Going To First Coin Show Soon Need Advice

Hi Scott3270. You should have a great time. Tables are usually set up in rows. They try to get as many in a room as they can. Since you have a lot of dealers in a room you should look around and compare prices. If you find something you have been looking for a long time then if the price is right buy it. Otherwise you can shop around and compare different prices. What you find there in coins, currency, foreign, ancient, ect. will depend on the show. Most dealers are honest but you still must watch yourself. Counterfeits can be bought at a show so if in doubt insist on authentication by one of the big companies. Lastly, if admission is free, remember to buy raffle chances if this is a coin club show. The tickets are what support the club. HAVE FUN!

This is from a article by

Gary Eggleston
BellaOnline's Coin Collecting Editor
http://www.bellaonline.com/site/coincollecting



How To Attend A Coin Show

Coin shows can be a lot of fun to attend. Coin shows come in a variety of sizes. Some coin shows might be lucky to draw a dozen dealers, while others easily draw a multitude of coin dealers. The environment of a typical large coin show can be invigorating or intimidating to the attendee's. Many beginning collectors wonder what the best way is to get the most out of attending a coin show.

This can be a tough question to answer. It largely depends on what your collecting interests are. For some collectors coin collecting is a life-long study while for others it is just an interesting part-time hobby. Here are ten tips to make your coin show attendance more worthwhile:

1. Be organized—Get organized before you go to the coin show. This means that you must know what your current collection inventory is, and what coins you would like to add or delete from your collection. This may seem like common sense, but many collectors attend a coin show without any idea of what they really want or need. If you do not have a current inventory list, stop right now and create one. Be sure to take along any reference materials and a good magnifier or jeweler's loupe. If you plan to sell off part of your collection, bring your coins to the show with you. Keep your items close to you, and do not leave them in your car! A shoulder pack or a good backpack can be used to transport your items.

2. Be focused—Try to limit your coin shopping or hunting to two or three series. Many collectors try to collect a little of everything and wind up with a hodge-podge of miscellaneous coins. If the show has a program or brochure of dealers, check off each dealer you have visited, and make appropriate notes. Try to map out the dealers that have stock of interest to you.

3. Meet new dealers—Be sure to visit as many dealers as you can. Take the time to meet new ones. While you may be shopping for coins, don't forget to shop for dealers. Make an attempt to get to know a number of the different dealers. If the coin show you are attending is a local one for you, you will find dealers that are not from your area. These dealers may have new material that you may not have been exposed to before. Do business with the dealers you like. If a particular dealer is rude, impolite, or offensive to you in any way.do not hesitate to go to another dealer!

4. Compare and examine—Take the time and carefully examine each dealer's displays. Never be in a hurry to buy any coin! Carefully examine any coin you are interested in. Look at both sides and the edges of the coin. Don't be shy about asking if the dealer has an item that is not displayed. Many dealers have much inventory available than what you may see in their displays.

5. Have some choices in mind—Some collectors go to a show looking for only a particular type of coin. That particular coin may not be available at the coin show you are attending. Try to have a few choices in mind as you attend the show. A good show is one where you find a new treasure to add to your collection.

6. Time is money—Don't waste your time or the dealer's. The dealer is there to make a profit. He has to make enough to cover his expenses and the cost of attending the show. Don't spread out your reference materials on the dealer's displays. Keep your personal visits to a minimum.

7. Buy—Once you have all of the information you need on a coin, make a decision to buy it or pass on it. If you like the coin but not the price, try to negotiate the price. The dealer may accept a somewhat lower offer than the price he has marked on the coin. If the dealer is willing to accept your offer, be sure to buy the coin. It is considered rude not to buy the coin at this point.


8. Selling—Be sure to take along any coins from your collection you no longer have an interest in keeping. Often the best dealer to sell to is from the one you bought from. If a dealer is reluctant to buy back his own stock, there is something wrong here. If this dealer does not wish to make you and offer, move on to another dealer. If you have a collection or a large number of coins, get an offer from at least three different dealers. Make sure the dealer is willing to "Buy It All," and not just cherry-picking your collection. Professional coin dealers are always in need of new stock to replenish their inventories.

9. Become a member—Join your local coin club if there is one in you local. Attend and support them. A local coin club is a great place to view other collections, trade coins, or add new material to your own collection. Plus it's a great place to meet more experienced collectors, who are often happy to share their experiences with you.

