Hello Friends.
I’ve returned to the office from a world tour that included Baltimore, Boston, Houston and Annandale! I’m happy to be back and ready to get busy in the office with the many mundane tasks I’ve been unable to tackle, including… consignor files, imaging, website management, show paperwork, blah, blah… you get the picture. It’s been a busy time with coin shows and travel. I’ve worked through many of the outstanding requests tonight but please feel free to send me a refresher if you’ve yet to hear from me on a request over the past few weeks. Dick had me run 24.2 miles while in Kemah and I feel blood is not flowing to my brain.
Baltimore was a fantastic show, featuring the authentic buzz of a real live coin show. We moved quite a few nice pieces and picked up some new inventory that I’ll be adding to the site over the next week or so. I always enjoy Baltimore… it’s a great city… the Little Italy area is a particular favorite. Great food, great friends and a great coin show… it was a wonderful week indeed! Wayne and I were even able to work our tails off and beat the Ravens traffic, escaping ten minutes before the game let out. Last year, not so much luck!
After Baltimore I spent a day in the office organizing inventory and dreaming of Turkey and stuffing… I departed for Thanksgiving holiday on Tuesday, spent Wednesday with my daughter and had a wonderful visit with my friends and family in the Boston area. Having had far too much fun I had planned a return trek on Monday… an illness delayed my return one day as I spent most of Tuesday in the office and then part of Wednesday before a flight out to Houston for the Money Show of the Southwest.
Houston… yeehaw! I was greeted at the airport by Dick Osburn, who had honored my arrival by purchasing a new jeep to chauffer me around. What a guy! We made it safely to Kemah and talked coins and running on the ride. We agree on our mutual obsession with coins… don’t let what I’m about to write fool you… only one of us loves running, the other tolerates running because hockey is not as available in Virginia. Set up was Thursday and we stayed that night for the world famous dealer BBQ! Dick and I both had seconds…. I also remember a pit stop at Dairy Queen before I blacked out… only to awake to an early morning two mile jaunt in the dark.
Friday the show was decent. I didn’t anticipate a great show, it was more an opportunity for Dick and I to spend time together in Kemah, studying Seated Dollars for our research project, drinking beer and running. Based on my limited expectations I was pleased with the show results. Friday night we hit the Hoagie Ranch, a local Kemah favorite… Dick and I both taking advantage of the steak special. It’s a Friday night tradition he and Ruth enjoy and I’m happy to share in when I’m around. Saturday morning I ran alone, punishing myself for the steak, fries and many beers I consumed.
Saturday was pack up day. Ruth stayed home to start digging out Christmas decorations so Dick and I were at it alone. The show suffered a quick, painless death around 1pm when a majority of the national dealers hit the trail, heading to the airport. That night we decided to get in a good Italian meal as we were planning a six mile run on Sunday morning with the world famous Barber Dude, Doozer.
Sunday was a lovely Houston day…muggy, the air thick enough to suffocate… I got about 3 miles into the run and felt like someone had thrown a lasso around my waist and dug in their heels. It was a long 3 back… and thankfully I made it without public transportation. Doozer brought a few recovery beers for after the run and the carbohydrates lifted me out of my humidity induced running coma. Dick and I worked on new purchases when we returned, having put about 30 on the website Sunday night.
Monday was a recovery run of 2 miles and my first Boondoggles experience. It’s a great British pub, fantastic place with over 100 beers on tap. I tried some funky beers before settling into the age tested Shiner Bochs, Dick’s local Texas beer of choice. It was a great time. Oh, we also started the serious part of our Seated Dollar project. Our plan was to work through our in house inventory and the coins Dick has added to his set. As the clock approached midnight I realized it was best to push my flight out an extra day so we would have an opportunity to finish our project.
Tuesday… oh Tuesday… 10 mile day. That was the plan. Dick is, after all, training for the Houston Marathon, which is the week after the FUN show. Guess who will be running with Dick in the early morning darkness in Orlando… yup, yours truly. Dick and I awoke to a cold, dark and windy day… figured we’d work on our research and run later… waiting on the sun to show… it didn’t happen. In my infinite wisdom I used a pair of socks for gloves, not thinking I’d need them in the hot state of Texas. I’ll learn. We got through the run fairly well, wind and all. We got in more research later that afternoon leaving only a few dates to study on Wednesday, my travel day.
Wednesday began with a recovery run of two miles and finishing of our Seated Dollar research. We got through everything we’d hoped and got in over 24 miles of running and two trips to Dairy Queen. It’s always tough to say goodbye, I love Kemah… it’s a great place, on the water… and spending time with Dick and Ruth is always wonderful. Dick got me to the airport safely and my flight for DC/Dulles departed with little fanfare, just the way I like it.
Annandale… after a day in the office of re-organizing inventory for the local staple in Annandale Friday meant show set up… a different kind of set up for me. Wayne and Paul Singleton run this show here in VA and when I say set up I don’t mean putting out coins… I mean putting out lights, cases, setting up electric, running cables… the works. You come into a gymnasium that is empty and you leave at night looking like a real coin show. It’s quite the transformation. Friday proved to be a very late night, getting home around 1am and knowing I’d be back at 8am for the coin side of set up.
Annandale runs Saturday and Sunday. It’s a nice local show. Having a new presence in the Virginia area I never really know what to expect. The traffic in the first three hours was phenomenal! There was a buzz and plenty of foot traffic. I sold a few big coins, coins I didn’t imagine I’d sell at a smaller local show and enjoyed the dealer lunch both days… Saturday was pasta day, Sunday pizza day. Claire, my wonderful neighbor, made her world famous chocolate cake…. also made a pineapple cake, banana nut cake and pumpkin bread. Talk about the greatest table placement in the history of coin shows! She always makes sure I’ve gotten a few pieces.
All in all, a success! The best part about Annandale is that I get to sleep in my own bed. A bed I’ve calculated I’ve spent four nights enjoying, before the Annandale show, since November 16th (first night in Baltimore). Much laundry was done!
So what’s to come? Well, I’m in the office as I type this blog and will be in the office from now until December 22nd, when I plan an overnight drive back to Boston for Christmas break. I won’t be returning to the office until Monday, January 2nd… which also happens to be the day I depart for Orlando and the FUN show. So, if you have requests… image request or any other sort of request be sure to contact me over the next ten or so days. I’m happy to assist in any way I can… and will be able to do so now that I will have extended time in the office.
On behalf of Dick and Ruth Osburn, I hope this blog finds you all happy, healthy and enjoying the many wonders of the holiday spirit.
Happy Hunting!
Brian
Brian Cushing
Sr. Numismatist
rarecoins@dickosburn.com
