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FUN Show 2012 - My Show Report

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Well, 2012 was kinda a mixed bag for me. I had a lot of fun, but didn't get to add too much to my collection. I met some great people, saw some great coins, and learned a whole bunch. The show for me started Friday morning with lot viewing with Heritage. I'd never actually viewed lots before, but the process was incredibly easy, and well set up. I had about a dozen coins that I really wanted to look at (including two that had gone up for sale the night before, which I didn't realize. Unfortunately, I didn't get to look at them :( ). One in particular that I wanted to see was this Peace Dollar, after it was discussed here: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1166&lotNo=7316 In hand, honestly, it was pretty, but not pretty enough to justify the price. Nowhere near it, in fact. The luster makes it pop, but the colors aren't nearly as bright as the pictures indicate. The other lot that I really was interested in was a PL Seated Quarter, 64 PL with CAC: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1166&lotNo=5716&lotIdNo=194027 I figured, hey, its got a CAC, it has to be good, right? WRONG! The pictures Heritage has are terrible, but in hand it has this electric blue all over both sides - and looks very unnatural. The color seemed to float on the surface, and didn't seem like it was a part of the coin. Toning on PL coins behaves a lot like toning on proofs, and is difficult to gauge - but this just didn't seem right. Disappointed, I decided not to bid on it.

 

Oh well, so I headed down to the bourse to see what adventures I could find. My first stop was the NGC table (which I've already talked about in another thread), and then I went off in search of Bust Halves, Shillings, and Prooflike coins. Would you believe, PL's were actually the easiest of the three to find this year? And they were scarce as usual. It seemed like there was a lot of the same old stuff, not a whole lot of really fresh, original material. Most of the Bust halves were either low grade, cleaned stuff, or there were quite a few MS-62 or 63 coins. But very few things in my desired range - problem free EF. It wasn't until Saturday that I came upon Sheridan Downey's table, and was able to buy these two gorgeous halves. Play Guess the Overton if you want! The 1835 is raw, the 1820 is PCGS EF-40.

 

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So, PL's - most of the ones I looked at were either undesignated (which doesn't bother me) or out of my price range (which does bother me). I saw a couple 3 cent silvers, a few Seated coins (mostly quarters), and a beautiful Seated Dollar. And then I came upon Dr. Eugene Bruder's table, and was greeted by a pair of lovely PL's. The first that caught my eye was a delicious Capped Bust Quarter - graded MS-61 DMPL! It was fantastic, with mirrors as deep as you could possibly imagine. Alas, the price was way out of my budget. So, he reaches behind him, and pulls out a Capped Bust Half to match! It was graded MS-63 in an older holder, without the PL - but it deserved it and will get it if he resubmits. Again, way out of my price range. But he finally retrieved the last of his PL's, this gorgeous Seated Half dime, 1858 graded MS-64PL. I check my list, I don't have it. The toning is gorgeous, the mirrors are deep (especially on the obverse). The price is right, so its mine! (The mark on her knee is a strikethrough, I think. There is no displaced metal like you would expect from a mark that big)

 

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Anyways, so the hunt is still on for a nice shilling, and maybe a Franklin to upgrade. Alas, there were no shillings that met my standards to be found anywhere. But I did come home with a nice 1797 Lima mint 8 Reales. I've wanted one of these giant coins for a while, because of their history and connection to the early US economy. This one is graded NGC VF-35, with choice dark grey fields. Its an attractive and inexpensive coin that I got just for curiosity sake.

 

Somewhere wandering the aisles, I was lucky enough to meet TomB for the first time in person. He is animated, enthusiastic, entertaining, and informative in person, as well as online. We happened to run into each other in front of the CRO table where he was doing a deal, and took the time to show me some of the fantastic stuff he had in his briefcase. I highly recommend you check out his website, www.ivyleaguecoin.com - he has exquisite taste in coins.

 

Saturday I returned, mostly for the FUN luncheon. At my table were the usual suspects, Shane and Chris, and we had the pleasure of meeting Hard Times, ldhair, and messydesk. Great to meet you guys, talk coins for a bit, and see what you guys had been buying. Hard Times had a fantastic piece which I hope he shows (and I'll let him talk about it).

 

So, all in all, a pretty good show. Sorry for the long report, there is so much more that I wanted to talk about but I'm guessing y'all would be bored to tears. Maybe some other time!

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Great report and I'm sorry to have missed you guys this year. Sounds like everyone had a good time.

 

Nice pickups, Jason, I like the way you describe your evaluation/buying processes.

 

I have the 1835 as a O-106 XF45 and the 1820 as a O-104--R4, if I'm correct.

 

Carl

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You nailed them both, Carl. The 1835 is an O-106 and I think its strong enough for a 45. There is luster hiding in there, and the wear is minimal especially on the obverse.

 

The 1820 is indeed an O-104, which is rated as an R-4+. It is widely regarded as a very difficult marriage to obtain (and 1820 in general is a pretty difficult year). I'm mostly working on a date set, so the marriage isn't as important to me - but I like having rare O#s in my collection. The problem is, once you get to R-4 and up, there is a scarcity premium attached to the coin.

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