August 5-10, 2024: The ANA World’s Fair of Monday in Rosemont, IL

August 5th: Day 1

Rather than arrive here in Rosemont in a civilized manner on Sunday or even Saturday as some of our coin dealer colleagues did, CRO decided to go for what numismatists call the “Hit the Ground Running” approach by waking up at 2:30 AM Monday morning, catching the first flight to Chicago, rolling into our hotel lobby by 8 AM, dumping our bags and then proceeding directly to the convention center for the 9 AM start of Dealer Day here at the ANA.

An approach that requires (in addition to an ability to function on 3 hours sleep) absolute precision and no delays whatsoever.

So when we boarded our flight on time and the pilot announced that “It is a beautiful morning to fly” we knew we were absolutely screwed.

And we were, since our smooth flight would be interrupted about an hour later by the extreeeeeemely unwelcome news that O’Hare airport was now closed, we were currently circling Detroit, we’d be diverting to Milwaukee and, as a result, the CRO table #419 would be sitting there sad and unoccupied until we could eventually show up.

But hold on there – after about a 45 minute delay the airport unexpectedly re-opened, we made it to our hotel at 8:50 and we were at the convention center plugging in lamps and hanging the CRO banner (almost) exactly as scheduled.

As an aside, and as has been discussed here ad nauseum through the years, one of the most compelling reasons for us to set up at an ANA Dealer Day (in addition to the business opportunities) is to sort out the CRO booth and fight for the number of cases and lamps we requested and paid for months ago before every other coin dealer in the world shows up and wants to do exactly the same thing. Like Monday, for example, when we discovered they gave us only 3 of our 5 lamps, so MaryAnn went to the supply guy and was given what he said were the last 2 lamps available in the room. So yes, it is good that we were here today, and even better that we did not make a lamp-costing detour to Milwaukee.

Because after that we were totally ready for business, which would consist of buying about 20 colonial, US, and world coins on the floor (at least one of which is pedigreed to the 1907 Matthew Stickney sale), and selling an approximately equal number at the table during the day, splitting 3 deals with other dealers and generally making your author very glad to be here.

With the action winding down around 5, at which time we headed out to dinner with relatives far enough away from the show that no other dealers were present, ultimately returning about 10 PM and summarily collapsing after what had by then been a super productive, very successful and extra looooong 19.5 hour day.

So of course we will be rested and ready for action on Tuesday when we head back to the show for full blown dealer set up in a room in which all the other dealers are present and the public storms in right after.

And then blog all about all of it right here on Tuesday AM in what will be our 19^th consecutive year Road Reporting daily from the ANA World’s Fair of Money.

So you might want to keep an eye out for that –

August 6th: Day 2

“Aaaaah yes, the relaxing life of a coin dealer” I said to myself as I hit the alarm at 5 on Tuesday, wrote yesterday’s blog, dragged myself to the gym, had breakfast and headed to the convention center so we could dive back into business.

Which would start by figuring two deals we picked up late Monday, organizing grading and stickering submissions, delivering coins to other dealers, receiving others and generally prepping for what we thought would be an extremely busy day here at the show.

And we were correct, as it was pretty much non-stop action through the morning set up period, more so as the first collector attendees arrived at 11 and turning into semi numismatic pandemonium (in a good way) when the doors opened to general attendees at 1.

With a steady stream of collectors and dealers visiting the CRO table – often all at once – to variously buy, sell, consign and of course schmooze as we multi-tasked like crazy.

Allowing us to sell a whole bunch of coins, including a bunch that were brand new and will thus never make the site, but also some old friends we were shocked lasted as long as they did.

We also bought about 30 new ones, took some cool coins on consignment, bid on several different sealed bid deals (no results yet . . .) and figured several small collections. One of the more interesting of which was a group of early halves that had been sitting in Wayte Raymond albums for years looking like this:

Q: How cool is that?
A:  Very.

