And then off to Baltimore and the "Show"

No doubt, year in and year out heading down to Baltimore and the Whitman show in mid March is my favorite weekend of the year. To start with, the temperature is usually about 10 degrees warmer than Northern New Jersey, and my first glimpse of spring weather. Combine that with Coins, great food and drink what is not to like? I have been going over my favorite dealer web sites time and again in preparation for my arrival on Friday. The show actually starts Thursday so it will be interesting to see what coins I have been scoping out remain - or if dealer to dealer activity has moved them. Who moved my coin?? I have a good game plan that considers both my budget and priorities. Two areas I am sure to focus on are my 19th Century Type Set and the Buffalo set I have just begun. An upgrade of my other sets is always a consideration, and I always look for opportunities that make sense. One thing I always do is say hello to all dealers that I am active with. If however, they are busy and I am just stopping by to chat I wait for opportunities that do not distract their business.

One thing I have going for me in my coin quest is that I am holder agnostic, I buy the coin, not the holder (as long as it is NGC or PCGS).

Another interesting sidebar is that a few months ago a work colleague gave me a1908S Indian Cent to try and sell. The coin is raw and I grade F-12 with all letters on the headband showing, although not fully. It's a really nice brown coin with no distracting marks. The 1908S is heavily counterfeited, but I don't see any of the telltale signs such as a "fatty" S.

I usually get to Baltimore around 3PM, check in, and then head to the Convention Center for a few hours. Then my wife and I are off to Phillips Seafood for good drink, a great piano bar( I love embarrassing her when I sing) and usually dinner. One great thing about Phillips is that there is a good chance of meeting other collectors and striking up a conversation. One year I met a collector who was into Washingtonia tokens and medals, another year I met with a collector who was adding lots of silver bullion to his holdings, interesting discussions!

Saturday is more coins, more drink and dinner in Baltimore's Little Italy, which I never knew existed until I started making these trips in the 1995, WOW time flies. After Baltimore I slow down my coin activity for a few months and turn my attention to trout and fly fishing. This is good on the pocket book , as although fly fishing is not cheap, it certainly is not coins. I save my pennies, and will buy if the "right" coin comes by , but mostly I save and gear up for the summer ANA and beyond. Attached is a nice pic oc the convention center.

I will post again with Sunday or Monday if events warrant.Thanks for reading and Happy Collecting ! Rich

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