April 17-19, 2025: The New Hampshire Coin & Currency Expo
April 17th: Day 1
Timing our arrival just about perfectly, we walked into the Double Tree Hotel here in Manchester just as the show opened to dealers, allowing us to check in straight away, write out our DIY show badges (a charming NH Expo tradition) and head directly to our usual table #802.
Where we greeted lots of dealer friends, set up real fast (of course), and then your author raced around the room looking for cool coins. And I had some decent success, finding some nice US type from some reliable sources, and a choice, original XF Pine Tree Shilling acquired through the help of a dealer friend.
Sales were decent too, including a couple of crusty, original, old holdered CC-mint $20 Libs, and a bunch of raw coins we acquired in several recent deals.
So by the time we left for the evening, we were feeling pretty good about this show, and the prospects for tomorrow when the collectors arrive en masse starting at 10 AM.
With whatever happens to be described right here first thing on Saturday.
Until then, then –
April 18th: Day 2
Flying solo today (as is usually the case on Friday in NH), your author arrived on the bourse floor at about 8:30 and found nearly every other table already occupied and engaged in commerce.
So I tried hard to catch up, first by finalizing a couple of wholesale deals started Thursday.
Then bought a neat OGH CBD.
Followed by a few more toned US Coins.
Split a cool Morgan of a date we have never owned before with another dealer.
Met up with a bunch of our regular local customers who variously bought and/or sold coins.
Had at least 6 people ask to see the 1875 Shield Nickel in our case, which has to be some kind of a record for any Shield Nickel in any case, ever.
Bought a cool Pillar Dollar.
Discussed a potential colonial coin consignment with a local customer
Thoroughly and completely avoided the snack bar all day.
Tried to buy an unbelievable WLH from a local collector who just wasn’t selling. And believe me, I tried.
Completed a transaction for a coin ordered off our last Early Bird.
Reviewed a mock up of a wooden CRO logo currently being developed by a long time customer.
Sold some choice US type to various show attendees.
Bought a modern proof set with wild color because it was there.
Delivered a wicked coin recently purchased off the website.
Which in all made for a pretty active day here in NH which we’d like to see continue on Saturday when MaryAnn will be joining me and, we hope, a good crowd will show up.
And it does, or even if it doesn’t, we will write all about it on Sunday AM.
April 19th: Day 3
Now back home after another successful NH Show, let’s recap the goings on via a series of utterly random observations presented in no particular order.
Attendance was robust on Saturday but a little lean on Friday, which is perhaps not surprising since it was a holiday.
CRO hats given out here: 7
Several times at this show I went to dealer tables to look for cool coins only to find dealer extraordinaire and good friend David Kahn already there buying something I would have bought, causing me to react exactly like this.
We met a bunch of new customers at this show who were totally unfamiliar with CRO, sold them a bunch of coins, gave out tons of business cards and hope to see a lot of these people down the road at shows or online.
Total NH NEWP count: 17 coins
I was this close (fingers held only an inch or so apart) from buying a $7,000 coin on the floor after we had already packed up to leave on Saturday, but I decided to save some ammo for the next show.
On Friday a guy walked into the show with a scarf covering his face and only his eyes showing like a bankrobber. I found that disconcerting. Actually, I still do.
We got home Saturday afternoon and your author immediately fell asleep on the couch, so we can conclude that a 3-day local show is actually very tiring. But it is a good kind of tired.
And now we’ll rest up, reset and get ready for the CSNS show from where our next RR will be written as soon as this Wednesday.
