Portland ANA Money Show

I just returned from the Money show. It was a well organized show and most
of the vendor tables were filled. Registration was quick and easy.

I attended the Money Show in Phoenix last year and these are the only large
shows I have attended so my analysis of the show is from a limited
perspective. I was not looking for High dollar material just coins that in
my opinion should show up at a major show.

My first observation was that the displays were not as large in Portland as
they were in Phoenix.

My next observation was that there were fewer vendors in Portland. I heard
comments that many vendors chose not to come to Portland because of the
Baltimore show -- everyone has to make choices and I heard that excuse in
Phoenix last year also.

The crowd seemed to be a bit light but I was there shortly after the opening
on Friday. It seemed to me that there were many transactions taking place
but I really don't know if vendors considered it "GOOD" or not.

From my standpoint I was a little frustrated with the kind of inventory that
was at the show. The main reason for me going to a major show is so I can
look at coins not available through my local coin shop. I like to see and
evaluate the coin that I wish to put into my collection and a major show
should give me a better opportunity to see a few examples of the coins I am
looking for.

I visited every vendor's booth in my search for a 1909-S Lincoln cent graded
AU58 and only found 2 examples. I thought I would find more than that.

Maybe my problem is that I am not looking for lower grade coins or the
higher grade or rare coins and there just isn't much out there in the middle
area.

The bottom line is that it was a fun show and I did pick up a couple of nice
coins and learned some new things.

Chuck