I waited in a 5 minute line to register, where you write your name on a sticky badge and the give you these:
Then I waited with hundreds if not a thousand others for the bourse to open, surprisingly there was no milling about, people just stood near the doors waiting for the guards to give the OK. Upon entering the first place I went was to the restroom, the only place I would be assured there was no one else.
Now out onto the floor, It was packed early, I had a map of the dealers I wanted to hit first, with a list to fill my U.S. type set. I need all 3 half cents, the 2 earliest cents, an half dime, trade dollar, seated dollar, & reeded edge half dollar(remember this last point)
Now I'm a silver guy, the reason I don't like the copper coins is that the early one always seem SO dark. Dark enough where you can nmake out details even though they are there on close inspection. So I usually go and fill my silver/nickel intrests first. Upon the first of my favorite dealers is an elderly couple who are extremely pleasent and give great dealas they hand out their stories of the day. In searching his wares I came across the first half cent, this 1833:
One thing about bourse lighting, I swear this coin had a slight more red in it at the show, I know my pics are crap, but when i got home I didn't see what I thought I saw on the floor.
Anyway, I this purchase I was attacked. Attacked by the copper bug!. I now was incensed to coplete the half cents at this show. I the wanted the early half cent, 1800-1808. I musted of looked at a hundred of them, almost all were raw, and had "issues". The few that were slabbed were out of my league price wise so I was stuck. I did find one slabbed that i liked, as hemmed and hawed about it's cost, they paged people for the NGC lunch. AS I walked away I was afraid I lost out on the coin
By this time it was noon and time for the NGC sponsored luncheon. First off it wasn't the long walk away it usually is, it was right outside the bourse and up the escalators. And it was packed, I mean every seat filled, I never seen this many people in my 4 years attending this. Upon entering you recieved this:
And sat down to a great luch, with salad, fried chicken, meatloaf with mushrooms, potato & macaroni salads, corn bread, biscuits, and many different desserts. Also sodas, wine & beer. Did I mention beer?
Because i had 2 and didn't have a drink in the last week, i got a little loopy(lightweight), which made listening to people complain about bodybags a little more bearable, but caught up with me on the bourse. More later.
NGC talked about their new building, the regestry sets, and hinted at possible new holder this year. The whole talk I was thinking about that half cent I saw early and hoped it was there when I got back to the bourse.
Talks over and off like a shot to the dealer with the half, and there it was, all by it's lonesome in the case, eveyone else eyeing the millions of Morgans and Walkers that were everywhere. So with thinking twice I picked her up, she was more than willing to come home with me:
By this point I had copper fever, it was exclusively what I looked for when I walked up to a dealers case. I mean I've never gave early copper more than 10 minutes at a show, now I was consumed.
The show had other attractions such as Heritages massive piece of gold they had in a case as soon as you walked in. It was the size and shape of a deflated football(American) if you can picture that. Also was the fine exhibits from the paper money errors to the complete sets, it was impressive. And a quick apology to the Coinpeeps, I brought my camera to take pics of the event, but it never left my bag, copper fever.
The had a panning for gold exhibit that the kids seemed to love, and the Feds were there agin with the paper money making demos and a person who explained how they work with mutilated money, burnt in a fire or lost and now deteriated. They also had a shhet of $100,000 gold certificates. 12 on one sheet, boy I'd love to taken that home.
By this point it's 4 PM and I'm spent, not sure if it was the 2 beer or the copper fever or a combo of both. I'd been looking for more CC's to add to the collection, but I found the same problem as the early coppers, low grade with issues, or higher and too expensive. I saw a few 1876 Quarters at Dick Osborns table, who is very, very nice, with a fantastic selection of coins and willing to take the time and talk about them. He was so charming that I saw a 1836 half that looked nice. It was stickered $125, i looked it my price guide and it said it should be about $2000! I thought, how can a big name dealer make such a mistake. I took a second look and then a second look in my book. Whoops, it's a lettered edge, not the ultra rare reeded edge. I know I need a 1836-1839 half for the type set, so i bought it over a 1876-CC Quarter in VF-30:
Nice coin, but if any of you know the Dansco 7070, I do need the reeded edge, not the lettered edge. So know I have a duplicate. I broke it out of it's ANACS slab to put in the empty whole anyway, but of course it doesn't fit, so it's in a 2X2. Stupid mistake, loopy, copper fever, I gotta blame something.
Lastly the world coins section was not that good for me this year. They have a nice block of tables for these dealers and in the past I hit some nice Portuguese examples, but this year it was almost all modern(post 1940) examples. Nice stuff, just not what I was looking for.
Also by this time(4PM) at least half the dealers are gone, about 20% by noon, which makes me think I may come mid week next year,
Overall a good show, time flies when your there, and Art I missed you this year!
Many thanks for the report though, very interesting.
