I was at this show in Lakeland, FL yesterday (Friday), and there was a pretty good turnout for it. The show opened at 10am, and there were about 50 people waiting in the line for the doors to open. It wasn't the elbow-nudging throng you expect to see at the FUN Show, but you still had to pay attention where you were going to keep from bumping into someone. There were 150+ dealers on the floor, and while I spent most of my time looking for Morgans and French medals, there was something of everything for the collector.
I had made plans to meet a buddy from the NGC Collectors Society there before going into the show, and he arrived a short time before I did. At first, I didn't see him so I dialed his cell phone. When I asked where he was, he said that he was waiting for the doors to open, and then I realized that he was standing less than 50' away. Once inside, he went his way and I went mine. We got back together a few times to "compare notes" and share our finds.
I had called NGC a couple days before the show, and asked the CS Rep if NGC would have a table at the show since their office is only an hour away.........unfortunately for me, no. I was hoping to take some submissions with me to save the shipping and insurance to NGC. Oh, well! ICG was there since they are now headquartered in Tampa, but I passed on submitting anything to them.
My buddy, Shane, some of you may know him as kryptonitecomics on the NGC and PCGS forums, has got to be one of the luckiest people I know. The first time we got back together, he showed me some of the Morgan toners he bought. All of them were gorgeous! One thing we both noticed is that the prices for many of the toners were being reduced by some of the dealers so they could move them out of their inventory. At one table, I was looking at several and before I even said anything about price, the dealer offered to reduce his (recorded) prices by 25%. Of course, Shane was looking for the lowest possible prices so he could flip them for a profit, and I was looking to pay a fair price for those that I wanted for my collection. It may sound a little irrational, but to me, there is a difference.
I was also on the lookout for a couple of specific VAM's for the 82CC & 84CC in GSA holders, but I struck out there. There were more foreign medals displayed than I had expected, but none of them were the kind that jump out at you and say, "Take me!"
In all, it turned out to be a good day for both of us. I bought 11 Morgans - 2 NGC, 2 ANACS (old holders) and 7 raw. None of them are monster toners, but I like them for my collection. I can't wait for Shane to list his latest finds on eBay because there are a couple that I want! Actually, I bought one of my NGC slabs from Shane. I offered to pay him a fair profit, but he sold it to me for what he paid. Of course, I shouldn't expect him to do that too often. Otherwise, he wouldn't make any money.
After leaving, Shane and I had lunch together. Earlier, one of the staffers at the registration table had suggested that we might try a place called Harry's Seafood Bar & Grill on the corner of Main St. & Kentucky Ave. in Lakeland. If you ever happen to be in Lakeland, you should make it a point to have a meal there. The food was great!
Chris
