I know it's only Friday and there's still "plenty" of show left for Saturday and Sunday, but I thought I'd share my experience on how things went. The reason I parened "plenty" is that the show slows down to almost nothing by 2 PM tomorrow (Saturday) and there's usually only 40% of the dealers setting up on Sunday. Anyway, I was disappointed with how I made out in the end. I arrived at the show right before it started, at 10 AM, and immediately scowered the floor to see what I could find. My goal for the show was to either find a no problem Bust Half-Dime in VF-EF condition and with a preference of a die crack or cud. Another goal of mine was to find a reasonably priced semi-key/ key Bust or Seated Half-Dollar in the same VF-EF grade. I stopped at several dealers I knew and many that I didn't. Many of the dealers I went to had limited quantities of problem free Bust and Seated material. Then if they did have what I wanted in grade, they didn't (normally) have the rarity I was searching for. I walked around for a couple hours without a single purchase. Frustrated and annoyed, I stopped by the Heritage Table to chat with fellow CoinTalk member CaveTroll. We talked coins on and off, I showed him some of my newest finds (not from the show), met some of his co-workers (all were extremely friendly and helpful) and talked about college. I eventually scowered the bourse again to see if I missed anything or to switch what I should look for. I soon found a coin that cought my eye. This coin was foreign, and I almost never buy foreign, but I bought it because it, likely, has some early American history behind it. I found an 1810 1/2 Reale Spanish Silver coin in fairly low grade (not better than VG) for $12. I showed it to a couple of people who thought that the reverse could have been overstruck or double-struck. To sum the rest of the show up, I bought an 1840 Seated Half in F-12, and I bought a Seated Half Dansco album. If you were there (i.e. CaveTroll) tell us how your experience was and post if you bought anything.
Nice, mid-grade 19th century type material is very difficult to find right now. Seated quarters and halves have been hot, as well as any early Bust material. I often face disappointment.
