GoldFinger1969

Garden State Coin & Stamp Show..... I got to the show about 11 AM, it's at the Parsippany Police Athletic League bldg. about 7 minutes off I-287 for those of you who live in the NY/NJ area. The room is maybe 100' x 60' and usually has about 60-70 tables.When I walked over after parking, I couldn't believe it: there was a line of about 50 people. I'll bet most of us were vaccinated but they would only let 1 person in for 1 person departing. I got in after waiting about 1 hour. When I got in, there was still about 30-40 people waiting online.I'd say it was 2/3rds packed table-wise, but clearly sections empty. Didn't get a chance to ask if it was people who passed on, retired, didn't feel comfortable mingling with the public yet, or what. Cost of attending a 1-day show is minimal compared to FUN or ANA so I'll assume costs weren't a factor. But definitely the lowest dealer attendance I've seen going back years.Anyway, didn't see much high-end stuff....lots of the same-old, same-old....didn't see a single MS65 Saint, but saw some low-60's coins. A 1904 Liberty DE MS62 and a 1924 Saint MS63 were each listed for $2,275 from one dealer -- that seems a bit high for what I think is mostly bullion generic coins, feel free to correct me as I haven't checked that market lately. Some bullion as usual (gold & silver).....lots of Franklin, Walker, Morgan, and other stuff........lots of those white 2X2 holders with raw coins.....didn't see alot of the commemoratives I like to buy (none, in fact)....the hall only had maybe 25-30 people at a time, they could have let more people in but maybe the room had a set occupancy or maybe the entire building was under a limit and nobody was leaving the other areas like the gym which limited what we could have in our room.I left after about 1/2 hour (usually stay 3/4 to 1 hour). When I left, the line to get in was maybe 6-8 people. Anyway, that's the way it was as Walter Cronkite used to say.

Gotcha....and you're right, I wasn't looking that far down the Sheldon Scale. And good point on gold coins rarely being below Fine, probably Extra Fine (40's) in fact....they just don't circulate that much to get that amount of wear and most just have bag marks from being moved around in bags.

Based on his latest posts, he's in the clear. Stuff got delivered to NGC.

You might be right, Mark. The main problem is all the PT and seasonal help who are the ones most likely to steal. It's not usually the 25-year veteran with a nice pension who is looking to steal, IMO. Might then be best to have a friend tape me...at the place of mailing.... putting the coins in the envelope/package after zooming in on each coin to verify the content....sealing it....then going up to the person and giving them the package in exchange for a receipt. Then they wouldn't know what was in the package.

Maybe not but if the package was torn open like happened at the Memphis hub, I'd know it was intentional and not my faulty packaging. I could also videotape the coins going into the package and being sealed with the mail person taking delivery as they watch me put the stuff in. Would take 15 seconds to tape it all. Not bad....I'd go for the videotape of me putting the coins into the envelope or package with the mail person acknowledging the coins.....me and the mail person being taped....me handing it over to him/her....they giving me the receipt. That's about as strong proof as you can get. Now.....unless I call out "1923-D Saint-Gaudens" I guess the actual coin type is still in question. But if the mail person acknowledges I put 4 slabbed coins in, it would be folly for the company to dispute the specific year and mint and coin type I sent. I called it out when I put it in the envelope or package....I have pics....package was broken into.....company can't then say I sent in a "cheap" AU-53 instead of an MS66 or whatever.

I know.....seems some hub in Mephis had somebody tearing open packages with valuable coins in them a while back. With the internet, alot of seasonal and PT employees can see the same delivery addresses repeating and figure out what is in the envelopes/packages. If I were sending valuable coins, I'd probably videotape me handing off the package to the FedX or UPS or USPS person.....showing the envelope sealed tight with no loose ends ..... then if it "accidentally tears open" during shipping, we know it was human hands and not fate that did it.

Maybe the solution is to send coins in for grading ONLY through FedX and UPS ? Clearly, they are better able to handle Covid and the package surge than the USPS.

Yup, exactly.....folks can pay $3,000 - $8,000 for a CC DE but not $30,000 or more. So they ante up and buy the former. And there just aren't enough coins to go around as there are more buyers of a $5,000 coin than a $50,000 coin. We saw similar price movements and buying habits with the 1857-S SS Central America coins. Good info, thanks !

Those links I sent on Page 3 tell the story. I don't understand even with Covid why we are seeing those delays, it's not Christmas. And you would think compared to 10 or 20 years ago that with so few letters sent that the online buying would be offset in part. But I guess not.

