My First Coin Show

my first (and only) coin show was a huge one in Charlotte NC and it was the ANA show of money, I was overwhelmed with all the vendors and coins there to look at so if this is a smaller show you may not have the overwhelming experience I had at my first show. One thing, I found it hard to do was concentrate on what I was there looking for, so if you can make a list of what you are looking for and stick to that list you probably will have a better experience than I had when I went

Wow, Bryan1315, I just checked out your "My Dansco7070" link. That's impressive!

How long, I wonder, did it take for him to "mark up" the price on this '78 once you were gone ?.......

Someone asked this exact question a few months ago and I can not find the thread anymore so I will give my own advice:

1.Make a list that contains things:
A. What I NEED to buy.
B. What I WANT to buy
C. That certain coin I have always wanted and if it shows up for a great price.
D. Is there something I want to upgrade.
E. Items I may want to trade (not a lot of dealers do this but depending on the item, some may and it never hurts to ask).

2. Have a set price in each category and know that if you do not spend all of one group it can be used towards another.

3. Pack a backpack with your lists, books, magnifying glass and any other useful information you may need.

4. Have a notepad and pen handy at all times this will be used for taking notes on each table and making a map of the layout. Each dealer seems to focus on a few certain types of coins/notes and not everything so writing down the main interests and items that jump out at you is a good thing to do.

5. A watch or phone with a timer. Preset the alarm for breaks, this allows you to go over your notes and update your map and makes it easier to see where you may also want to spend more time later.

6. If they have a business card or flyer make sure to pick it up and use it as information down the road. You will most likely find a few more stores closer to where you are that you did not know about and can make future trips to.

7. Look through the binders they bring with them, not all dealers have them out in the open but want you to ask to go through them. This also gives you a chance to talk one on one with the dealer and see what other interesting items they have. Plus, the books are a good place for cherry-picking, just because they are a dealer does not mean they know everything and make mistakes.

8. Always be kind and polite and if the dealer is not back to you, then move on, there are more than enough tables to go to.

9. See if there is something new you may want to collect and buy it. Coin shows are a great place to start a new collection and amazing to see what is really out there.

10. You do not need to buy the first thing you see, pace yourself and see as much as possible before buying too much. You could easily buy everything on your list within the first few hours if you do not pay attention to what you are doing and find the same item cheaper two tables down.

11. Most important: HAVE FUN.

Remember With coins there is no set Value So price is Always negotiable. well not always but almost. Sometimes I'll make a counter offer of about 10 percent less. Sometimes they won't budge if they're giving you a good deal. But if they were trying to make an excessive profit. They will often counter with a more reasonable price. Good Luck

There is a lot of good advice on this page, but I do feel that the most important is to have fun. For me, this is a hobby, not work; if I am not having fun then it really defeats the purpose.

That said, you should be able to have a lot of fun at a coin show; I know I do!

Well, tomorrow's showtime.
I've got about three hours between the time my classes end and when I have to be at work. I think I'll go tomorrow mostly just to see what it's like and what everyone has, then I'll go again on Sunday, when I have the whole day off, to maybe buy some things.
I'll probably post Friday night or Saturday night to tell how it was and anything special I buy, if I buy anything at all.

I went on a Sunday once and decided never to do it again.

The local coin show is usually at the conference center very close to where I work, so I try to go on Friday during lunch. Since I usually know what I want and which dealers I like, it is easy to do in that short amount of time.

When I am on a more "educational" search mission, I will wait and spend good part of Saturday there.