FUN Show Report 🌴

I landed in Orlando at 6:00 AM Friday morning after taking an overnight flight from Phoenix. I had missed the first few days of the show but I was eager to attend my first ever FUN show. A good nights rest the night before and a lot of coffee definitely helped! 

When I got to the Orange County Convention Center I was amazed at how many people were already there 2 hours before the show opened to the public. I ended up buying an early bird badge so I could get in early. The moment I walked into the convention hall I was blown away by how big the show was and how many tables there were. This show is definitely much larger than the Long Beach Expo which I regularly attend. And so the hunt began! 

My first purchase at the show was an 1892 Proof Barber Half Dollar in PCGS PR63CAM CAC. The dealer said he had just put it out and that I was the first to look at it. The coin immediately caught my eye being in a case with mostly Morgan’s and NGC coins. 

At the show I saw a nice collection of Seated Liberty Half Dollars on display by Gerry Fortin Rare Coins. The lot will be auctioned in February and features a lot of PCGS/CAC early date, high grade, and toned examples. I have my eyes on a few for my personal set! 

One of my favorite things about going to coin shows is hearing stories from other dealers. One dealer I bought a coin from told me his first FUN show was in 1963 and he has been to every show since.

After the show Friday I got dinner with Peyton Bryant of ARI Coins, Isaiah Hageman, and Eli Kelso. It was nice meeting them for the first time in person after only knowing them from the online coin community. 

I slept in a bit Saturday but I got to the Convention Center around 9:00 AM. I had already done most of my business Friday but I did make a few more buys. I also did a submission with PCGS.

Saturday night I had dinner with fellow dealers William Saurina, Noah Flynn, Matthew Pavia, and Florida friends at The Capital Grille. The food was amazing, but seeing everyone was even better. 

After dinner my friends from St. Petersburg and I went out to Downtown Orlando. We went to Mathers, a 1920’s themed speakeasy — which was really cool!

I went to the show Sunday but half of the dealers were gone. I still managed to get in a few more purchases before my flight back home to Phoenix, which ended up being delayed by 3 hours due to mechanical issues.

I also want to give a shoutout to Ethan Opdahl for having a nice setup at FUN advertising Numismy. It takes a lot of work to start a new coin auction & buying site and I’m impressed with how much it has grown in the past few months. It has a great model, and I’m proud to be a seller on Numismy. Thanks for the sample slab! 

Despite having missed the beginning of the FUN convention I still picked up a lot of great coins. Overall, I would rate the show an 8/10 and I will definitely come back. Some dealers who setup told me they had their best show ever and the public turnout was massive. I am very happy to see a strong coin market going into 2025.