By William Shamhart – NumismaticAmericana.com
As you all know, I have a hard time writing, especially when I have a deadline. Since I have returned from the Central States Numismatic Society’s annual show, this time held at the Donald L. Stephens convention center in Rosemont, Illinois, Christine has been working feverishly imaging our new purchases to get them up on the web site. So now it is my time to get back to work and write this show report.
I got into Chicago Wednesday mid morning and went straight to the PNG show. It was busy, but not overly. There was business being done, both buying and selling, but there wasn’t any frenzy, just steady business. While I didn’t show any coins on Wednesday, I was able to buy a few, but not a bunch, for you our customers. Little did I know what would happen in the following 24 hours.
When Christine and I walked into the bourse floor on Thursday we were greeted by numerous dealers waiting to look at our coins. From that moment on it was off to the races. Within the next 8 hours we sold over 60 percent of the coins we brought. Most dealers would look at this and smile with delight, but late in the afternoon Christine and I looked at our show cases, looked at each other, and then realized what had happened. From that point on we tried every chance we could to get out on the bourse floor and buy. Let me tell you, that wasn’t an easy task either.
The good news is that Christine and I have over 50 years of making relationships in the business, and it paid off this past week. Slowly, one by one, we were able to acquire quite a few really choice items for your consideration. We got in the middle of a few big deals that broke at the show, but by and large we bought our coins one at a time. In fact Christine told me I needed to start bringing more checks than I am accustomed to, as we buying coins usually one or two at a time. Not the 10-15 we like to.
Like the FUN show in Florida, all three Baltimore shows, or either of the ANA’s annual show, the CSNS show brings out the serious collectors. We had the opportunity to meet many of them, and many of you our loyal readers. It is always nice to meet new clients, and potential clients, at a show and see their passion for the hobby.
Unlike this past ANA in Sacramento, I was able to slip away from the table for a few minutes and view the exhibits. And boy am I glad I did! There were some phenomenal displays there. I would have hated to have been a judge there. There were just that many great ones to choose from. Three that did stick out in my mind, in no particular order, are:
A complete set of two cent pieces with outstanding text:
Beautiful condition complemented the collectors research and artistic display.
An unbelievable exhibit on the Stone Mountain Commemorative Half Dollar and related medals:
From the earliest Children’s Founders Roll medal, through the incredibly tough Counterstamps, to later U. S. Mint made medals, this multi case exhibit made my heart pound!
A four case display of a complete set of U. S. Seated Dollars:
I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking on two different occasions with the dynamic father and son duo that built this set. Their unbridled enthusiasm coupled with an in-depth knowledge of the series held me captive throughout our conversation. Congrats on such a monumental task.
Writing about the exhibits reminds me of a subject I’ve been asked numerous times, and have been meaning to address. What does a passionate collector do when their set is almost complete and have no idea of what to do next? Easy! Go to a major show that has both, competitive and non competitive, exhibits. Seeing so many different approaches to collecting seems to spark some creativity in most numismatists. Not that you have to go out and replicate an exhibit, but it will give many of you some ideas, or possible directions, that you might want to pursue. If I could somehow squeeze an extra 12 hours out of a 24 hour day I would love to build exhibits for display at major shows. Seeing these exhibits brought my love of the hobby to new levels.
So there you have it. Check out our latest offerings and then give us a call if you see something of interest. And remember…we love to talk coins.
P.S. Try and take time this month and get your coins out of your safe or bank vault and have a play date with them. I promise you, and your coins will have a great time.
