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 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,040 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
This morning I debated whether I'd drive out to the 'local coin show'. It's actually a longish drive, and last time my pickings didn't exactly make the day worthwhile. Over the past years, I've noticed a few trends:  From what I see, there are far less coin albums to peruse. Coin albums are the main reason I attend shows--I can sit down and spend hours looking for varieties.  But lately, the percentage of dealers with stocked albums seems less.  The overall quality of coins has dropped. This is obvious with IHCs--endless piles of cull IHCs and/or overpriced mid-grade not key/semi-keys. Getting together a handfull of problem-free F+ IHCs takes a day or two at shows--and it's getting harder. It's like junk coins are getting recycled through dealers.  Then there are the dealers who have nothing but expensive (or ordinary but slabbed) coins out in cases--sometimes asking to see their 'regular stock' is like pulling teeth. Admittedly--I'm not the high-end buyer--but I would guess that most collectors are like me. The more coins dealers have, the more we can buy. I see far fewer bargain/junk boxes too. With a few exceptions--I also notice dealers aren't buying new coins. Is this the end of an era--will there be a new generation of dealers who frequent shows? And what happens when the 'Boomer Bulge' cashes out their collections--will these coins return to the dealer/show circuit or will online inventory at sites like ebay grow?  It's quite possible my observations are entirely regional to here in the Pacific Northwest--I don't travel to attend shows except to the ANA Show in Portland--the best one up here. What have you seen out there?  Edited by DVCollector
12/13/2014 4:56 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
I believe you are correct, but the reasons may be varied.
#1 - more "dealers" using the internet only. No cost of hotel, travel/mode of transportation, table fees, etc, etc to attend shows.
#2 - Dealers only bring to shows what they believe is going to sell and make profit.
#3 - I find, that I need to ask the dealers at the shows about what I am looking for, as their table space is limited, but behind the table floor space may contain what I am after.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1373 Posts |
DVCollector, I unfortunately don't have the answers you're looking for, but I just wanted to say that my last show visit was almost identical to your post. Things did not look as favorable for me this year as in the past two.
First off, it looked like dealership dropped quite a bit (guessing 10-15%), and some left early. There were more high-priced slabbed tables than one's with the lower grade/priced items I was looking for. I found only one or two dealers who had 'new' coin stock (coins newer than 1999). There were tables with a thousand $1,000.00 items but very few with 'small potato' coins I could have bought.
I brought $200 to spend (a lot for poor people like me) and I got a dozen or so coins for that much, but didn't leave the show as happy as in the past.
I realize the table costs are one reason that dealers bring and/or display high end items instead of lower grade/priced coins. They have to make a big profit per coin to pay their table cost. Selling 30 coins at a $20 profit is must better (and quicker) than selling 600 coins at a $1 profit.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I'd have to agree with acloco for the most part. Especially the internet. At coin shows I go to I've seen so many dealers fade away and when I ask other dealers that knew them where they were, it's almost always, they now stick to the internet. Dealers now have their own web sites so why bother traveling to a coin show when they can do all their business sitting at home. And just sitting there with a cup of coffee, in their shorts, with the temperature and lighting just the way they want. Even at large coin shows you only get a small amount of buyers and so few may buy from you. On the internet there are possibly millions of possible customers.
And think of this. A dealer has to lug a ton of weight in coins back and forth to a coin show. At home, he moves nothing except his chair. A dealer has to drive long distances to a coin show and wear and tear on his car, gasoline, oil, etc. At home, his car just sits until he has to mail out some coins. Going to a coin show a dealer faces possible theft. At home only had to deal with family problems.
Yet tomorrow I'm on my way to a coin show.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4589 Posts |
if this is the specific show I think you're referring to you also have to remember there are some personality conflicts between many of the local dealers in the organizer.
you would have really liked the Everett Coin Club show a couple weekends ago - it's the first show in a long time where there was almost nothing in slabs.
