Out the door in Baltimore... And back with a Report...

[lkenefic]

...and off to the show. I'll give an assessment later this evening...

 

Cheers

 

Leo

 

Baltimore Show Report

 

As many of you might know, I’m a fairly “middle of the road” collector of US Type and US Cents. This was the first big show I’ve ever attended, and if I had one word to describe it… overwhelming! I can see why some folks spend all three days looking over all the various vendors at the show. There was everything from the “We’ll Buy Your Silver for Cash” Table to very high end dealers with literally over a million dollars of merchandise in their respective cases.

 

I got to the show and got signed in by around 10:30. This was the last day of the show so I figured it would be crowded and it was. I did have the presence of mind to jot down some notes and make a list of the dealers that came recommended for Type and Early Copper. I’m glad I did this, as I never would have had the time to see everything in one day. I visited several tables including: Julian at Table #400; Coin Rarities Online at Table #304; Ed Hipps at Table #457; Jack Beymer at Table #653; and JJ Teaparty at Table #507. All had very nice pieces, but since I was on a tight budget and I wanted to purchase more than one coin, I pressed on. In the future, I’ll definitely make it a point to go back to these vendors.

 

I went to the ANACS table to see what the fleck of stuff is on the obverse of my 1914-D Lincoln. I had been told before that it might be some sort of struck through material and this was indeed confirmed by ANACS. Since I already had one of my Lincolns in one of their slabs, I submitted my ’09-S VDB for grading to them as well. Kudos to all of the major services that were there. In a very short amount of time you can get a quick assessment, genuine/counterfeit or obvious body bag, and at least a ballpark of what you might expect. I should have this back in 2-3 weeks.

 

I went to Col Steve Ellsworth’s table (Butternut at Table #750) and was just amazed at the shear volume of merchandise. I spent a bit of time here and bought two nice pieces: 1850 Large Cent in VF25 for my Braided Hair LC series and an “upgrade” 1884 IHC in XF45. I probably paid a tad over FMV for the Large Cent, but it has nice color and no serious detractions.

 

I found Lynn Ourso’s (New Orleans Rare Coins) Table #1702 and found quite a bit of nice mid-grade type. I bought two Half Dimes from him: an 1831 in VF20 and a super nice 1872 in choice XF45. The 1872 has much remaining mint luster in the devices and is probably the nicest piece I got today.

 

Although I didn’t buy anything from them, but I did have the occasion to strike up conversations with Chris McCawley (Table #253), David Osburn (Table #1804); and Rich Uhrich (Table #1806). All are top notch people. I’ve been to Chris McCawley’s website in the past and knew that he dealt in high end copper, but I didn’t realize he also had quite a bit of nice material that I could actually afford. As we were talking about everything from coins to microbes he impressed me as being one of the most down-to-earth dealers I had the pleasure of meeting all day.

 

The Good: This was definitely the best way to spend a rainy, dreary day in Baltimore. Heck… I’d even trade in a nice sunny one to see some of the coins you only read about in magazines. Although I didn’t get to meet any board members, I did get to meet some very nice people. I also scored a couple of nice pieces for the collection. The two Russian girls at the Penny Pincher Coins table were also quite pleasant on the eye.

 

The Bad: Food… I don’t want to say it’s overpriced, but $10 for a tuna sandwich is a bit much. I ended up dining on a $2 bag of Doritos.

 

The Bottom Line: All in all, I definitely prefer seeing a coin before I buy it and have plans to go to another big show. I saw some pretty incredible coins, but the biggest plus was the people I met and getting the chance to learn from them. I think the next show in Baltimore is in June and I’ll be on the road, but I’ll definitely make it to the show in November… hope to see you there.

 

BTW… I’m hoping to borrow a digital camera to post pics of my Baltimore acquisitions… more to come…

 

 

Cheers... Leo

[Schatzy]

I was thinking about going but it is a 5 hour drive so I decided to stay home!!

 

 

 

Good Luck

[Smilie Puss]

...and off to the show. I'll give an assessment later this evening...

 

Cheers

 

Leo

 

Baltimore Show Report

 

As many of you might know, I’m a fairly “middle of the road” collector of US Type and US Cents. This was the first big show I’ve ever attended, and if I had one word to describe it… overwhelming! I can see why some folks spend all three days looking over all the various vendors at the show. There was everything from the “We’ll Buy Your Silver for Cash” Table to very high end dealers with literally over a million dollars of merchandise in their respective cases.

 

I got to the show and got signed in by around 10:30. This was the last day of the show so I figured it would be crowded and it was.

