Jim Bisognani: Reflecting on the Latest ANA World's Fair of Money

Well, my fellow coindexters, another ANA World's Fair of Money has come and gone. If you had the chance to attend the event in Rosemont, Illinois, I am sure you had a memorable time. For those of you who didn't, by all reports from the floor and the emails I received from my fellow coindexters, it was a solid and eventful show on all fronts. Buying, selling and trading was, in many instances, frenetic — accompanied by an echoing buzz audible throughout the hall that was both hypnotic and annoying.

News from the ANA Bourse

Attending dealers reported that wholesale trading was high and retail sales were mostly solid. While some observers said that collector attendance was down, others advised that many clients came to the show to deal directly with them. The Tyrant Collection featuring fabulous coinage from ancient Egypt to contemporary times was a fabulous exhibit. Another newcomer said that touring the world mints and their displays was fascinating. So, all in all, a good time for dealer and coindexter alike!

Several of my readers told me that they made some great acquisitions, and one reported that they had made a "killing." (Numismatically, that is!)

A Golden Deal

Tom from Lincoln, Nebraska, reported that he took the plunge and was able to buy a handful of ever-popular $20 Saint-Gaudens gold coins graded NGC MS 65. As Tom put it, with gold spot around $2,400 to $2,500 per ounce, he knew it wasn't going to be cheap.

"I always figured that when I was going to be buying a Saint, that I would only be able to afford an MS 62 or MS 63," Tom said. "But [with] the price of gold where it is, there was only a little more than a $100 spread between MS 62 and MS 65 graded coins. So it made the most sense to go for the MS 65's."

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Tom secured a mixture of dates, too. "I was able to get a 1908, two 1924s, and a 1927 and 1928 at $2,550 each," Tom said. That is truly a remarkable buy when you consider that, as of today, that places $20 Saints graded MS 65 at just 7.6% above melt value! Wow, that's just hard to fathom.

Young Collector on a Roll

Jerry and his son, Matt, reported that their quest for early US Type coins for Dad and Lincoln Wheat Cents for Matt went really well, especially for Matt. Jerry from Michigan said that he was excited to pick up some neat, problem-free Bust Half Dollars.

"I got 10 nice, original XF 40 to AU 53 NGC coins," Jerry said. "All nice silver-gray, not cleaned, attractive skins — just nice-looking smooth gray surfaces — all original. I was really lucky because it's so hard to find coins like that."

As for his 13-year-old son Matt, per his dad: "The little bugger decided to take some of his money and buy some supposedly ‘original’ mixed Lincoln Wheat Cent rolls, which hadn't been searched or gone through. Well, he bought five rolls at $10 each, and I'll be darned if one roll didn't have a nice VF 1914-S and 1924-D. Another roll held a mixture of nice mintmarked teens and a really nice 1910-S. The little guy is as proud as a peacock with his killing."

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I'm glad to hear that. It's always important to make an exciting find. Scoring a coup like that can propel you further along in your numismatic journey.

Notwithstanding all the glitz and exhibits, in my opinion, an important element has been missing at the ANA World's Fair of Money. It's the absence of live ANA auctions. Nowadays, we have to toggle back the time machine to remember those mega sales, which had traditionally been running live during the course of ANA week.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height in 2020, every ANA auction — as well as other major venue auctions, for that matter — has been held off-site by the auction houses. These auctions were also not held during the actual ANA convention.

Now, several years post-pandemic, all auction houses are content to run their sales on their "home turf," so to speak. This allows accommodations for the more traditional (and perhaps, more stubborn) live in-house bidders to enjoy the live action bidding against the plethora of online traffic making their bids electronically.

It was only a decade ago, at the ANA in Rosemont, that news of the host auction house results would quickly travel across the bourse. It was relevant and exciting, and the buzzing was accelerated when a coin (or coins) would be poised to sell for a record price. Sometimes it would pause for a moment when dealers were battling it out for a million-dollar coin. My friends, that type of news traveled quickly across the bourse — seemingly at the speed of light. The talk and hype would invariably heighten. It just seemed to bring more excitement to the event, and it's just one more layer of excitement that's been eliminated, in my opinion.

I still get emails virtually every week from budding collectors starting their numismatic journey. Each are trying to find a series to collect within their budget, which would be exciting and perhaps a good value to acquire in the beginning. There is certainly a wide world of options to consider.

Taler Time

One of my fellow coindexters, Chris B., hailing from the Garden State of New Jersey, is a serious collector and avid fan of high-grade coins from the Philippines, under Spain and the US. He is always on the lookout for high-grade and well-struck Ancients from Greece and Rome, with a primary focus on looking for coins that grade 5/5 for Strike and 5/5 for Surface. He also prefers that his coins be Mint State. For Chris, these ancients are marvelous relics of the ancient world, which seemingly (and improbably) remained unscathed for more than two millennia.

I, too, certainly appreciate the coins of the ancient world; I mean, talk about living, tangible history in your hands! Yet, Chris is now on the hunt for high-grade crowns (Talers) minted during the Renaissance throughout the 18th century in Europe. Per Chris, "I think the craftsmanship is amazing, and the population is minimal for high-end material. So should you come across anything interesting in those categories, please let me know!"

Well, my friend, it just so happens that I was scanning the Stack’s Bowers August 2024 Global Showcase Auction - Session D, and I came across a quartet of candidates which should be of interest and should definitely fit your criteria! I forwarded the following German Talers to him. Hey Chris, let me know if you were able to snag any of these:

This ornate 1624 German Taler graded NGC MS 62 is the only known Mint State example. A truly memorable and beguiling coin endowed with aged patina, struck during the first decade of the Thirty Years War:

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There was this fabulous 1756 German "City View" Taler graded NGC MS 65; it's the finest-known example!

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Additionally, an 1804 German Taler graded NGC MS 63 that features a grand rendering of St. George slaying the dragon:

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Finally, there's this magnificent 1654 German Triple Taler graded NGC MS 62. It is the only Mint State example known! These massive coins were nearly always plagued with modest or malignant mishandlings, tooling, graffiti and other damage. Yet, this jumbo-sized coin escaped unscathed throughout the centuries. A great piece and paperweight, too.

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Well, my friends...

Until next time, be safe and happy collecting!

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