Franklin Show - Dec 6th thru Dec 8th

[CarlS]

Hello,

A little over a week ago was the Richmond Show and it was great.  Now the show season moves west to one of the two giant Civil War shows: Franklin, just south of Nashville, open for dealers and early pass buyers on Friday with the general public on Saturday and Sunday.   (The other big one is Mansfield.)  Pretty much every dealer and most collectors will be at this one with over 1000 tables including one with Mike, RelicRunner and myself.  A number of other forumites will have a table there and I'll let them announce their attendance. We'd all like to see everyone there.  Come by and visit and if we haven't met let us know who you are.

[R. J. in LA]

Carl,
I've decided to make the trip to the Franklin show coming up this weekend.  I haven't been in ages and the last time I went many years ago the show was still in Nashville. Looking forward to it and seeing fellow forum members. See y'all there.

R. J.

[emike123]

That's great.  I have heard from a few other forum members who are shy about admitting they will also be going to Franklin.  Carl said something about hosting a big party Saturday night for you guys, but I will, as per SOP, have already cleaned out the show and left.

Looking forward to seeing everyone.

[jonpatterson]

Mike & Carl

Where will your table be located? My first time there so don't know the layout other than there are two levels.

[CarlS]

Yes, the show is two levels.  You enter from the parking lot onto the upper level which is a larger ring around the lower arena.  There are probably 300 or so tables up there.  At various points there are steps down to the lower level through the bleacher seats. In the past we have been on the upper level just inside the front door and to the left about 5 tables down.  You won't miss all the iron!  The weather is looking like a good day to be at a show!

[Jim T]

Don't let Mike run around and buy up all the goodies!  He needs to learn to share the wealth!

[CarlS]

We try but it's not easily done.  He is the king of pursuit!

[Jim T]

Make him sit and watch the table!

[emike123]

Never!  Carl and RelicRunner love sitting behind the table for 2.5 days and hobnobbing with dudes in camos about all the shot 3 ringers they've found over the past 50 years.  I cannot take that pleasure from them.  Too bad you and Dean are not trekking down this year.  Sportsman's will miss the lost revenue and I will miss you guy's being there to keep me humble if nothing else.

Its worth noting to the forumites that it was at Sportsman's that most of life's great events happened.  The dozen cops hemming me in in the parking lot after Dean plied me with beer and grilled baloney sandwiches before sending me forth to a car full of artillery shells is a tale of narrow escape (fortunately they profiled another dude and let me slip away), but the greatest of all was when the Thomas Brothers put on their PA country hick charm ("What's a URL?") and combined with yet more beer, convinced Carl and me to run this website after the old one they had was hijacked by Chinese mafia extortionists.  I sobered up fast enough to offlay 99.9% of the work on Carl and his son Neal and so the result is what we have, but the scene of the crime is indisputable.  Some of us cannot help but return year after year....

[CarlS]

Keep you humble?  Ha!  Can't be done....

You're right.  I had forgotten that is where the seed was first planted.  Glad it happened.   Glad I had Neal to do the dirty work too!

[CarlS]

It looks like the weather is going to impact this show but otherwise it seems like it's gonig to be a good one.    Prices seem good.  I've heard of quite a few good deals.

JimT: Mike must have listened to you as he has spent a great deal of time helping others buy or sell.  It seems Jon had Mike lined up to do some sweeping for him.  He ended up with a couple of really good deals but I'll let him elaborate when convenient.

Here is hoping for dry weather and a good turnout tomorrow.

[emike123]

I live to serve, as you know.  Even odder than my generosity (rare) or limited buying (exceptionally rare), was one occurrence for which I will never forget this show as long as I live.  Some people were expanding a Civil War museum and came to the show.  They came to our table and bought every projectile we had (about 35) and some other neat pieces RelicRunner had out too, then went to forumite Trader Sean's table next to ours and asked me about all his shells.  He was off grab assing with Howard or something, so I called him and said, "get here immediately," nothing else.  I think he thought one of us had had a clutcher as he came running, but it was good and he sold all but one of his shells too.

I like Nashville, but I have to say the locals there panic over the weather and the News was constantly telling us to head for the storm cellars because ice storms were going to make life miserable.  I did not see one bit of precipitation on my 7 hour drive home and my car was ice free Saturday am, but I got spooked and blew off a very nice dinner I had planned to go to downtown Friday night and instead ate in the hotel which was not so great.

I did get a nice original water bucket for my cannon, over 300 canister balls for projects, and picked up close to 20 shells that Carl had drilled or cleaned for me.  He did a fabulous job.

One forum member could not get there on account of ice storms in Texas, but from the forum we saw MBfromPB, RJ, Sean, RelicRunner, John Walsh, Ronnie, Jack Melton, KP, Carl, me, Jon Patterson, Dave the Plumber, Steve Sylvia, Dave Gotter, and Steve Phillips.  There may have been others as well that I can't recall from the whirlwind.  As usual the comraderie was nice and we always love the Franklin Show.

[Steve Phillips]

My son Spencer and I had a good time at the show. I saw many old friends and was able to show off my Coal Torpedo. This is the only show I try to go to. I didn't see much in the way of uncommon artillery projectiles and I am not very happy with some peoples skills in preserving iron. I did pick up a 2.6 flat base Hotchkiss bolt that was brought to me.  Much of the displayed iron at the show is preserved with just a coating of some sort of sealer or nothing. These items are not going to hold up for the next generations. I also wish that more of the forum posters would use their names when posting so I would know who I am talking to or reading from. When you are as old and senile as I am it is difficult to even remember real names.
Steve Phillips

[jonpatterson]

Carl,

You are right when you said I lined up Mike to Hoover some for poor old me. I just had to plead poverty and ignorance of what I am doing and he put on his Santa hat and set off to make my first visit to Franklin memorable.

First Santa Mike saw a Ketchum which I had told him I was looking for. I was elsewhere strolling around like a kid in a candy store when he called my phone for me to come on over. I passed on the Ketchum, but while rummaging through the dealer’s crate of shells not yet put on display, Santa Mike found a 3.8” James shell with sabot and partial burlap cover for me, so I bought it instead. 

Maybe, at most an hour later, Santa Mike called me again. This time he had found a 3.8” James Hot-Shot for me at an even better price, so I bought it too. (Sorry Carl, I know you wanted it too.)

Now I guess I should get Santa Mike something for Christmas, but I can’t decide between a tie or some socks.   

Thanks Santa Mike. Don’t worry what the others say about you (not that you do) you are just misunderstood. You made my weekend. (Something I don't usually say to guys!)

Jon

[ETEX]

Mike

Since you are being credited with being Santa Mike I will let you know I got ahold of Rafael and finished the transaction on the shell you found for me. Dang I don't even make it to the show and have already picked up some great Christmas presents for myself.

Jon, what Santa Mike is really wanting for Christmas this year is a Tony Romo shirt and an autographed football by Jason Garrett.