Legend Numismatics Reports Coin Shows Are Dying Off Due To The Internet

I agree but the question is whether or not it's worth the effort. Am I going to get better deals by getting to know the old timers in the local coin circuit? Maybe but probably not. I can kick back in my living room, bid on coins on the large screen, not have to worry about travel expenses, security issues, and the hassle of haggling with grumpy old men and just bid with confidence on a better selection of coins online. Why put up with the hassle if I don't need to?

I started attending coin shows back in the seventies and chaired club shows thereafter for many years. I've only been buying on the net for a decade. Coin shows have far and away been the best venue for me as a collector. I know a great many dealers who, familiar with my preferences, often set coins/tokens aside for me.

Sure, the internet's deleterious effect on coin shows, nowadays, can't be denied. Folks are always more inclined to let their fingers do the walking, so to speak. Time and expenses are understandable considerations. Then too, I heard many of the same complaints about a so-called "dying hobby" long before the internet came to be.

I recently attended the BRNA's Dalton, GA show, and it was sold out, table-wise. Public attendance was down, but I heard not one dealer complaining. Doubtless, there were some who had an unsatisfactory show, but that's the nature of the game. One or two great shows a year can make a BIG difference. Beyond depending on outright sales to the public, dealer-to-dealer activity can make for a good show. Networking on a personal level, face-to-face, can lead to future dealings beyond the show.

From my perspective as a buyer, the fewer attendees at shows, the better for me. Less competition translates to better deals Still, I do like to see dealer and collector friends enjoy the hobby ... live.

I get the feeling that people have been saying the hobby is dying for as long as it has been a hobby. If the internet was around in the 60s I bet every other thread would have been about how the hobby is going to die from clad coins.




Social media has helped a lot too even-though it is probably the most underutilized tool by the hobby as a whole.

Quoted for Great Truth™. Social media is far too porous for openly sharing something which makes you a prime potential crime victim. And the stuff about name and address not being present is all but done; at this point there aren't many of us whose physical locations haven't been compromised in one business hacking or another.

Many of the guys I first met at coin club meetings and shows, some 30-40 years ago are now what some would call a "grumpy" old man. We still keep in touch, mostly by emails and phone contact. Last month, one of the guys who lives 700 miles away, visited me. We spent a few days together. While a good many coins have come and gone in the past four decades, I have a number of old coin friends who seem to stick around. The comradery remains priceless.

sign me .............. a not-too-grumpy old man

Definitely understandable, I don't nor would I use my personal Facebook for it either. A throwaway account I wouldn't be overly concerned though. But there are a lot of other options too like Instagram, YouTube, ect that are much easier to hide who you are. It certainly isn't something individual collectors need to utilize, but for educational purposes, dealers, coin organizations ect the whole spectrum is underutilized.

PCGS does a good job with some education videos on YouTube and some others have started to embrace it, but there is a lot of potential from an educational perspective that the hobby really hasn't caught up with yet. More things like interesting coin of the week or something along those lines would be another way. Some registry sets have fantastic write ups about the pieces they have there that would translate well to Instagram stories as an example.

There's actually a pretty decent amount being done by younger collectors on the various platforms and would be nice to see it embraced more by the rest of the hobby especially considering it can be done at a very low cost.

I am in a coin club and we do auctions which have about 80 lots a month. Its mostly 2-3 people submitting, but no limit per member. We get about 30 people per month and its a lot of fun. Its also a venue for educational talks. Nothing on the internet could replace it.