Too many Morgan Dollars, too few Mercury Dimes

A few weeks back I attended my very first coin show. It was just a local show, sponsored by the Fort Worth Coin Club but since it was to be my first I had been looking forward to it for months. As a newbie collector I truly had no idea what to expect. However following online advice I arrived armed with a short but very specific list and cash in my pocket. My list consisted of four Mercury Dimes, NGC Certified MS66 FB.

The show was larger and more crowded than I anticipated with 40 or 50 dealers and scores of eager shoppers. The bourse was well organized with two rectangular display areas in the center and the remaining booths along the four outer walls. In spite of the crowd there was no problem viewing the available wares and only once did I have to wait until a group of buyers dispersed.

Unfortunately I didn't find any of the coins on my list, in fact I only saw four or five certified dimes in the whole show which was very surprising. On the other hand, there must have been 5,000 Morgan Dollars, maybe more. There was also a great many

Certified Silver Eagles as well as a lot of foreign coins.

The few dealers I talked to were very friendly and eager to help. Despite my obvious disappointment at not finding any of the dimes on my list, all in all the show was a very pleasant experience and I'm already looking forward the next.