Greetings from Winston Salem on a dreary, overcast Tuesday. This summer’s weather has certainly been different than the 1st three I’ve experienced here since moving from New Jersey. July saw record high temperatures that hit the upper 90’s on an almost daily basis with August moving toward normal temperature but with lots of rain, some of which quite heavy.
Let’s begin by recapping Lite’s July adventures as there is much ground to cover. To start, I completed a combination stickering visit to the CAC offices in Bedminster NJ with the Annandale Show in Virginia. I left early Thursday morning on the 24th to arrive at CAC by 1PM. The drive was fairly uneventful until off ramping the NJ Turnpike at Exit 10 and heading northwest on Rt 287 where the aggressive tendencies that Jersey drivers are known for kicked in. I had to remember I was no longer driving in the Tar Heel state and quickly upped my game when merging and changing lanes.
Once at CAC I dropped off two boxes for one day turnaround stickering, these coins from my own collection. For this batch of 40 coins which mostly covered later date Indian Cents along with miscellaneous type coins, I had a 50% Pass estimate, and I just got there with 23 stickering. One coin that stickered that I was quite pleased with was a MS63 1899 Barber Dime. What made this special is that my notes show this coin was purchased from GFRC raw in August 2016, ex Maine collection. I remember looking at the Maine raw dimes when Gerry was just starting out and cherry picking this piece for my 19th Century Type set. Pretty cool that this coin PCGS straight graded and subsequently stickered.
If reading this article and having never visited the CAC office, Bedminster is quite an affluent town with Trump National Golf Course situated maybe two miles away. The topography of this area is dominated by lovely rolling hills, with the US Equestrian Team training facility in Gladstone just a few miles further north. While enjoying breakfast Friday morning at the Chester Diner I got the stickering results, picked up the coins and was on my way south before noon to Annandale.
The Annandale show is a Saturday – Sunday event and Lite registered good sales with sales of smaller denominations 1C through 10C leading the way. Of note is that this will be Lite’s last setup at this venue. First, I would like to thank the Promoter, Wayne Herndon for the hospitality always shown Lite. The reason for adjusting my show schedule is that I’ve been able to successfully market the Lite brand at local North and South Carolina shows and can now further focus my efforts.
I would like to now announce that Lite will be attending the following shows for the 1st time:
- SCNA state show in Greenville, SC dates: October 22-25th 2025
- Myrtle Beach, SC show, dates: Dec 11-13th 2025
- Statesville, NC show, dates : March 13-15th 2026
- Azalea Coin Show, Wilmington, NC April 11-12 2026
With the new schedule, Lite will attend FUN, 5 NC shows and 3 SC shows. Concentrating on the Carolinas will have the added benefit of reducing my travel time and expenses. The schedule is also set up so that Lite will have 9 show events in the October – June 9 month time frame. This leaves the summer months to recharge from constant show preparation and do a bit of personal travel.
Let’s now talk OKC and the ANA. I’m always excited to visit new destinations. Although I’ve been to neighboring Texas on numerous occasion, this is a 1st trek to the Sooner state. As many have read in the GFRC blog, I’ll work as a table attendant for Gerry.
When I think Oklahoma, the following verse from Elvis’s “Never been to Spain” keeps running through my head:
“Well I’ve never been to heaven , But I’ve been to Oklahoma, Well they tell me I was born there, But I really don’t remember, In Oklahoma or Arizona, What does it matter, What does it matter”
I have a busy schedule planned for this event. First, I should have time to hit the bourse and hopefully add a coin or two for my own collection. I’ll bring limited inventory to show select dealers I’ve made appointments with pre and post show hours. I also hope to meet with a few Lite consignors and take in new coins for inventory. If the opportunity arises to purchase select coins for Lite’s inventory, I’ll also do that. Finally I very much will try and attend either (or both) of the Barber and Liberty Seated Club meetings. Add in a few good diners at OKC’s top notch steakhouses and I should be a happy camper.
Lastly, Lite recently received for consignment its’ first PCGS Doily labeled coin. Its a 1946-D MS64 Walker also with the CAC sticker. The Doily holder has a following of devoted afficionados with examples commanding multiple x’s the going market rate. Per the museum of PCGS Coin Holders, the Doily was issued from Sept to Oct of 1989. I’ve read that a good estimate of the total number with this holder is 1,000. The below coin is offered at $700. The originality that this Walker exhibits cannot be understated. As of this writing the CAC published retail price is $110. The coin is now listed for sale on the Lite site.
Happy collecting, and if attending the ANA please stop by to say hello.
Rich