Show Report: Philadephia Whitman Coin Expo, first impressions

We just finished our first full day at the Whitman Philadelphia Coin Show and we are thankful to get some rest! Upon arrival on Wednesday afternoon, we met a client immediately upon arrival and proceeded to spend several hours, working until 10pm, buying and selling coins and showing auction lots.

We entered the convention center on Thursday, preparing for a full day of action. Unfortunately the air conditioning was not a factor until noon, causing all of us to sweat profusely while setting up our booths. We somehow survived and business began to commence, even if the lamps cooked us a bit more. The afternoon became a bit more tolerable and we were all a little less grumpy by that point.

After a full day of buying/selling/trading, we were invited to dinner by a wonderful client and his wife. We had an outstanding time and enjoyed our mini-tour of Philadelphia, while riding through a fairly constant rain storm. We were able to view his coin collection and discuss some of his more important pieces, which was truly a pleasure for us. It is always a pleasure to spend time with collectors and we are thankful for the local dinner tips!

As Friday approaches, we will continue to show lots for our Golden Opportunity Sale that ends on Monday and we’ll begin to focus a bit more on our display at our booth. Our first impressions of this year’s version of the Philly Expo is that the show is definitely a “keeper” and we are quite happy to enjoy another major East coast coin show. The folks at Whitman certainly know what they are doing and picked a wonderful time of year for us to spend a few days in the City of Brotherly Love.

Market Update for the day:

What’s hot?

CAC. NICE coins, $10 Indians, PQ coins, the Phillies and Eagles.

What’s not?

Generic Gold, Commems, the weather.

Due to our current Golden Opportunity Auction, I’ve had several interested customers ask about an under-valued part of the market. I obviously don’t have a crystal ball, but $10 Indians are definitely moving northward and better date $20 Saints have dropped to levels that have not been seen in several years. Perhaps there is a great buying opportunity coming about. Lastly, we can’t hold on to CAC coins. Especially expensive pieces. We’re trying to buy whatever we can find that is even close to reasonable, but it’s not easy. There are still a lot of nice coins without CAC stickers, but collectors are truly holding out for the best that they can find these days. After another late night, I’m looking forward to a great night’s sleep and a bourse floor that opens an hour later (9am) for tomorrow!