And then we sold a gold coin that two different collectors had come by to view multiple times each during the day, with the second person coming back again right after the first guy snagged it. And then I was told by another dealer that he sold the XL collection that we jointly owned, taking a day that was already good into the level of extra super good.

Though I did have to pause briefly to politely explain to another collector visitor that injecting himself into other transactions taking place at the table is not cool, and if you do that at other tables around the room manned by dealers less affable than your author they might take your head off. I’m pretty sure he got the message.

After which they announced that it was 5:30 and the bourse floor would be closing at 6, so we tied up loose ends and started to pack up. Or rather we tried to, since at that same moment two different dealers texted to say that they had coins they needed our help to figure. Which we scrambled to do before we seriously had to leave.

Which means we’ll need to be back at the show extra early on Wednesday to finish those up before diving into what we expect to be another excellent day here in Rosemont.

Which everything that happens to be described right here tomorrow.

EOM

August 7th: Day 3

Amazingly, we needed to get an even earlier start on Wednesday so we could finish the deals from Tuesday, have a guy make an offer on a raw collection and also meet with another dealer who texted me at 6 AM wanting to have a numismatic powwow about some 6-figure coin he was contemplating, with all of that stuff now time-urgent.

So when we stood in the convention center lobby at 8:02 and the doors hadn’t opened yet, your author was already agitated and the day had not even officially begun yet.

But they flung open soon after, we raced to the table and, for a while there, had 4 of us crammed in the back, all working on deals, compiling spreadsheets and alternating viewing coins under a single lamp. I’d guess from a distance that looked like something extremely important and top secret was going on, and it kinda was.

After that things returned to semi-normal, everyone returned to their respective tables, we got back to filling out more grading forms, racing around the floor and again trying to buy and sell coins of all shapes and sizes and price points and types and series and grades.

And again we were pretty successful in doing so, adding a lot of cool stuff to our massive NEWPs haul, and also selling a surprising combination of brand new coins unleashed here at this show, as well as some of the pieces we have had on the site longer than any others. I’ve said in the past that we never know what will sell in what order, and that has never been more true than here in Rosemont in 2024.

I did however think we would sell the less sexy / ungradable portion of the Wayte Raymond album coins shown yesterday, and we did after getting a couple of offers from guys who live and breathe that kind of material.

With the action intermittently interrupted by visitors to the table, including one who took me on a looooong trip down memory lane by mentioning how a 2009 CRO Road Report written by my former partner Dave had been the impetus for us meeting. When I casually explained that actually I had written the blog in question he seemed surprised, which surprised me, since it was literally signed by me and, as you may have noticed, the blogs on this site have continued in the exact same format and tone (including this one) ever since.

Anyway, business continued apace through the afternoon as new waves of collectors came to the table to buy, sell or trade, and we looked through boxes of coins brought to us by various dealers. We also had plenty of conversations with the latter which, as usual, included widely varying opinions, with some raving about how great this show has been, and another telling us they were going to try to catch an earlier flight home since they weren’t selling anything. That last comment shocked me, but probably should not have, since some dealers are here primarily to do wholesale business and are not positioned (both in terms of inventory selection and table location) to sell to collectors.

With our last deals of the day the sale of a gem British Shilling and a wild Wildman Taler before we packed up and headed to Harry Carey’s for dinner, which sorta sounds like it would be awful, but is actually surprisingly good. More so when you can eat with some long time friends outside on the patio on a beautiful evening at a perfect temperature, which we did and which it was.

After which we returned to the hotel at about 10, re-watched the amazing Olympic men’s 400m final and then turned in so we could be ready to fire up the CRO ANA machine up again on Thursday while also attempting to squeeze in some lot viewing at both auction houses.

Wow, that sounds like it is going to be busy, and also provide some good blog fodder for Friday’s RR which will again be written by yours truly.

JA

August 8th: Day 4

As I leapt out of bed on Thursday morning several thoughts raced through my head:

1. My God, is it day 4 already?
2. Why is it so hot in this hotel room?
3. How come the TV channels here contain both repetition and dashes, like 19-1 and 19-2, instead of just a regular old cardinal numbers?
4. Let’s dive into another day at the ANA!

