Arlington Texas - Tna Show 2023 - We Are Go

I would love to go Burton, but it is far too far for me to walk to from Phoenix.

One of these days I plan on making it up there. Bit more than a day trip though from San Antonio, will have to make it a weekend trip sometime.

P: Was that you I sent to T&S?

The show was busy, probably over 100 people in line when it opened. It quieted down around 11 am and didn't really pick up in the afternoon, more steady traffic.

I didn't get to touch base with any of my dealer friends to see how it was going, but I did overhear one dealer saying he was sold out of gold and had sold most of his silver. I saw his case during setup and we're talking at least 20oz of gold.

Another dealer said he was shutting down and is selling his premium-quality Morgan set because he can't buy replacement material.

There were old dealers who have always set up at the show and several new dealers. One I talked to yesterday finally opened their shop in El Paso last week. And drove the ten hours to set up at the show this week. They'll drive the ten hours back Sunday night. Any bets if they're open on Monday?

There are a lot of younger faces starting to show up behind tables, not just as vest pocket dealers. Some of the VPDs are not small potato efforts, they're turn over is measured in kilobucks.

Several of the wholesale dealers have packs of younger scouts roaming the floor with laptops open and serious knowledge about inventory and price. "Sorry, I can't do 385 - we already have two". Any dealer with honest material at wholesale prices is liable to be left looking like the Cedar Waxwings came to visit.


There is a large silent auction of part of the Library of Numismatics International. The NI library http://numis.org/resources/library/) was a little-known and less-used resource that was basically taking up expensive storage space. The books are being sold mostly by the box of somewhat related books. Sad to see it go, but a few hundred of the most important pieces are off to the ANA Library.

I did see one fun piece, Pete Smith's "Building, Maintaining, and Disposing of a Numismatic Library". I wonder if they used the book to place the disposal.



I've found a couple of fun coin pieces, including the ANA 1/2 toz silver membership medallion from a couple of years back. It was a spiff for joining or renewing and as a LM I didn't qualify. And I'll admit I didn't want to buy one at $125... I thought that was a bit pricey for a 'contribution' even worse than the US Mint markups.



I got some nice change at the Quick Trip - a 1946 Jefferson nickel and a 1955D Wheatie. Plus a blasted 1965 quarter.

Well now, jacrispies is making me look bad, he made the drive and I didn't!

Didn't know you were from San Antonio @jacrispies, small world.

Yep, traffic was the other way. I've been to the show on days when there used to be day games that let out as the TNA show was closing up... ugh.

Glad you won the books you wanted.

It's sort of a sad tale, all 2nd hand, but...

Numismatics International (NI) is an old club/association focused on, well, international numismatics. The library was built up over many many years as a circulation library like the ANA's. Time and tastes change and most books were never checked out. It became a storage nightmare and the decision was taken to close down.

About 350 of the most important, special, unique books were sent to the ANA Library.

The rest were offered in the bulk lots you saw, loosely grouped by a topic. Some people found great additions to their library. Some found one special book that they needed and now they have to figure out what do to with the rest (check Half Price Books in a month). Mostly boxes sold fairly inexpensively so that's good for the buyers.

I gather there was a good fight over one particular box... several people realized there was a copy of a book about Spanish Colonial coins in it.

The only thing I can come up with was that it was a copy of Resplandores: Cap and Rays 8 reales of the Republic of Mexico, 1823-1897 by Mike Dunigan.

NI is two things, the international club that publishes a well-researched magazine quarterly. And a local club in the DFW area. The next meeting is this coming Wednesday (3rd W of the month), June 21st.

I actually bought my books from the crazy guy set up next to the silent auction.

Bruce from Spring, TX. You know the kind of vendor where YOU can't find anything, but HE knows where everything is? I admit I played a couple of tricks on him, putting like items together (like the two printings of the same edition, the blue cover, and the gold that were in separate boxes).

I went both Friday and Saturday, and ended up spending more on parking than on coins (or books!). Mostly I went to see if dealers had brought their "junkbox" foreign material, and only one had. Not that I blame those who didn't — more or less by definition, it's heavy and of low value, thus unrewarding to haul from pillar to post and back again.