Cheers... Leo

 

That's funny I thought the last day was Sunday the 29th?. You attended on Friday the 27th?

 

Your report sounded like a kid in the candy store. No problem with that but the best,I think, was not reported. For example you had a chance to draw a ticket and win a BPE 2009 Intaglio Print Program "Americana Series"? worth about $80. I think they draw about 80 tickets per day. Its a great souvenier if you choose to keep it as a momento or sell it on the spot. Or the live auctions with Heritage or Bowers and Merena. For food there are other places close by that you can get a snack for less. Perhaps next time bring a back pack and bring your own food/beverage. With a back pack you can also stow your jacket or gear when inside. At some of the major shows there are educational seminars or club meetings to attend. One you might be interested in is the Fly-inClub for collectors of flying eagles and indian head cents.

 

From the length of your report I would say you were definitely impressed! I couldn't remember a fraction of the table numbers or the dealers I passed that you reported. You must have been taking notes?

 

BTW From the ANACS table you might have shown your coin(s) to John Roberts or Paul Defelice. John is very knowledgeable on Morgen dollar attributes if you are interested in VAM's.

 

[PerryHall]

That's funny I thought the last day was Sunday the 29th?.

 

The June Baltimore show will go back to the Friday to Sunday schedule.

[DC Dawg]

The Bad: Food… I don’t want to say it’s overpriced, but $10 for a tuna sandwich is a bit much. I ended up dining on a $2 bag of Doritos.

The facilities at the Baltimore Convention Center are notorious for being mediocre and over priced. On Saturday, I paid $10 for a pre-packaged salad and bottle of water. At least it was edible!

 

That's funny I thought the last day was Sunday the 29th?. You attended on Friday the 27th?

The show went from the afternoon of 3/25 through the 28th. There was not a Sunday session.

 

After a "populist" uprising by many of the smaller dealers who feel that they can make some money on Sunday, there will be a Sunday session in June. I might wait until that Sunday and go early. You never know what kind of deals you can find on the last day!

 

Scott

[lkenefic]

Your report sounded like a kid in the candy store. No problem with that but the best,I think, was not reported. For example you had a chance to draw a ticket and win a BPE 2009 Intaglio Print Program "Americana Series"? worth about $80. I think they draw about 80 tickets per day. Its a great souvenier if you choose to keep it as a momento or sell it on the spot. Or the live auctions with Heritage or Bowers and Merena. For food there are other places close by that you can get a snack for less. Perhaps next time bring a back pack and bring your own food/beverage. With a back pack you can also stow your jacket or gear when inside. At some of the major shows there are educational seminars or club meetings to attend. One you might be interested in is the Fly-inClub for collectors of flying eagles and indian head cents.

 

From the length of your report I would say you were definitely impressed! I couldn't remember a fraction of the table numbers or the dealers I passed that you reported. You must have been taking notes?

 

BTW From the ANACS table you might have shown your coin(s) to John Roberts or Paul Defelice. John is very knowledgeable on Morgen dollar attributes if you are interested in VAM's.

 

Smilie... Yes, I did feel somewhat like a kid in a candy store for the first time; however, unlike said child, I feel I was somehow able to maintain my composure long enough to take some good notes, make a couple of good deals, and have a good time. As for the raffle: I typically eschew raffles, regardless of what it happens to be. I don't play the lottery either for the same reason. The auction is well out of my league. I'm on a pretty tight coin budget these days and I only had $200 to spend. I'd rather spend it on coins than on buyer's premiums. Perhaps in future shows, I'll partake, but for this one... I passed. As for the food... I commented on the food "at the show". FWIW... I'm a local and I know all about the restaurants down at the Inner Harbor and at Little Italy. I prefer to walk a few blocks north on Charles St. and go to a place called Mick O'Shea's. If you like burgers and sandwiches, it's better food and it's less expensive. If you keep walking north past the Washington Monument, you'll come up to one of the better Indian food restaurants (Akbar's) in town... there's an Afgan restaurant and a Thai restaurant across the street that are OK as well. I suppose I could have packed a lunch... but by the time I went to eat there were precious few places to sit. I ended up grabbing a step. There's a local club I'll probably end up joining, I can't remember all of the particulars, but the president works part-time at a local shop downtown...seemed like a nice guy.

 

I think I handed my '09-S VDB to "John"... I'm keeping my fingers crossed that his assessment was accurate... I think XF is a stretch though...

 

If you're there in November, I'll be there. I'll probably not be able to make the June show as I'll be moving my family from AZ to MD.

 

Cheers..Leo