Coin Clubs

Did you hear why? Poor attendance?

My club, Ridge Coin Club in Sebring, FL has been in existence since 1958. The membership totals fluctuate from year to year, but as long as there is good leadership, it sustains.

The Halifax club was founded in 1958 and still has a strong club. The Saint John club was founded in 1959 and is doing okay too. There are numerous other clubs in the area that have folded or gone inactive in the past few years though.

I would also like to know what happens at regional coin clubs? I'm especially interested in the Edmonton Alberta one, or is there an Alberta regional club for the province? I'd like to find out more.

I believe one club folded due to lack of members who collect coins, it had around 12 members. The one thinking of folding is due to cost of a meeting place and their small membership ( I think 11 members)
does not generate the money. BuffalosRock There is usually some sort of program dealing with numismatics. Along with meeting fellow collectors it is a great place to buy/sell/trade what ever your fancy. You might even find someone with very similar interests. Dues are usually very cheap and come with a newsletter.

The club in Victoria BC somehow continues, now approaching 60 years old. Have to say though it is pretty dismal.

The club I belong to generally gets 20-30 people per meeting ranging in age from 20-90.

We sell door prize draw tickets, have people show off their latest or interesting acquisitions, have a presentation, then break for snacks and then have our monthly auction.

People usually bring in binders of stuff to sell or trade before the meeting and during the breaks.

I am the current Vice-President and (past President) of my local club The Hemet Numismatists. We have a current membership of about 30-40 and usually have 15-20 members in attendance at each meeting. We usually have a small coin or currency related seminar and we try to encourage, as much as we can, that members bring in items for our "Show and Tell" section. We always have some club business to attend to and we have a number of club prizes and drawings that are enthusiastically supported through raffle ticket sales. Inter-club sales are allowed and encouraged between members and we also usually have a small auction where members can sell items they want to get rid of. We have a couple of knowledgable collectors/dealers that can do evaluations for stuff that people bring in also. We were noticing a slow member attrition but when I took over as President, I've really attempted to increase membership by trying to make club meetings entertaining and worthwhile attending. Our general membership is aging, as are most clubs membership, so we go out of the way to attract our market customer. The general direction of most clubs seems to be to try to attract younger members with the idea that they will become long term members. We went the other direction. We try to attract anyone that likes coins and being in a club! Since we live in a senior community, we have our meetings at noon during the week which is convenient for our members. We generally have refreshments of some type so nobody goes hungry missing lunch and we always try to keep our meetings moving along and sociable. For those unable to attend but want to keep up with club news, we have a website where they can quickly find out all the info. (www.hemetcoinclub.com). You have to have someone in charge and help from all the members to keep a club going in these times. Sorry this is longer than I intended but I see a lot of clubs folding due to apathy and thought I should speak up.

I just became the president of our coin club. I have seen membership decline over the past several years. In some ways I blame the board members for not taking the time to be involved with the club. In the past the upcoming meeting agenda was decided just before the meeting and not much thought was put into it. Most members seem to come to the meetings just to be entertained or they are dealers who are looking for incremental sales. Those that want to be involved, get involved - it's that easy. As the new board member, I hope to change a few things and hopefully tap into the knowledge base that the club has. Smarter about coins makes me a smarter buyer.
Another problem is the finances - the clubs need to make sure that they are getting the best usage of their money. An annual coin show if your not doing one already could benefit the club. The sales of the tables would help to enrich the club's treasury. Perhaps offer a raffle at the show.
Ask the members what they want to do at club meetings - perhaps give them a laundry list of ideas and prioritize those that make sense. Ask for volunteers from the club - don't be bashful - ask for help! I think most members would help if you tell them exactly what they can do.

Perhaps this would be better for a new thread - but what monthly meetings that you have done in the past have created the most interest?