And so we did, arriving at the convention center right when the bourse opened so I could drop off my bags at the table and do some pre-show lot viewing, but then immediately got caught in the buying and selling vortex at the table and could never get away.

And that would be the theme for a day in which we had scant few opportunities to walk around.

Not that we needed to, since a lot of cool coins came to us on Thursday and we were able to buy plenty of them in between sales opportunities. And there were A LOT of the latter, including (once again) some things that had been on the website for a while, as well as new coins we introduced here.

Like this charming pair of Barber Quarters we picked up just last week from a collector who very, very thoroughly stickered them:

And yes, those would have looked cool on an upcoming EB, but they also looked cool here in the bourse case and absolutely thrilled the collector who bought them. As an aside, I have known and seen that man for 20+ years at shows and this is only the second transaction we have ever done with him – with the last being at our crappy shared table in the back of the Long Beach show in 2006 about which he then thanked me and told me how much he liked the coin at subsequent LB shows for y-e-a-r-s afterward. Aah, the memories.

For the first time here we also sold a bunch of colonials of the L and XL variety to serious collectors in this specialty, including one that had been on the site, and two NEWPs that hadn’t.

But not every possible transaction here worked, including our effort to broker the re-sale of a coin we sold off the website that a different collector now wants to buy from the first guy. Hey, sometimes that can work – and maybe it ultimately will here – since the second guy is interested in this coin because it is a specific die variety / die state, while the first guy just wanted it for type and presumably could be equally happy with a different example IF I can find him a suitable one. Kinda reminds me of that example with the orange in “Getting to Yes – Negotiating an Agreement without Giving-in” by Fisher and Ury, so we’ll keep working on that.

I also spent a lot of time doing a deep dive into Fugios with a YN who is not so Y anymore, but is one of the nice, smart guys I think will do well in this business. So I always try to help him.

With our last sale of the day another gem British coin, making that now the 5th we’ve sold at this show. Inescapable conclusion: British coins are hot! At least when they look like the ones we had.

After which we packed up and headed to dinner at Gibsons, again, with a group of collector and dealer friends where I discovered that they actually can do a proper Cajun Ribeye even though it is NOT on the menu. You’re welcome.

Returning to the hotel just in time to catch the not unimpressive Rosemont fireworks which they seem to shoot off for no particular reason.

Friday we’ll hope for more of the same on all counts, though I DEFINITELY will make it to lot viewing this time. I promise.

EOM

August 9th: Day 5

Your author turned into Super-Productive Coin Dealerman again on Friday, arriving at the convention center just as it opened, selling a coin to a guy who came over right away, then grabbing my loupe and heading to lot viewing at Heritage where I began by going through the Platinum Night session with a fine tooth comb.

Then returned to the bourse floor to meet with a collector who had asked for me to represent him on a lot in there, but unfortunately I had to inform him that it just wasn’t good enough to buy. Which of course is an important part of auction representation, since there are generally well concealed landmines throughout these auctions which one would be best to avoid.

Then I headed back to lot viewing to finish up everything else, which consisted of powering through the rest of the HA sessions, then moving over to Stack’s-Bowers and getting my usual spot in the back of the room where they bring me an unlimited number of boxes at a time so I can view as efficiently as possible while feeling like a big shot.

And that was extreeeeemely productive, as I ID’d the coins I liked and wanted to pursue, crossed off others that seemed nice in the mages but had hidden issues, checked many lots for customers and wrote copious notes about them, and basically completed everything in about 2 hours.

During which MaryAnn called me twice to confirm pricing on coins she sold to collectors while I was away.

After which I raced back to the bourse floor and was surprised to find it still busy and active, since Friday at these shows can sometimes turn into a mass exodus of dealers vacating their tables like a scene at the end of Burning Man:

But never us, since as you know by now we like to stay ‘til the bitter end doing whatever business can be done.