Garden State Coin & Stamp Show: Looks like this show is starting up again tomorrow, May 2nd, at the PAL Building in Parsippany, NJ. I'm going to try and make it. 60-70 tables and right off I-287. If you plan on attending, post here or PM me.

Carson City Double Eagles......these are very expensive DE's but alot of people want one for the allure of the Old West. I've seen articles talking about how folks are buying them in the EF and AU grades, staying away from high-AU or the few Mint State coins where prices skyrocket. Prices have been strong since Covid, rising about 30% in the lower grades, matching or exceeding price rises in the higher grades. We've seen this phenomoenon before -- lower graded bills/coins besting higher-graded stuff because people who want to own the coin don't have the $$$ for the more expensive coins and just grab from the lower tiers. Similar buying pattern across other Type 1 and Type 2 Liberty DEs.....but not as much for the Type 3's which are plentiful from the late 1890's through 1907.

Whatever....distinction without (much of) a difference.....the important thing is that Mark's coins apparently are safe and that's the best news in this thread !! As Homer Simpson once said...."Let us celebrate with the joining of chocolate to milk."

Anybody got a velvet-lined wheel barrow ?

Good News !!! The 1933 Saint stickered....it has a CAC bean (or can get it, if the buyer wants it). https://coinweek.com/education/coin-grading/cac-verifies-grade-of-stuart-weitzman-1933-double-eagle/ I was afraid the coin would be at a competitive disadvantage without it !!

Alex, Mark used to work for NGC so I am pretty sure he's up to speed on their office procedures.

Roger Burdette's SAINT-GAUDENS DOUBLE EAGLES....the ax on Saints. Available only from Heritage Auctions.

They use bubble wrap nowadays.

It's either going to blow away expectations or be a dud -- nothing in between. That's my guess. OTOH, you have a chance to really kick on the Registry Set score, I believe. You might be able to prevent anyone from ever matching your score/set if you hold on to the 1933 and no more are found/released. Considering it's New York State, maybe the motto should be forever DOWNWARD ?

Congrats Mark !! It's a FESTIVUS Miracle !!

Have they ever heard of GROWING the hobby ? Jeez..... Some of the talks at FUN 2020 were as boring and sparsely-attended as hell. With so many Saint and Peace dollar dealers there, how could they not appreciate a talk by someone like you ? Heck, the Saint dealers along aside from Heritage could probably benefit from having a copy of your book, which I doubt many/any have (I sure didn't see it, though I saw others). Have you EVER gone to a show at your expense hoping to autograph and sell some of your books ? That could pay the way......my astronomy club had a guy from NYC -- who would NEVER come to the big show we put on -- come out one year. Literally calls us at the last minute...we tell him we can't even get him into the lecture hall, it's booked.....let's save you for next year when we can make you the featured speaker, we told him.....nah, he said, just use the sports seating for the basketball court and rig something up, that's good enough. Turns out he brought about 200 books with him and signed them and sold 'em....probably made a few thousand dollars plus whatever we paid him on the cheap.

JP, don't let it scare you. Ebay has plenty of legit dealers though I would be wary of buying anything not certified/graded if it is a numismatic coin. Check out the ratings for anybody you buy gold or silver bullion from -- plenty of legit sellers there. Look for no bad feedback....decent return policy....cheap or free shipping. You can't go wrong with Heritage and Great Collections for coins or currency. GC is really making inroads, as their commission structure is lower and no tax in most states, lower S&H, etc. You live in Mass.....there's a nice regional show, the Bay State Coin Show, which is a nice up-and-comer.....I want to eventually go. Check out a local show with 20-50 tables at first...then move on to a bigger regional or one of the 3 big national shows.

I think the back of FUN 2020 was called the Bargain Bin, for cheaper stuff. Not sure PM dealers were there -- I mean, you had dozens of dealers in coins and stuff also selling bullion throughout the 8 aisles of dealers ! Maybe folks buying/selling sterling silver and gold-plated stuff were back there, I really didn't look that closely.

It's not just us..... https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/959273022/theres-no-end-in-sight-mail-delivery-delays-continue-across-the-country 3 months from San Francisco to Michigan and "still in transit": https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/us/politics/postal-service-mail-delivery.html

As long as such a dealer is in an area surrounded by similar tables -- FUN 2020 had about 20 of them all in the back -- I don't have a problem with it. PMs are closely related to coins so I see the tie-in. Heck, there are usually some stamp collectors tagging around or folks selling antiques (small ones).

Any chance you'll show up in Baltimore in November at the Whitman Show ? Gotta be some pent-up demand for your book.....I wish the show would feature you in a talk where you could inform us about the Saints book or FMTM or your research in general.