If you look at Southgate’s pictures albums over the years, there are always things that remain constant among the changing faces: You’ll see Kentucky Derby Days, Rodeo and Halloween Dress-Up Days, Free Lunch Fridays, milestone celebrations. Added to this list is one other thing that makes a coin shop a coin shop—coin show attendance! Read more to see how this year's Carson City Coin Show went!
This year, Nicole and I (Maya) got to work with Rusty at the 2011 Nevada State Museum’s Coin Show in Carson City. And as you may already know, with each event the company attends, there is usually a dinner tied to it. This year’s show was no exception.
We were able to catch up with long-time friends of the store, and we even made some new ones at the show. Read on to see how this year’s festivities went down!
This year, the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money convention was only a week before the Carson City Coin Show, which limited our time to get ready. Nicole and I rushed to gather all the coin show items in only three days. But, since this is Nicole’s 3rd coin show and my 4th, we were able to become a well-oiled machine and get it packed and ready without a problem.
Friday morning came very early as I met Rusty in south Reno so that we could carpool to Carson City. Since Nicole and I were both old-hats at coin shows, we each got to work one day at the show, and one day at the store. Friday was my show-day.
Once at the museum, I got my yearly-favorite chocolate-with-sprinkles doughnut, and got the table ready for the show with Rusty. We had a slew of C4OAers and friends of the store drop by our booth, all commenting on our exquisite “CC” inventory.
Now, if you’ve never been to a coin show before, I can tell you how it is: a crowded room, jam-packed (sardine-style) with 8-foot tables displaying coins, currency, precious metals, and other interesting items. This is called the bourse floor, and it is where the dealers set up their satellite shops for the event.
This year, I got a special treat: good friend Michael Parrott picked up lunch for Rusty and me for our Free-Lunch-Friday at the show. The whole day went smoothly. And, just like last year, Rusty and I were able to attend the annual after-coin-show C4OA dinner. This year, the dinner was held cattycorner to the museum at the Carson Nugget’s Steakhouse.
The dinner was a blast, and although there was no formal C4OA meeting, the club members had no problem sharing stories and coins around the dinner table. You can never beat numismatic camaraderie when there’s good food involved!
After a full day of work at the show and a full-to-the-gills dinner at the Carson Nugget’s Steakhouse, I was definitely bushed on the drive home with Rusty. After Friday, I got to look forward to my day at the store on Saturday, and another company dinner Saturday night. What an event-filled two days!
Now, here’s Nicole to tell you how her half of the show went:
As Maya was accompanying Rusty Friday at the Carson City coin show, I was holding down the fort at Southgate Coins with Marie. The day was surprisingly slower, compared to other Fridays, but of course, we assumed it was because everyone was in Carson for the weekend. Although it was only Marie and me, we still continued the Free Lunch Friday tradition by eating Bru-Go’s pizza. Yum yum!
Saturday was my day to join Rusty and experience another year at the Carson City coin show. (Unlike last year, I was able to be at the show on break-down day this year, all by myself, too!)
I woke up bright and early, Rusty and I were off to Carson City by 7:30. Like Maya, when we arrived, I immediately inhaled my usual delicious chocolate donut bar, and exchanged friendly hellos with the other dealers located nearby on the bourse floor. Throughout the day, many of the other dealers told me Saturday was a little bit slower in customer traffic than Friday. I didn’t noticed because the entire time, Rusty and I were engaged in great conversations with old friends, C4OA members, and coin show spectators. Good friend Michael Parrott came to our rescue once again Saturday, and brought us lunch from Taco Bell.
The day passed quickly for me, and before no time we were rushing to get packed up and back to Reno for our company dinner. We were to join Marie, Maya, and other close friends who were waiting for us at our rondezvous at Southgate Coins.
This year, we tried for the first time Mimi’s Café (as a sit-down meal, but we’ve had it various other times for FLF). Mimi’s staff placed us in a more secluded dining area where the ten of us were able to candidly enjoy great conversations throughout the course of our meal. We made quite a lively bunch, laughing and sharing stories. We even ended up passing around pictures of our family members, pets, and other silly photos, on our cameras and cell phones by the end of the meal.
One of the best things about Mimi’s is how diverse their menu is. We enjoyed everything, including pasta, steak, chicken crepe, fish, gourmet sandwiches, and even beef bourguignon. No one left disappointed.
The food was amazing and it was a fantastic end to our eventful weekend. The part I enjoyed the most was sharing memories like these with close friends, talking about the past, and wishing for many more get-togethers like this to come.
Southgate Coins truly knows how to leave a lasting impression on those they share these very special moments with.
Maya and Nicole