My FUN Show Report for Thursday/Friday

[airplanenut]

I figure it's about time I write a FUN report like everyone else, so here it is

 

I arrived in Florida on December 27 after a very early flight (latest flight I could take LEFT at 7:10am) to do some work in Sarasota with John Maben. On Thursday the 4th, I left early morning for Orlando, and arrived at the convention center at about 8:30. After speaking to a few people, I went to kill some time at Heritage lot viewing since the show didn't open until 10:00. I started by looking at a few of the boxes for the show's auctions, and unfortunately, the selection really seemed dreadful to me. Two boxes come to mind. First, in a full box of trade dollars, I considered two to be attractive. In a box of $5 gold Indians, one coin certified MS63 was solid white--at certain angles, not a speck of gold showed through the immense puttying done to the coin. This problem was not even hinted at in the catalog. One other piece, a (1938-D?) MS66 walker was described as being mark free, lustrous, and worthy of the gem plus grade. The catalog failed to mention the growing spot in the field next to the gown which was very noticeable and VERY ugly. From these, I learned that you really need to look at coins before bidding in an auction. If you can't see them, have someone else do it. These are not the coins you want to be stuck with, and believe me, you'll be stuck if you pay the going rate for what the label calls these coins. I finished the viewing looking through online auction lots, and found many attractive pieces. That catalog became full of notes and dog-eared pages.

 

At about 10:00, I went to go to the show. That is, I would have if they had been done making introductions. FUN officers had a long list of people to thank, awards to give, etc., and managed to find a way to delay the opening of the show to 10:15. Most people were not amused. And by not amused, I mean pissed. When I got inside, I realized, as I had done last year, that the show is just enormous. There are coins everywhere, and I figured my best game plan was no game plan. I'd just walk around and eventually see every aisle. Of course, I did scout out specific dealers, too, just so I saw them sooner.

 

I perused the bourse for a few specific coins, as well as anything that caught my eye. Since I'm trying to save up for a pilot's license, I'm trying to buy less, so I was sure to really, really like something before buying. Also, knowing so many people from prior shows and the message boards, I found myself, as in the past, enjoying seeing people just as much as I enjoy seeing the coins. I spent a lot of time at tables where I knew one or more of the dealers or with collector friends. The table shared by Ron Sirna, James Sego, Greg Allen, and Jason Stevens was not only run by four good people, but always surrounded by many more, allowing me ample time to talk and participate in show and tell. By the end of the show on Thursday, I had picked up just one piece, a rainbow Morgan in an old (long dash before the mint mark) green label PCI holder. The dealer had priced his PCGS and NGC coins correctly, but seemed to really heavily discount this one, and I can't tell why. I can't complain, either.

 

I left the show and went out to dinner with James Sego and a fair number of other coin people. One of the other dealers there, Dennis (can't remember his last name ) I first met at Bay State last year, made the dinner especially fun by understanding my stupid science jokes (he's an MIT graduate, so we have a weird, inexplicable telepathy kind of thing going on). Dinner was quite enjoyable, and James and I agreed to meet for breakfast on Friday, as well. I spent a little time after dinner walking around a few blocks of International Drive near my hotel, just to enjoy being outside in January late at night in short sleeves and see at least a tiny amount of the city.

 

On Friday morning, I met with James early (7:30am ) to have breakfast, which included the required coin conversations. When we got to the show, he was able to go in (the joys of a dealer badge), and I went back to Heritage to view more lots. This time, I went just for the online stuff, since more of it is in my price range. I was very glad I did, as I found a lot of coins that sparked some interest. I bid on a few last night (Monday 1/8), but many went for more than I thought they were worth. Unfortunately, the big let down was a beautifully toned Liberty nickel that I tried to bid on when time was running out, but although the countdown was still going, Heritage rejected my bids saying the auction was over. It went too cheap, and I'll never know if I could have won. Oh, well, what's done is done. I was also able to use the auction as a learning experience, comparing some notes with Mark Feld on lots that we'd both viewed. I figure if he likes the coin, it can't be that bad

 

I spent Friday walking around the bourse more, and talking a lot more. Through all that time, I only found two more pieces. First was an 1862 ANACS MS64 Indian with superb lustre, lightly PL'd fields, and frosty devices. The coin's a high-end 64, and was worth the relatively small premium. I did half of my buying at last year's show in the last 20 minutes, and figured maybe this time around I'd be lucky again. I had more than 20 minutes to spare, but my third and final coin absolutely made the show for me. It's an 1881-S NGC MS66* morgan with beautiful bag color that, suffice it to say, should have been more expensive than what I paid--I did a double-take when I was told the price. When I went to the Sego/Sirna/Stevens/Allen table to show it off after making the purchase, I ran into Shane (Kryptonitecomics) and showed it to him. Seems he had just walked by the coin, but didn't ask for a price because it was surrounded by white pieces, and often when that happens, dealers overprice the colorful one. I almost didn't ask for the price, but said why not? And was I glad! By the way, Shane now hates me

 

One goal for the show was to get a nice NJ cent, but budget constraints and my being picky kept me from getting one. I saw quite a few, but none were exactly the one I wanted. Since I've wanted one for about ten years, I figure I hold off some more until I really find the right one. At least, in the course of searching, I ran into quite a few good people and was able to learn more about the series. It's nice to know that there are certainly dealers who believe that there is more to their job than selling coins.

 

When I was ready to leave on Friday, I dropped off all my stuff at the security room. I was staying in Orlando until Saturday night, but had other, non-show things to do, and figured I didn't need to keep the valuables I had with me. The security room process is painless and free, and I'd certainly recommend looking into it when you've got valuable stuff at a show. At FUN, it's open 24 hours, so it was a quick stop on the way back to Sarasota Saturday night and I had all of my stuff ready to go.

 

As far as the show as a whole, it looked very busy, and I saw a lot of buying and selling going on. At many tables, there was a wait to get a dealer's attention, and I didn't hear any complaining or hear of any mention that the auctions were hurting sales on the bourse. All in all, the show was a lot of fun and certainly worth attending for both the people and coins. It's the combination of the two that really makes this hobby fun.

 

Jeremy

[kryptonitecomics]

Jeremy is my buddy and I promise I will stalk him at the next show....eeeeerrrrrrrr I mean I will walk behind him like a personal body guard making sure that all of the dealers don't sell to him.....eeeeerrrrrrr I mean treat him right

[WoodenJefferson]

I read the whole thing! Thanks...super job from a true collector!

[123cents]

Great report Jeremy and congratulations on your purchases.

[CarolinaCollector]

Great report, Jeremy!

 

I enjoyed my short visit to the show on Friday. I don't know how many coins sold, but the bourse floor was very busy.

[ldhair]

Really nice report.

Wish I could have been there.

[comicAL]

Hi, Jeremy

 

I enjoyed your two day FUN report!

 

Sounds like you have a great time and purchased some nice coins, congratulations!

 

AAJ