I got to the airport a little after 7:00AM for my morning flight to Las Vegas.
The view from the PHX airport train to the terminal.
Thankfully I had no flight delays going to Las Vegas. I chose to do a day-trip and fly to the show this time because Frontier Airlines had a really good deal on a round-trip flight. It ended up being a lot cheaper than if I was going to drive, which would have been 5 hours each way and a hotel stay.
And takeoff! 🛫
The Arizona Cardinals stadium seen below.
Lake Mead AZ/NV seen below.
We landed in Las Vegas after being in the air for 45 minutes. Here is a nice view of The Strip from the tarmac.
Welcome to Las Vegas!
I always get a kick out of the Las Vegas airport having slot machines in the terminal, you wouldn’t see this anywhere else!
Took an Uber from the airport to the Tuscany Hotel where the coin show was being held at. It was about a 10 minute drive.
Got to the coin show 20 minutes before the 10:00AM public open. Perfect timing!
A view of the coin show floor.
It was a bit smaller this time with a few empty tables, compared to the November show I was at. A dealer told me he thinks it was because this show was held on Valentine’s Day weekend and right before the Long Beach Expo in California. I guess it was bad timing for some who usually would have setup.
Here’s a really nice 1872 Seated Liberty Silver Dollar I purchased early in the show. Certified PCGS VF30 and CAC approved, this coin makes a perfect example for a Seated registry set I’m working on. Seated Liberty Dollars, especially CAC stickered approved examples, have become very desirable and hard to find in recent years. This is my first personal collection purchase of 2025.
Another cool coin I purchased was this $2.5 gold quarter-eagle certified PCGS XF40 CAC. According to PCGS CoinFacts, 1879 was the last year of the quarter-eagle being minted in San Francisco. The mintage was 43,500 and an estimated 500 exist today in all grades. Scarce to find with CAC, this is just 1 of 14 total approved.
Here’s a neat “Coin Saver” album I purchased. I am guessing this was from the 1950’s – early 1960’s based on the design. I love finding vintage numismatic items like this.
The album came with original circulated Mercury Dimes. Some have toned over the years.
And here’s a cool 1868-S Seated Liberty Half Dime I purchased, graded AU58 by PCGS. The coin is slightly toned. It’s really tough finding Seated in old holders, especially better dates. The 1868-S Half Dime had a mintage of 280,000 coins, but PCGS CoinFacts estimates only about 400 exist today in all grades.
This was all that I purchased. I wish I could have gotten a few more buys in, better items, but it was somewhat difficult sourcing nice coins at a fair price. Hopefully I can pick up a lot more at the Long Beach Expo next week.
I left the show around 3:00PM and had a few hours to kill before my flight back home, so I decided to walk over to The Strip and have some lunch, see some sights…
The Las Vegas Strip, at the intersection of Flamingo Rd / Las Vegas Blvd.
Gordon Ramsay’s Hells Kitchen outside Caesars Palace.
Elvis on a scooter!
A shopping cart “tour bus”
I got back home to Phoenix shortly after 8:00PM. Thankfully, I had no flight delays or issues.
Overall, I would rate the show a 6/10. I got some good buys in, but I wish I could have purchased more. The summer and fall shows in Las Vegas are a lot better, and I will be back!