NY International Numismatic Convention

[Curio Bill]

In a recent post I stated I was considering going to the Baltimore Whitman show (most of the shows I attend are lucky to have 3 or 4 ancient dealers). However, I am also considering the NYINC show in Jan 2014. Hotel cost will be more expensive but the list of ancient coin dealers looks mind boggling .

So, What can you tell me about this show of shows?? Any & all advice appreciated since I have never been to NYC, Thanks, Bill

[Molinari]

If you're close by, it might be worth it.  If you're getting a hotel and hoping to find some deals,  I wouldn't bother, personally.  A hotel will run you a couple hundred a night, plus everything, like food, is more expensive in NYC.  Also, if you're staying at the Roger Smith, be prepared to stay up all night because the walls are paper thin and everyone decides to go out in the streets and make a ruckus from 11:00pm-3:30am.  

Last year I went and bought books because all the coins were too expensive.  The book prices were great, though, and I really saved on shipping.  I only found one coin the whole time, but  I suppose it depends what you're looking for.  If you're spending serious cash this is a great venue because there are some top notch coins.  I was looking for bronze coins of the man-faced bull, and dealers looked at me as if I were the man-faced bull when I asked  

 There are a couple dealers with really good, cheap stuff, but the best deals are gone by Saturday morning.

Nick

[Andrew McCabe]

I have a more complex answer to this

- I always attend for social reasons. This is where I get to meet people and the event is surrounded by lunches and dinners and opportunistic encounters. The travel costs are vacation expenditure and I don't factor it into the coin prices

- I also take the opportunity to visit the ANS (for coin and book study) and various museums and generally enjoy the fine delights of New York. I love NY. Wonderful city. It's in my top 3 in the world, along with London and Istanbul.

- I do my coin shopping on Thursday afternoon rather than over the weekend. OK it costs $100 for the Thursday preview session but one wise coin purchase and that's easily amortized.

- Attendance in person also allows you to attend to auctions. It's well known (and discussed before here) that you get much better value when attending auctions in person than in advance bidding. The reasons are complex, and the dynamic atmosphere is part of it, but, logic also plays a part, a simple example: if there are two equally desirable coins of the same type as consecutive auction lots, with same estimate, and you bid high on the first, and someone else also bids high on the first, then whoever wins will have paid too much and whoever loses will have missed the opportunity for the alternate coin. This is a simple example but there are plenty of other reasons why attending in person makes sense.

- You can also go and say hello to Forum's host, who has a table there, and perhaps buy some coins

So, plenty of reasons to attend, aside from the price/value of coins on a Saturday morning. I've rented an apartment in Harlem and will be staying for the duration of the auctions and the shows.

[Molinari]

Andrew is right, if you have the means, this is one of the best shows to attend, for all the reasons he stated!

New York is a beautiful place to visit but I find the locals a little off-putting.  I remember asking an employee at the hotel (I forget which one) in 2008 how to get to the Waldorf, and he said "get in a cab, and ask them to take you to the Waldorf!".  This was after I checked in with him, so he knew I was a guest, and the Waldorf was two blocks away.  He's lucky I didn't smack him upside the head for that comment.  When I explained I'd like to walk, he reluctantly gave me directions.

Generally speaking, I find the people of Manhattan very unfriendly, except for the restaurant staff.  Every time I go there I feel like I'm Homer Simpson in the episode where he goes to New York and everything goes wrong!  Shanghai, on the other hand, is my type of place

I saw Joe last year and he was debating whether or not to attend the 2014 show.  Joe, are you going to be there?

[carthago]

The NYINC show is a delight, IMO.  NY in itself is a wonderful destination with so much to see and do.  If you like to travel at all and you haven't been to NY, you're in for a real treat.

On the coin show side, as Andrew mentioned, I would also highly recommend the professional preview day on Thursday for $100. It gets you into the show the other days as well, but it is FAR less crowded than on public days.  Plus you get a better crack at the dealers' stock before everyone else shows up.  I've never gotten "deals" at the show, but I have always walked away with some nice coins that have been great additions to my collection. 

Plus, it's fun to just browse at all of the tables and be around thousands and thousands of coins!

If you're on the West coast side of the US, consider the San Francisco Historical Bourse which is held in December and May I think.  Also in a fantastic city to visit, it's a nice small show with almost 100% ancients.  Several of the NY auctions will be on display and available for review there where you can sit and talk to the dealers as well.  Much more intimate than NY.

[jmuona]

I have been at the NYINC starting from 1996 - first at the Twin Towers and then Waldorf, missing only one year I had to go to a meeting in Canberra to honour a great friend's retairement.
It has been really great, especially socially. I have also been able to buy great coins cheap, but this has not been the trend lately. However, even the fancy auctions have moments when something can be obtained cheap and if you know your coins, the tables most of the time contain a few interesting things. As mentioned earlier, books are a true bargain there - you really should visit Spinks at NYINC.
A very special thing is the opportunity to examine the auction lots. All those multiple solidi, Eid Mars, Clodius Macers and other fabulous things one would never see and handle otherwise. I study Otho coinage and during these years I have been able to study more than a hundred denarii and a score of aurei in detail in NYINC. Being able to examine such things is invaluable if you want to learn more about coins.
Cheap it may not be, but certainly worthwhile. The show dates are good for other shopping, however. The only drag is that the classical music offerings are at their lowest that week.
Yes, Joe was a bit hesitant last year but I see from another thread he will be there.
I will visit all days from Thursday to Sunday. It would be really neat to see the Forum people at some stage. Perhaps at the Waldorf bar?
Jyrki Muona

[Abu Galyon]

As it happens I'm in NYC over the right days and will certainly try to spend some time at NYINC. Hope to meet some of you. I'll wear a white carnation and carry a rolled-up copy of the (London) Times for identification.

Cheers and happy New Year,

Bill R.