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
you would have really liked the Everett Coin Club show a couple weekends ago I simply forgot about that show in November--I would have gone. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10034 Posts |
I am rather active in my other hobby of collecting glass insulators. I can tell you what you are seeing is not just in the coin hobby. The fact of the matter is the economy is so very much worse than it has been in a very long time despite media trying to tell us different. We don't have the disposable income we used to. The insulator dealers have been talking about how costs are up too much for a trip/meals/lodging etc. due to hard times. In fact the club I involved in has voted to take a look at how the old days of the hobby had shows - instead of renting out large show halls, etc, we want to start having more tailgaters and not worrying about fancy awards banquets, host facilities etc. In fact the most liked insulator show in the hobby (and one of the largest) has been held for 45 years at a fairground. The cost for a table is only 20.00 - the hosts charge only enough to pay for the fairground building. No frills, no extras, just good clean fun, fellowship, and collectables - at the start of the hobby it was enough - and still is. But since coins have an intrinsic value - the security issues of this type of show concept are not viable for the numismatic hobby. I remember when ebay first started this same statement was being made as a lot of antique shops were going only through ebay and shutting the stores. We thought back then ebay might be the death of local shops, but they still hang on (t also might be ebay's greed-based system as compared to the '90s when they were growing, so much more reasonable in price, and so much more flexible kept local shops alive). How much squash could a Sasquatch squash if a Sasquatch would squash squash? Download and read: Grading the graders Costly TPG ineptitude and No FG Kennedy halveshttps://ln5.sync.com/dl/7ca91bdd0/w...i3b-rbj9fir2 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1751 Posts |
I buy all my coins online and I have probably a couple thousand coins. I've been to a coin show once and it was supposed to be the largest in western Canada with 35 tables. I think one of the dealers said they had about 400 visitors at the show. It's very convenient for me to buy online, as I'm 4 hrs away from a large city with coin shows or stores. It's very possible the venue of selling is changing, with the availablity of online selling.
When I used to raise and sell Pomeranians and Arabians, my sales were through ads in newspapers or buy & sell weekly publications. This has given way in the past 7 yrs to online selling.
The past 2-5 yrs when I've had puppies or kittens to sell, I've used online places like kijiji. Namely because ads in newspapers are over $85 weekly and no results, as few people are buying ads. Many of the buy&sell papers I used to use are gone.
So I see Internet selling as the new 21 Century trend; especially when there's so many places to get software to run your own store. The costs are less and it can be run from the comforts of your own home. When you want and you decide how much time you'll devote to it.
In conclusion 21 Century selling has moved online. Shoppers can shop 24 hrs a day, from the comforts of home, no braving the crowds and weather. Saving on the costs of travel. Myself I buy 90% of purchases online, the only exclusion is my groceries. I don't deal with fighting crowds or standing in line at the till. There's little variety in terms of shopping in the town I live in, so online shopping is the way to go, in my case. It's also great since I don't have a car.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7617 Posts |
Coin shows have been dying for years and there are few new dealers coming into the fold.
The coin show, as we knew it, will be a distant memory in the not so distant future.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Coin shows have been dying for years and there are few new dealers coming into the fold.
The coin show, as we knew it, will be a distant memory in the not so distant future. Maybe by you but by me we have at least 4 coin shows a Month. And once in a while some really large ones. Many years ago in this same area we had only one a Month. Now 4. All are on a Sunday and in all slightly different locations but within about 15 miles. One is a two day show in December. At the one I went to today, was packed with dealers and buyers. If this is dying, sure odd way to show it. |
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Moderator
 United States
187999 Posts |
Quote:
The coin show, as we knew it, will be a distant memory in the not so distant future. Quote:
If this is dying, sure odd way to show it. I have to agree with Carl. Our local shows are doing well. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
It is true that the internet is doing well in coin collecting. But then too so is the Mint's advertising, newspaper and magazine advertising, TV adds, etc. Yes many possible dealers and buyers are now using the internet, instead of a coin show, but then too due to all the advertising, coin shows are increasing in popularity. Yes the internet makes it all a bit easy, but you just can't beat seeing a coin in person. AND at a coin show, lots of varieties too. AND no postage, lost in mail, no insurances, no paypal fees, no ebay fees, no handling charges, no restocking fees, etc. Just the coins. What you see is what you get. And at many coin shows, free coffee and donuts. I've been to coin shows where I bought nothing but had several donuts and a cup of coffee and free. Had a good time talking to people, and just looking around. |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 2,040 |
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Posted 12/13/2014 6:15 pm