10. Attend—Attend any seminars, lectures, or exhibits that are available to you. These are great places to further you coin collecting knowledge. Experts are often invited to these events to lecture or instruct. If the subject material is of interest to you, be sure to attend the event.

A couple more things that I would suggest is:

1. Take a backpack or similar bag to carry your items you are taking and eventually buying. Make sure you have a price guide, reference material to what you are looking for, a loop and a notepad and pen. I suggest as you visit each table start making a map with details about each dealer what they seem to be specialising in for the show. Take breaks every now and then to cross reference between dealers and what you are looking for.

2. Look closer at tables that are specialising in items that you are NOT interested in. Just like a card show (like you mentioned) you can sometimes find the items you want for a lower price because they do not know a lot about them. Example: my local coin store goes to a show about every month or two at the surrounding states and they specialise more in coins than paper money. They went to a show about a year ago and could not figure out why they sold all their $500 and $1000 bills in the first hour. They had them marked at what they thought they should be but did not understand the marks, serial numbers and signatures as well and had them way undermarket. If you look around you should find one or two dealers like this.

3. Get to know some of the dealers from surrounding areas that are within a few hours to a days drive, not that you know them personally, but more on what they have in stock. This may help out later down the line when you want to buy certain items and can not find them around town (this goes back to the map and notebook).

4. If you are in to cherry picking this may be the perfect time to do it (which brings us back top the loop). About 8 years ago I attended the national show and noticed that there were about a dozen people doing this. At one stand the gentleman was taking his time and looking at every coin for the type he was looking for. He kept asking questions about how they were graded and the prices, what caught my attention was he asked the dealer about if he found an error coin that was marked wrong. The dealer laughed and said that if you can find one then it is yours for the price marked. The guy pointed to 6 coins and bought them and then showed the dealer how a few of them were rare/error coins and the other ones were well under priced. The dealer was very upset but then listened to the gentleman about different things to look for and that since he (the dealer) did not specialise in that coin that he may want to look at them more clearly. Don't upset the dealers but you can actually help some out in this type of situation.

5. Have fun, this is the most important part of the day. Pay for any dues, raffles or entry fees (as suggested by others) because this will keep the shows coming back. Take friends and family members, by bringing more people does a couple of things: 1. keeps the shows alive and 2. they can help you look for the items you want.

6. Last but not least, always stick around until the last minute. Some dealers may actually drop prices in certain items because they do not want to take them home. This does not happen as much but can work out to your advantage if it does.

Carry a wallet that screams when you open it.

Being a person that attends 2 to 4 coin shows a month, I would like to say that most of the items listed are OK. So much depends on where you live, where the show is, how many dealers, how often that show is, etc. Now in my Chicago area there are a few tips that are primary when attending a coin, gun, knife, computer, etc show. We have all those and lots more here.
To start with think security above all else first. Yes a coin show should be fun but being a little clumsy may make it your last.
Do not take a check book to a coin show.
Do not take credit cards to a coin show.
Do take cash, only what you want to spend. A check book or credit cards could be considered later after you know more of what your doing.
Keep the cash in separate pockets. Usually if in a wallet, in the front pocket. Never in a jacket pocket.
A back pack can be a bad choice. To accessable by others. If you want to carry anything, make it something you can watch at all times.
Coin shows are usually crowded so get in the habit of every time someone bumps you, check you money.
If you just have to take a check book and decide to buy something with a check, make sure no one is standing over you when writting out that check. Same with a credit card. Note many not so nice people use a cell phone to photo your personal info.
Look for a security guard or guards. Keep them in sight so if needed you know where they are.
During the show make it a mission to go to the washroom to make sure still have everything. Not a good idea to check out cash, coins, wallets in public.
While at a coin show do not go with the intent of any one item. Take your time, look around, check out all the tables, talk to the dealers. Make it a fun adventure for learning, not necessarily buying.
While trying to pay attention to coins, try looking around at the people. If you notice someone that pays more attention to the other people and not the coins, keep them in mind. They may be security and they may be someone you would not like following you home.
When leaving the show, pay attention to anyone leaving at the same time. If you suspect anything, stop and go back inside as if you wanted to look at something one more time. If that same person does the same thing, go back and forth a few times doing the same thing.
In the parking lot, look for anyone that is leaving the same time as you. If so, sit and wait until they leave. If they play the waiting game, get out, go back inside the show.
Such things appear to be a bit on the paranoid side but I've got way to many friends that have been robbed, stabbed and/or shot to make me not think security first.