WALL STREET BOURSE AT MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FINANCE, OCTOBER 21-22, 2011

How it went...

Friday and Saturday were the days of the new Wall St. Bourse show run by John Herzog at the Museum of
American Finance. Many of us had a lot of fun at the old Strasburg, Pa show in years gone by and this was John's vision to recreate that community here in New York City. I believe he was successful. It was a great show, from the logistics handling, to the dinner at the famous India House, through to solid attendance of true buyers at the show itself.

There were 22 dealers set up ranging from currency and coins through bonds and stocks and even historical documents and signatures. We set up at 8-9AM Friday with the doors opening at 10AM. We had solid attendance with good sales of both Confederate paper money as well as large cents. Lunch was brought in with a choice of salads and sandwiches on the menu, enabling dealers to remain at their table. Several people who attended the previous Strasburg shows as well as the R.M. Smythe auctions came by and it was great to see them.

The dinner had over 60 people in attendance at the India House, a great setting. There were several announcements and congratulations offered towards the end. One item of note is the transition of downtown NYC to a residential area from just a business district. We noticed the dramatic difference each evening at the new and old restaurants, shops, etc... in the area. There was a stock and bond auction Friday night, but it had nothing for us, so we did not attend.

Saturday saw more activity. We were busy up to the end at 4PM. We sold a lot of Confederate paper money and many, many large cents.... much of it $200 items and less. We also sold most of the books we brought - CSA 2008, IDRS and Trains.

After the show, my wife and I toured around a bit on foot. One thing was the Occupy Wall St protests, something that concerned me, but turned out not to be an issue. Wall St itself (the site of the show at the Museum was 45 Wall St), was locked down and very secure. Probably one of the most secure areas on the planet. The protests were in a park 6 blocks away, adjacent to Ground Zero and near Century 21 discount store (a famous venue we also visited). The protests were peaceful and had a wide variety of people there. There were a lot of police around and we took some pictures and picked up some of the pamphlets to see what the various issues were. Overall, it was an interesting event to visit.

We look forward to next year as John is planning another event. It is an interesting place to visit and the free access to the Museum of American Finance makes it doubly special.

Previous Post.

I’ll be at the New York City show at the Museum of American Finance (www.moaf.org) on Friday and Saturday, October 21-22nd. New York has not seen a new numismatic event in many years and this one is expected to be intimate and fine. Twenty dealers will bring coins, stock and bond certificates and bank notes, including U.S. and worldwide rarities in a wide array of topics and subjects such as railroads, mining, autos, aviation, navigation, and an assortment of autographs and other items related to finance and its history.

The show has taken space in the auditorium of the Museum of American Finance at 48 Wall Street in the heart of the financial district. 48 Wall Street was the headquarters of the Bank of New York for 200 years, and the Museum is located on the splendid banking floor. The building and the Museum are very interesting places. Entrance to the Museum is FREE for the two days of the Bourse, so you will have access to both the show and Museum galleries.

If you haven’t been to the Museum, stop in for the show and see the Museum’s wonderful exhibits of financial stories, past and present. You will find the silver coins from the sunken Spanish treasure ship El Cazador, or visit the Alexander Hamilton Room and the notorious Hamilton-Burr dueling statues from the New-York Historical Society, and the "Scandal!" exhibit, with reminders of headlines and Bernie Madoff's Louisville Slugger baseball bat. And don't forget the gold Monopoly set!

An Auction by Archives International Auctions will take place on Friday, October 21, at 8pm at India House, One Hanover Square. For an auction catalogue contact: 201-567-1130 or email info@archivesinternational.com.

The Wall Street Bourse will be at the Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall Street, Friday and Saturday, October 21-22, 10am-4pm, Admission FREE both days. For information contact: 212-758-8119 or vakhb3@aol.com.

John Herzog has led the creation of this new event in the spirit of the old Strasburg, PA show when he owned R.M. Smythe. I really look forward to it and we'll have fun.

If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. I look forward to seeing you, Pierre Fricke