I arrived just before the show opened and there was a line of over 100 collectors waiting to get their passes
to get into the show. I would say that the number of collectors at the show was heavier then it has been at
the prior few shows. People seemed to be buying but it appeared to be coins of a lower cost. I tested a number
of smaller dealers with a selection of MS-66 Barber quarters and MS-66 Ike Dollars of rarer dates. I got a number of excuses why they were not interested, but my instinct told me that money was tight and they
would buy only those specific coins that they felt they could turn quickly. I then went to some of the top,
well funded companies and they purchased the quality coins at top prices. The easiest sale was to Pinnacle
and the transaction must of taken all of two minutes to receive my check.
Wayne Henderson was not at the show even though his name appeared with his table number. Apparently,
storms in the East, must have made his flight impossible to schedule to get to the show in time. I sold one o
coin back to Rick Tomaska and he too offered a buy back price that was more then fair. In general though
many dealers seemed extremely selective in what they were willing to buy.Regardless of a number of dealers
who may report a great show and they may well have had a great show individually, is appeared to be pretty
much the same old routine of steady to soft prices. Of course, Gold dropping 45 dollars an ounce and the
DOW dropping 267 points may have had something to do with the dealer melancholy mood.
Since I was at the show for only two hours, on opening, other later reports may well tell a different story.
Perceptions of a coin show are a little like a committee of blind men trying to describe an elephant by touch
alone. Depending if one is buying or selling or what type of coins one is interested in and what grade can
determine what one evaluates a show as being. All in all, I would say the show seemed better then the
recent past, but nothing to write home about , at least to my eyes.
As for the Goldberg Auction, quality sold well. In fact Laura bought three of my coins, she missed out on my
1911 Proof Barber Quarter because she stopped bidding too soon. Interesting because I bought the 4 coins
from Legend. I guess that Laura and I just seem to like the same kind of coins in the mid range price.
