Show Report: GACC Rosemont, September 2025
Third time’s the charm?
After the first Great American Coin & Collectible (GACC) show in Tampa underwhelmed and round 2 in Ft. Lauderdale never left the runway, the industry arrived in Rosemont with eyebrows raised and arms crossed. But GACC’s Chicago-area bid had tailwinds: the Long Beach-shaped hole in the fall calendar, PCGS doing on-site grading, a proven venue minutes from O’Hare, and metals at full boil drawing fresh eyes to the hobby.
We came in hopeful. We left impressed.
Tuesday, September 23 — Wheels Down, Boxes Up
SFO to ORD, the familiar dance. A quick drop of bags and then straight to one of our favorite wholesalers’ hotel rooms, where the real show often begins: Fifteen double-row boxes, tight pricing, and that satisfying mix of maybes and must-haves.
Since Owen and I started making YouTube videos of R7's new inventory, my buying brain has changed. I want our stuff to stand out and tell stories -- not only to look good on video but really to spark conversations. No “just another 81‑S” Morgans (unless they really sing.) Instead: CAC-approved New Orleans gold, pieces with provenance, and coins that light up a lens and your collective Dopamine receptors.
Wednesday, September 24 — The Trading Room Beat
At big national shows, there's usually a dealer-to-dealer trading room in one form or another. Often it's an informal group that comandeers an empty space in whichever convention center we're at, but sometimes it's a more formal thing. The GACC show team really went all-out on their trading room for Rosemont -- they booked a huge space and got pretty much everyone signed up to participate. So the "show before the show" on Wednesday turned into quite a thing.
Trading rooms have a very different energy from the regular show floor - they're super efficient and dispense with the retail formalities: No display cases, no banners - just boxes of double rows, grading lamps, and lots of checks flying back and forth.
Our experience was a great one - we sold a nice pile and we found some lovely coins (and some not-at-all-lovely coins...)
The storytelling mindset kept me disciplined: every purchase needed presence and a narrative hook.
By 3 PM we moved into the great hall for actual setup time. Ashley put the whole booth together solo (legend behavior) while I roamed for opportunities.
We had excellent neighbors, including the always-dapper and well-sugar'd Doug Winter.
And when a Chicago day finishes up? Deep dish in the hotel lobby. Sometimes the correct pairing with wholesale spreadsheets is molten cheese.
Thursday, September 25 — Doors Open, Lines Form
The first public day brought that crisp “let’s go” buzz and a legit line outside. (PCGS on-site grading forms its own gravity well.)
Off to the races and an early win: a fresh, PPQ-rich currency group from one of our regulars: A full set of Educationals, a proper Bison, and Martha smiling back at us. My happy place.
We waved goodbye to our 1796 Quarter and took a ton of lovely original coins in trade for her. The floor stayed lively through lunch, then mellowed - perfect timing to make the rounds.
One of the absolute pleasures (as a coin nerd) of major shows like this is the opportunity to interact with some of the great numismatic minds in the industry. The legends of our hobby generally aren't cooped up in libraries or behind desks all day - they're out and about at major shows just like everyone else. In wandering the floor that afternoon, I stopped by Kagin's to say hello to David McCarthy and see what new toys they had in stock. And I just happened to be there when the vortex of numismatics resulted in a conversation between David, Don Kagin, John Dannreuther (JD), and Russel Augustin. They were debating 1804 dollar provenance, Gobrecht dollar die states, and other, you know, lightweight numismatic topics that every day collectors totally relate to (lollllll....)
Public day 1 wrapped up and I broke my “five-minute rule” for dinner and headed to Perry's with some friends (the rule: No restaurants more than 5 minutes away from our hotel - time is too precious to spend an hour in an Uber after 12 hours of coin work.) But sighhh...this one was worth it.
Friday, September 26 — Quiet Rhythm, Quality Deals
Friday started with a trail run around Rosemont with a friend (oxygen in, clear thoughts out) and then back to a show floor that pulsed in manageable waves.
The highlight was a textbook-perfect deal with a regular client who absolutely just “gets it.” He’s an entrepreneur, treats coins as a passion (not a profit center), prices fairly, and respects that dealers need margin. We reviewed his boxes, I pulled ~$15,000, aligned on numbers in seconds, and we shook hands. A dealer buddy watching said, “Can I have him as a client too?”
By afternoon, Ashley held down the fort while I hustled to Heritage lot viewing. Another underappreciated perk of the big shows: real eyes on real lots. It’s where “looks good in photos” gets sorted from “looks good in hand.”
We packed up late day (a friend’s wedding called me out of town for Saturday) and grabbed a final Italian meal...well within our five-minute rule.
Closing Thoughts
Rosemont delivered. The right dealers showed, collectors showed up, PCGS on-site grading kept the energy high, and the venue (well-worn in the best way) did what Rosemont always does: make national shows run smoothly.
Given the rocky prelude to this third GACC attempt, credit where it’s due to Larry Shepherd and team. The hobby needed a strong fall anchor in this slot, and this one felt real. We bought well, sold well, told good stories, and found more to tell.
We’ll be back next year.
