Bill you must have not been moving too slowly; I got there after you by c, 40 minutes according to Bill McPhail's confirmed sighting of you around 9:30 am. I tried to catch up but didn't know your row & aisle scanning pattern.
The nice 16 Sterly for $525 was nowhere to be found; the nice cleanup candidate early A grade ejector Fox missing a forend was very near to finding a home just as I left. Trick will be to find a forend iron with the early (Fox & Horne patent?) ejector mechanism.
More nice Parkers than I have seen there in years; very few Foxes (c. a dozen or less) with prices all over the map with few if any graded guns. Tons of Winchester levers and Colts like the old days, noticed (I thought oddly) the near complete absence of the once-ubiquitous Browning A-5s in 12 and 20 gauge and especially Sweet 16s, one of the most popular guns found at this show for years, known as THE place to find nice ones!
Tenor and amenities of the show have changed as well: the noise level is noticeably higher since they quit carpeting the place; vendors yelling to be heard and many complaining of the effects of concrete flooring on the feet. Aisles are noticeably wider by what appears to be 1.5-2 feet more than the longtime widths. The entrance foyer once again has vendors set up across from the display-only tableholders there, which is a good thing.
Some longtime vendors claim MACA lost 150-200 tableholders over the last few years as a result of the pandemic and escalating component, fuel and lodging prices in the aftermath. Overall, still one of the best shows in the country, with heavy emphasis on antique arms (knives, swords, muzzleloaders, tomahawks, etc.). Always a nice selection of fine British and European guns as well.
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