Like on Friday afternoon, as we did three pretty big gold deals, the last of which was after 5 PM and was facilitated by a good dealer friend. Having those sorts of connections is invaluable in this business, and so we are fortunate to have cultivated a network of people firmly in the CRO Circle of Trust in pretty much all areas of numismatics over decades of doing this.

And then we were off to dinner with dealer and collector friends at Carlucci’s, a fine Italian restaurant notable for several things:

1. Being the place where everyone who walked by our table greeted me with a shoulder pat as described in this August 2019 RR.
2. Having the longest walk to the restrooms of any restaurant we visit on the coin circuit.
3. Good arancini.

After which we returned to the hotel late and once again collapsed immediately. So I can assure you we will d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y be ready for whatever tomorrow brings before flying out at night and getting home late.

From where are last RR installment will be written from the comfort of my couch on Sunday AM.

Until then, then –

August 10th: The Exciting Conclusion

Now back home after the combination coin show / sleep deprivation experiment that is the ANA World’s Fair of Money, let’s recap all the goings on via one of our patented series of random observations presented in no particular order starting right now:

We arrived at this show with (in addition to our display trays) 8 full PCGS boxes and left with 6, and we bought 63 new coins at the show, so by my calculations the total number of coins we sold here was: A boatload.

Attendance overall seemed robust (by 2024 coin show standards) throughout, demonstrating once again that, while perhaps not sexy, this is a good, popular and readily accessible venue for a large number of collectors.

Next year’s World’s Fair of Money will be held in the relatively way less accessible Oklahoma City, OK and I’d like to officially say that that scares the heck out of me. I (and many, many other dealers I spoke to) fear it may be a repeat of the infamous and poorly attended 2009 Los Angeles ANA. And now that there will be a competing event being run by another show promoter held in Rosemont a couple of weeks later, some are thinking they might actually skip their first ANA ever. Reminds me of the “If you build it, they will come” line from Field of Dreams in reverse, as in “If you build it in a place with no direct flights from the coasts, they might not.”

Our last sale at this show was at about 4 PM Saturday, and we had a good day overall, so staying until the bitter end was well worth it.

For the first time in CRO history we had to tell a customer to leave the CRO table at this show. What does one have to do to be excommunicated like this? Well, it takes more than what happened with “Pants Man” at the March 2018 Baltimore show. In the current instance, a collector was at the table asking questions and looking for opinions on his coins for a very, very extended period, which is of course just fine. But then a dealer who is firmly in the CRO Circle of Trust came by, pulled me aside and told me how this same person had written him a check for a coin, taken possession, and then stopped payment on the check. When I heard that I told the collector that he was not welcome at our table until he resolved the issue with our friend. I thought my message was communicated extreeeeemely clearly, so when he came back to our table the very next day to look at coins again, I was honestly shocked to have to do it again, only more vociferously.

I enjoyed speaking to a bunch of newer dealers at this show, comparing notes, talking strategy and all that. As I’ve said before, I always encourage everyone who is interested in dealing to do so, and to find their own niche (focus, specialty, etc.) and their own schtick (style, marketing approach, etc.).

It is very, very hard to eat healthily at this venue, though one way is to skip lunch altogether as some of our dealer friends did when they simply got too busy to ever get away from their tables.

I finally had a chance to go view the amazing PCGS PF66 RD CAM half cent being offered by an Antique Watch and Clock auction house in October and on display here in the furthest reaches of the room:

It’s hard to fathom that all of these must have looked like this at one time, and even harder to fathom that someone had the wherewithal to store this coin in such a way that they preserved it so perfectly through all these years. So great job, mystery storer.

And now, still exhausted and desperately needing some rest, it’s time to dive into the HA and SB auctions which will be running pretty much non-stop this coming week, so I really need to stop typing this, and start looking at those right now.

After which we’ll sort it all out and start prepping for our next EB which is scheduled for Tuesday, August 20th.

Finito