exchanging hands. It didn't seem too crowded, but I believe that's because everything was nicely spread out with plenty of room. There was a steady stream of people coming in the whole time I was there. The bulk of the material offered was U.S. Case after case of Morgan's and Peace dollars. Tons of bullion. There was a wide array of US coinage available, though anything before seated coinage seemed to be scarce. Three US coins that stuck out to me were a beautiful proof Morgan with dark fields and blast white cameo, a stunning 1797 half dime, plus all the 19th century proof gold! I saw my first flowing hair dollar in real life! There was absolutely no shortage of high quality US material, with the exception of bust coinage, colonial and oddly, I didn't see many 20 cent pieces either. There was a large selection of paper too, but not sure of the types as I don't usually deal with it. The vast majority of available inventory was slabbed unless it was in OGP. A few tables did have nice raw selections though. On the world end a few booths had extensive selections of modern coins: colorized, oddly shaped, very large, etc. Those ones with low mintages and high premiums. Most booths had only a few older world coins, with some having none. First thing is asked was, do you have anything non US? Many said no. Three tables had a sizeable world selection and I purchased something from all three. The tables doing the best were ones with signs advertising they were buying and ones with lots of bullion, but most tables at any given time had someone looking. I sold 4 coins to dealers which almost covered the cost of the ones I bought! There weren't many kids there, but I suspect they were still in school, but plenty of younger folks. The mint had a really nice set up of display cases and items you could buy. I dropped off a submission at the NGC table whose staff was very helpful and kind. The PCGS table seemed to be doing well too. I didn't see many at the CAC grading table, but from the decent amount of the new companies already graded material available in cases, it's evident they are doing ok. Coin World, Hugh Wood, Grey Sheet, Stacks, Heritage and Great collections all had tables as well. Dealers were from all over the country, California to New York. Overall, I think the show was a success personally. There are a few minor things to be fixed, but nothing that seemed like a glaring oversight on the organizers part. I spent a total of 4 hours on the bourse, a good 3 of it was simply walking around and taking everything in and peering into cases. Allow me to rant. Unfortunately, not all dealers are what I'd call customer friendly. In fact, a quick hello is a sure way to get me to stay at your table longer. A few actually asked my collecting interests, made small talk, etc. A couple were on their phones and never even acknowledged I was at the table, one I couldn't even find and one did acknowledge me, but never came over and continued to play a song on their phone for someone. I don't expect all of a dealers attention, but if I'm the only one at the table, a simple nod of acknowledgement would be nice. Unfortunately I did not get pictures because I forgot! I was honestly a bit overwhelmed with all those clubs in such a small area! I've posted my purchases in the world coin threads, but here's what I came out with.
That was a great review. Thank you for taking the time to write down all that 411. I'm not a world coin person, but your purchases are beautiful. Kudos.
Thanks for the show coverage. For those of us who don't get out much it is nice to know what is happening out in the world. Of the coins you looked at how would you compare the prices to last year.
I couldn't agree more about the customer service skills of some dealers. Over the years, I can't count the number of times I have appeared at coin tables and no one has bothered to even look at me. I don't understand it. Apart from that, it sounds like you had a decent experience and broke even between sales and purchases. It sounds like a very enjoyable and successful voyage. Thanks for sharing.
That I couldn't tell you as far as US coins, but prices seemed to be strong. Lower and midgrade certified mint state "common coins" like franklins, indian cents, Lincoln's, washington quarters etc. seemed to be quite reasonable from the I saw. Some had their inventory priced where you could see it, others didn't. Higher grade type coins looked like they carried a premium and of course, Morgan's were priced on the higher side, with some booths only having toned ones out for sale. I thought most of the classic commemorative coins were priced fairly. I remember seeing a beautifully toned Gettysburg in MS67+. I didn't ask a price because I knew it was too rich for me!
I've never been to coin show so I very much enjoy reading about shows from folks who are able to attend them. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences about the show.
I'm planning on venturing outside of Maine for some coin shows in New England, so I am reading my way through these older coin show reports for tips and tricks. Nice writeup, thank you very much.
