The FUN Show in Orlando. Jan. 5th-8th

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I go to a lot of smaller local shows and enjoy them. Decided to try my first LARGE show and attended Whitman Expo in Baltimore. It was like a smaller show times 100. I figured I would find the harder items I was looking for. I got so tired of walking the isles, it was just too big! I had no luck filling my hard to find items, I must have asked 30-40-50 dealers (which was still not even close to a quarter of the dealers there). I'm sure someone had what I was looking for! There has to be a better way at these large shows to see who has hard to find items. Maybe the show should set up a text number to send items to and dealers can respond with their table numbers? I hated leaving with my unspent money!

 

I understand exactly what you've gone through. Been there myself. When I approach a dealer, invariably the dealer will ask "What are you looking for?". At the last big show, I was looking for a nice Neufchtwanger (sp?)cent, not something very many dealers are going to have but I mentioned it anyway and was pointed to two specific dealers each of whom had the coin. Neither met my criteria but that's not the point. So, ask away. Most dealers (and many collectors on the floor) have seen other dealers wares and most will happily point you in that direction.

And if what you're looking for is genuinely hard to find, you may need to resort to giving selected dealers a want list. I regularly get pummeled by a few dealers for a want list. I don't do that because I like the hunt but that's just me.

Good hunting!

 

Yes, when I went to FUN 2020 somebody mentioned that....instead of a blackboard, text messages or a website posting "Wanted" stuff.

I don't know why it isn't done.

FWIW, my 1st day at FUN 2020 was a waste as I visited a few hundred tables and they all didn't have the Saints I was interested in. The 2nd day....I found the area where the higher-quality dealers congregate and found lots of great stuff.

It takes time to be able to maneuver efficiently at these much larger shows, Russ, so don't be discouraged !

 

Feuchtwanger?

And this is why making friends with a couple of good dealers is key. If you're looking for a truly rare and special piece, they will go miles out of their way to make it happen. The last FUN I attended (20202), I casually mentioned to a few that I was considering a nice Fugio. Several dealers all pointed towards one or two special pieces. And trust me, if I'd had the money, there was one that would have come home with me. But that's the advantage of having people you trust.

 

Me at Show: {after waiting 5 or 10" to get my question in}
"Excuse me, but I'm looking for a 39 No-drapery Seated Half in 62 or 63. Would you have anything like that?"

CoinDealer: "Here's a big book of all my silver halves. Look thru 'em and see fer yourself."

Me at Show: "Well it's kinda of a rarer piece. Wouldn't you know if you had one?"

CoinDealer: "Nope, no idea. Look thru the book."

 

I spend a lot of time planing this show and spend almost three full days walking it. I'll have about $2000 invested in travel, hotel and expenses. Lets not even talk about bar bills.

I pay for the Early Bird Pass that gets me in on dealer setup day and in early each day of the show. It gives me time to chat with folks before things get busy.

The first day of the show, I walk in with a list of dealer tables that are important to me. After that I start walking each isle and taking note of tables that were too busy to see what was on display in the cases. It takes too much time to stand around waiting.

I also take note of important coins I may wish to come back to. If not I won't remember where the coin was.

After three days of searching, I average bringing home only a few coins and I'm happy.

I find most every dealer to be friendly and they will help point me to other dealers that may have something I'm looking for, If I ask. Dealers are your friends if you don't act like a jerk.

I'll add more to this later. Only 36 days to go.

 

That's a good plan. I should bring along my little pocket notebook {a gift from Keunker} and scan interesting tables at first. I mainly collect foreign though so it's different for me.

One pattern I noticed is to be extremely suspicious of a dealer who has only 1 nice foreign coin which is completely out of line with the rest of his holdings. At a major show, I noticed that with a dealer having all low-priced items + one very high-grade Vitellius sestertius.

 

That is pretty much exactly what I do. The Dealer/Table map that FUN hands out free (also available ahead of time from the website) is very handy. I take notes of coins/dealers I want to come back to since my poor memory cannot keep track.

Last show I volunteered at my LCC table which got me a three day Early Bird free of charge which was my first early entry experience. That was sweet and I'm doing it again in January. Just for background, early birds can get it at 8 am and show opens to public at 10. I ran into a dealer I know about 7:30 am the first day while waiting to get in and he asked me about a couple of coins that he wanted me to look at since he didn't know much about them. So, I stopped by his table first thing (about 8:15) and lo and behold, one of the coins was a nice 1795 Talbot, Allum & Lee token shown below which was on my want list. He offered it to me at a very low price so in 15 minutes after I entered the bourse I had my first coin.

Just goes to show the importance of relationships and positioning yourself to attract, recognize and capitalize on luck.

 

The Best FUN show I ever had - I did the same thing. Planned out which dealers and tables I was going to go to. Was planning on taking note and coming back to other coins.

I walk in, the very first thing I see, within 15 minutes. Had to have it. Spent all my money and then some. Was dead broke the rest of the show - and I had so much fun just looking and talking and meeting people.

So, its good to have a plan. But it's good sometimes to break it.

 

31 days to go.
Please post if you plan to be there. If you have a table there, please post it.

 

Wow! & I didn't even suspect they made proofs* of the S-mint Indian Heads.
Congratulations.

Just made hotel reservations at the Four Points by Sheraton Orlando International Drive, Orlando. Thus I'll be there. Wonder if I have time to do an educational display???

* yes, I know, it's an ms, but it definitely looks nice. Maybe all the dies for the S mints were low mintage and thus slightly proofy in high grades?

For what it's worth tho I do own a genuine proof Indian Cent (1906). Sorry no number: bought for $30 way before slabbing came out.

 

What did you want to find? Perhaps I could give you some guidance as to which dealers might have it.

I have been going to big shows since the 1970s. The key is to go in with a want list. It also helps, after you have been going to the shows for while, to know which dealers might have what you want. You can also pare down the list because there are some dealers I don't like. That’s not to say that those guys don’t get something now and then. One of my favorite coins came from one of those “don’t bother” dealers. It was expensive, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was “keeper.”

The Winter FUN show will probably be twice as big as Baltimore. The Winter FUN and large ANA shows are biggest. There will be something over 600 dealers. The funny part is, I never get tired of walking at the coin shows.

One thing I have done is use the "Collectors' Corner" site that PCGS maintains. You search an item, and see of the dealer who has it is there. If so, you check it out. Sometimes it's already been sold, but I have found some pieces using that method.

 

Only 23 days to go.
Not many have posted that they are going. Hope more will find the time to go.
For those that live in the area, any guess of what the weather will be like?

 

It’s too early to predict the weather, but in general the temperatures should be in the mid to high 70s. If there is rain, it should not last long. The will be no hurricanes or snow storms. If it is “cold” the highs will be in the 60s. The coldest I have ever seen it was 27 degrees in the morning. The locals were wearing heavy winter coats.

 

The economy is not good for many and coin prices are 3x what they were just a few years ago. I know that makes many dealers ecstatic, but for non-dealer collectors, it makes things difficult.

 

Sounds like Chicago in 2019.

 

I bought a lot of expensive items during the 2010 to ‘14 time period. Just about everything I bought dropped in price. Now they are headed back up.

I put in what had been a substantial bid for a Hard Times token a couple of days ago. It was double what the item sold for a few years ago. I wasn’t the underbidder.

This is reminding me of the 1979-80 period when things went nuts. There was a correction then, and chances are this period will end in another one.