Another Baltimore show winds down.

I'm in my office on a Saturday morning, avoiding both work and the coin show in Baltimore. More temptation would not be a good idea right now. As of yesterday, I have spent 75% of my annual numismatic "budget" in just three months. Any more immediate discretionary spending will put the family finances in an uncomfortable state.

The funny thing is that this comes a couple months after my wife changed jobs, getting 50% higher pay in the process, and as I look ahead five months to my last home mortgage payment. Things look so good that it has to be okay to spend on coins, right? Maybe this is a little like our elected officials feel - except that "their income" isn't going up, and their projected expenses aren't going down...

Anyway, about the show... I've been distracted lately, and completely missed the first two Stack's-Bowers auction sessions - the ones that included items of interest to me. So I went to the show Thursday at noon with the idea that I could spend some money there.

The first order of business, however, was to investigate the fate of that 1856 large cent that I thought I had "won" in Goldbergs' sale of the Dan Holmes collection. I had been told that it was sold to a prominent EAC dealer via live floor bid. I know which such dealer buys the most at those sales. I went to his table first. The coin was not there. At his suggestion, I later checked his website. The coin was not listed there either.

Next up, NGC. Enjoyment of several of my large cents has been impaired by badly scratched and scuffed holders. (Many in EAC would say any holder is bad for enjoyment and study, but I value the protection slabs provide.) So I submitted them for the Show Reholder service. It felt a little uncomfortable walking around with so much valuable stuff, but they are safely home for a day of enjoyment, and will soon be locked up again. I liked them before, but they look really good now!

After dropping off the coins, I scanned most dealer tables. There was no sign of the 1856 cent at the tables of the few other possible buyers. As usual, I asked to see a number of coins, took notes, got asking prices, etc. Several coins seemed like reasonable deals, but three rose to the top: An AU55 1821 cent (to fill a "hole" in my middle dates set); an MS64BN 1829 cent (to upgrade my 61); and an MS66 1831 half dime.

The 1829 cent is just too expensive. I was already overspent, and would need to get the dealer to agree to a payment plan (as he has before). The other two coins were just $50 different, just about at the limit of what I can handle now.

That evening, I got online to check out recent auction results, price guides, etc. The 1831 half dime rose to the top of my "best deal" list, with the 1821 cent a close second. I really want to fill that last hole in my large cent registry set, but I decided that I'd add to my hoard of silver if I'd get anything at all.

Friday morning started with the Liberty Seated Collectors Club meeting. It included an interesting presentation about a 1902 project by the mint to study metal loss, by date, of circulated coins being turned in to the mint for recoining. There were some expected trends, peculiar features in the data resulting from the California gold rush, and possible indications of early collector habits. This should be a fascinating study once it is completed.

When the show opened at 10AM, I went to a couple dealers I had missed the day before, and finally back to see if I was really bonding with the 1831 half dime. This time, I had Logan & McCloskey with me, enabling a quick variety attribution (LM-7, rarity 2) and determination of a very late die state. Aside from those particulars, the coin is beautiful: essentially "white" (the way I prefer, though likely indicative of past dipping), highly lustrous, virtually unmarked, and very well struck.

I could not find this coin in Heritage's auction archive, and haven't got the time to hunt on other sites, so I don't yet have photos to share. The NGC slab is older looking with a low 6-digit number, so the coin was probably certified a couple decades ago.

It was one of those peculiar finds: The dealer did not seem to have much business, and did not have a lot on display. Most of what was offered was mid-grade gold. The half dime was one of just two 19th century silver coins that I noticed. But there it was - a really nice, high grade Capped Bust half dime at a pretty fair price.

So now I'm planning to go back to the show just for the EAC meeting. I'd like to go to look at more coins, but I have to avoid the temptation. Besides, I have some large cents to enjoy...

Happy hunting to all!