Whitman Baltimore Coin Show report

Hey everyone, I figured I would post my thoughts on the Baltimore show. I was only there Friday from 10-3 so I can only speak for those times.

It was a big show, probably around to 400 dealers. I think the crowd was decent, I wouldn't call it crowded though. It was probably busiest from around 11-1, and it really started to die out when I was leaving at 3.

Just from my observation it seemed raw circulated U.S coins were the most popular, the tables with bargain bins always seemed to be busy. There were also a few world paper money tables that were pretty busy too. The least popular seemed to be U.S paper money, there were a lot of tables with U.S paper, so maybe that was one of the reasons, but those tables seemed to be pretty slow.

I finally got to meet Charmy, The Penny Lady, she was awesome, and so was all that copper she had :thumb:. Unfortunately, I was pretty much out of money by the time I got to her table. Btw from what I saw it looked like her table was always pretty busy.

So now for the purchases:

1879S Morgan MS67 (NGC)


It has some really nice dark purple toning in the fields on the Obv, so it kind of gives off a Cameo contrast with the device. This pics definitely don't do the coin justice.

1897 O Barber Half:



1905 P Barber Half:

 

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Glad you had a great time. Myself, I try to avoid large shows. As a general observation the larger the show, the higher the prices.

 

Nice coins - I actually like the barber halves better than the morgan. Go figure. All of them are nice.

 

Thanks for your report. These kinds of things are great for those of us who don't get a chance to go to any of the larger shows.

 

i wouldn't say that - i picked up several nice coins for below retail, granted they are world coins, but still - i got some bargains. my problem with the big shows, it's really had to know who you are buying from - i tend to stick with guys i see at the local shows.

the auction was a different story - someone let the loonies out of the bin on some of that stuff.

 

Thanks for the report. I was there Thursday and Friday. Found prices below Internet prices. As always spent more then I had intended to spend. Bought a 2001 American Buffalo commenerative (deep cameo), 2009 Mexican Libertad BU, 2009 British Britaninia BU and a beautiful 1908 French medal with deep engraving on the reverse in original case. I'll have to do an Internet translation on the engraved text.

 

Beautiful Morgan Mike. Nice Barbers too. Seems like you had a great time. Did you meet up with any other CT members (other than Charmy)?

 

Failed to mention I bought a couple BU 2009 American Silver Eagles for $19.00 each and two ASE cases with Mint metal logo for $2.00 each. Prices for ASE ranged from 19.00 - $22.00 each.

Seek and Ye Shall Find.

 

Raider, how do take such nice pictures? Care to share your technique?

 

Who is The Penny LAdy? I keep reading references to her in CoinTalk?

 

Nope, only found Charmy.

My pics are pretty rough, there are other members who take much, much better pics then me. If you do a search there are a few threads on how to take good pics. Here's one of them: Great Coin Photos! How do you take them? - CoinTalk

The Penny Lady is a member her on CT, she's also a coin dealer. Here's her site: Specializing in Flying Eagle, Indian Head, and Lincoln, and Early American Copper Cents - Welcome to The Penny Lady!

 

Thanks

 

note to self : "Always hit Charmy's table first"

 

The Penny Lady is a member here at CoinTalk. She specializes in Lincolns, Indian Heads, and early US Copper coins. Do a search for some of her threads and you see some amazing copper coins. You can also do an internet search on "The Penny Lady" for her web site to see more pics.

 

Raider34, thanks for the show update. I sure wish I had made the trip to this show. That's a great looking Morgan. :thumb: I'm going to assume it's a 3rd Reverse. :smile

 

Thanks, and yep it's the reverse 3 (7tf SAF), VAM 13.

 

I was kinda hoping it was a reverse 2 and I could hit you up for a loan!

 

Lol! I think MS67 would be the highest grade known for the Rev of '78, and an MS66 is only worth like $40,000, wonder what a 67 would be worth :bigeyes:.

 

I'll bet it's one of those "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" answers. LOL

 

Raider...I hope you don't mind, but I thought I would piggyback on your thread with some additional comments on the show.

The Baltimore show was my first. I was looking forward to meeting some CT folks. I met asciibaron and his dad...really nice, knowledgable dealers. If I collected world coins, they would have my business.

I learned a few things from my first show...

1. You have to register and get a name tag. There were a couple of husky security dudes that pointed that out to me as I entered...all wide-eyed. A brief visit to the registration booth and I was back on track.

2. Don't make Sunday the first day. I got waylaid Friday and Saturday so I was determined to make it there on Sunday. I was all excited to finally meet Charmy (The Penny Lady) and see what she had to offer. I walked into the great hall on Sunday and the place was decimated! ...maybe 1/5 of the tables occupied...and no Charmy! :crying:

3. Be prepared to answer the two basic questions: What do you collect? and What are you looking for? "Everything" and "Nothing in particular" are not acceptable responses. There were a few things I needed, but wanted to get the lay of the land before offering up too much information. I found that if I asked about coins I know something about, I could get a pretty good feel for a particular dealer...then I could venture into more uncharted territories if I wished.

4. Almost no one takes credit cards! That just blew me away. I found one table that did...the rest wanted cash or checks (preferably cash). I only had about $500 on me and that didn't last long at all! You can really go through some cash in a hurry if you're not careful. It's probably for the best that they didn't take plastic.

5. eBay is a four letter word. No one at a coin show wants to hear that you got the same coin on eBay for half the price!

The one table that had the most items of interest to me...and had a dealer that I "connected" with was Eugene Bruder of Chico, CA...anyone know him? He seems to have a genuine love of the hobby and really knows his coins. I didn't get any great deals from him, but that's not what I look for in a dealer...I got a couple of honest coins at honest prices and some sage advice. I bought an 1893 Liberty nickel (borderline MS64) for $235 and an 1837 Freuchtwanger token XF45 for $210.

All in all, it was a pretty good first show. I'll be sure to get there earlier next time...and bring a checkbook. :thumb: