I got to the show at 7:30AM with my car loaded with 5 cases and all of my inventory, one and a half hours before the show opened to the public. I had done a few hours of prep the night before, getting things priced out and making sure I have enough supplies to have a makeshift office available at the show.
There were quite a few people already walking the floor with early bird badges. Sometimes at shows early-birds can be very touchy with your inventory while you’re not fully paying attention and still in the middle of setting up your table. Thankfully, I had no issues setting up and a few early birds were respectful and came back when I was done. My first sale before the show opened to the public was a pair of 1899 $1 black eagle notes and a few coins to another Arizona dealer I do a lot of business with.
I finished setting up my table around 8:30AM, roughly 30 minutes before public open.
My case for paper currency and miscellaneous items.
My case for graded coins. I was bummed that my 20 coin PCGS submission did not arrive to me in time for this show– so my graded case was a bit lacking in inventory. I should be getting back my PCGS sub on Monday or Tuesday from Fedex, which contains a 1921 Peace Dollar in MS63, an 1834 Half Cent in MS63 BN, and a bunch of toned coins and other goodies!
My case of US raw coins. I try to keep a good stock of better/key dates, original US type, and coins with great eye appeal in all price ranges. There is a coin for everyone!
The show started off great with a large group of people coming through the doors. I immediately sold a few original US type coins to regular buyers of mine.
A good friend of mine here in Arizona came to the show around 11 to help me out at my table. I was grateful for his help because at times I had 2 or 3 customers wanting to look at things. This was his first time being at a coin show and in this environment — he told me he’s very intrigued with numismatics and wants to learn more! My friend watched my table so I could walk the floor a bit…
Colonel Ellsworth’s table at the Mesa Coin Club Show.
Sublime Cents (Eric)’s case showing a really nice proof 1857 Flying Eagle Cent. This was definitely one of the nicest coins in the room. Eric was setup directly to the right of me and we did a video showing my 1814 Capped Bust Half Dollar, now posted on his Instagram account @sublime_cents.
A really nice 1830 Capped Bust Half in MS65. Checkout that TrueView!
At the show I was handing out Numismy/ICG sample slabs to the public. Ethan gave me a box of them at the FUN show a few weeks ago and I figured this was a great idea to hand them out at this show. It actually made my day when a few young numismatists and kids about 6-7 years old tell me this was their first-ever graded coin!
I didn’t have enough time to walk the floor to really search for coins I need for my inventory, but luckily a collector came to my table with a few PCGS boxes of coins and I purchased 6 graded and 1 raw from him.
I ended up leaving the show around 3:30 PM after it died down, and I had dinner with my friend that night.
I slept-in Sunday morning and didn’t arrive to the show until 15 minutes before public open, with me still having to refill my cases with my inventory since I opted not to leave coins/currency there overnight. Though the show did have an overnight security guard, I’m not one to take risks! It’s better to be on the safer side I think.
I purchased this 1860-O Seated Liberty Silver Dollar at the show late Saturday and sold it early Sunday morning. It was my first sale of the day, to a nice older gentleman from North Dakota, who “snow-birds” in Arizona during the winter months. He was there with his wife and I am guessing they were both in their 80’s. He told me he was at the show today to buy coins with the years his grandparents were born. I was fascinated at the fact that his grandfather was born in 1860!
Overall, I would rate the show a 7 out of 10. The public attendance was decent but could have been better — I think part of this was due to the show ownership changing hands this year. The show advertising was a bit lacking in 2024 compared to prior years. But the show itself was well-organized for dealers and there was ample security. In fact, at the end of the show Sunday security was nice enough to walk me to my car and help me load my cases and inventory.
This show is well-established and is the best and biggest coin show in Arizona each year (except if the ANA travels here and hosts a convention). I did fairly well and plan to setup again next year, having reserved my table again for the 56th Annual Mesa Coin Club Show that will be held on January 24th and 25th 2026. It’s a great show to travel to if you live on the west coast, or want to escape the northern cold states for a sunny and warm weekend in Phoenix to buy some cool coins! It’s a perfect Saturday-Sunday show, and if you plan a trip here next year I would recommend hitting up some coin shops on Friday to make your trip worth it! See you all next year,
Branden Morecraft
Professional Numismatist
BM Coins & Collectibles LLC