No point in going to Long Beach tomorrow.

satootoko

By 3:00 this afternoon (Saturday) a good 10% of the booths were empty, and several others were in various stages of packing up.

Tootawl

Same thing happened in Baltimore the past few times. Around 3pm a lot of people pack up. Maybe they were going to have a dealers meeting at Hooters and didn't want to be late.

gmarguli

I think that is being conservative. Around 2PM it seemed like 15%-20% were gone. Several booths still had people at them, but they were packing up or their cases were empty.

Everyone seemed to be looking to leave.

twodollardon

I would be upset if I had booked a flight to Long Beach to find them packing. I think I would have to find a lawyer!!!

Don

Lakesammman

Most everyone knows the dealers bail on the last day - why would you bother planning to go on the last day??

ScarsdaleCoin

You are missing a golden chance....A. you should support the dealers who make an effort to stay B. some dealers may be needing cash hence a great bargain may exist

braddick

What the organizers should do is allow local Dealers/vest pocket sellers to swoop in on the last day, Sunday, and set up. It would fill the tables and give collectors a reason to come back (and maybe even a reason for the Big Boys to stick around!).

coinkat

Interesting idea BRADDICK... It has possibilities and the organizers should give it some consideration.

twodollardon

Most everyone knows the dealers bail on the last day - why would you bother planning to go on the last day??


For one if I go to a show I may spend the first day locating what I have interest in. If I leave Houston at 8:00 A.M. and arrive at LAX at 9:30 A.M, get my rental car and bags, go to the Hotel, I will arrive at the show at Noon. Then I see dealers packing up at 2-3 o'clock, what impression would that give me.


If you commit to being active as a dealer, you should have enough respect for the organizer to stick it out.

Don

ShoeshineBoy

I have also noticed this trend when I attended that past two spring shows in Baltimore. I would get there early to do some buying and then I would head out for lunch, returning around 1:30. Both times, there were many empty booths when I returned (approximately 15% of the booths) and other booths had dealers who were packing up. It should be pointed out that both times that I went to the show I did so on Saturday. There was still 1-1/2 days left in the show yet many of the dealers did not stick around.

The problem that I'm facing is that I would like to go to the Baltimore show again in 2 weeks. But it looks like my schedule will not allow me to get there until around 1 o'clock on Saturday. So I'm thinking that it may not be worth going this year. While there will still be plenty of dealers left when I get there, I'm not sure if it will be worth the trouble of driving an hour to get there and pay for parking when many dealers will either have left or will be packing up when I arrive. I could get there early on Sunday but I wonder how many dealers won't bother to show up at all on the last day.

relayer

In every case when I went back to a coin I saw, the dealers were either gone or packing.

So it only cost me $14 to go, but cost the dealers a bit more.

nucklehead

I learned many years ago going on Sun. is a total waste of time and money and have never done it again since then. I agree Braddick's idea is a good one that deserves to be looked into.

IrishMike

Central States Show is the same way, they start packing it in on Saturday. Sunday is worthless. All the dealers yelped when ANA instituted a fine and threaten future show privileges at ANA convention.

hrlaser

<< <i>Most everyone knows the dealers bail on the last day - why would you bother planning to go on the last day?? >>



The last time I went to one of the Long Beach Shows on a Sunday, admission was free. Of course, 90% of the tables were vacated by the, but still, it saved five bucks.. This time I went on Friday and the place was jamming..

Due to the $8.00 parking fee/charge with no in and out priveleges, even though my admission ticket was good for all four days, I usually only go for one. This time I wanted to do a same-day submission with NGC and it had to be done on Thursday or Friday, so we went on Friday.. I spent about six hours at the show with a friend, and posted a very long trip report to Rec.collecting.coins. See the thread "Long Beach Show Report (Long) in that newsfroup for my thoughts..

My best experience - handing NGC a Mint Capsuled 2000-W $10.00 Gold and Platinum Library of Congress BiMetallic Commemorative, paying a $35.00 same day grading fee and getting it back in an MS70 slab :-D

Harv

Blade

I am in the marketing field and some organizations have a great way to deal with this. For the reasons stated above, the organizers of these shows don't want an empty exhibit hall on the last day. So they write in the contract that anyone who leaves early is barred from exhibiting at next years' show. That has teeth in it and no one leaves. It is a hassle, but I talk to plenty of people in the last few hours who for scheduling reasons could not come by earlier. This kind of policy would drive the dealers nuts (takes away their flexibility) but is a benefit for the collector.

hrlaser

The Long Beach Shows are always Thursday through Sunday (for the public), and on the few occasions I have gone on a Sunday, the enormous Zeppelin Hanger hall is so empty you could literlaly race go-karts up and down the aisles without hitting anyone..

I don't know how many square feet that hall is, but to walk in and see row after endless row of empty white-clothed tables is disheartening and depressing. The dealers who do stick around are doing business because they're the only game in town. So it's good for them. But it's a guaranteed lock that all the big boys are outta there come Sunday.. PCGS, NGC, Heritage, the ones with the huge multi-table booths have vacated, leaving behind waste paper like so many tumbleweeds in a ghost town. But the coin supply guys off in a far corner are usually doing booming business because they always stick around..

Deals can be had on Sunday as dealers and vendors want to leave a show a lot lighter in inventory (and heavier in cash) than they arrived with. Shipping stuff back out of State is expensive, no matter how you do it. The local yokel dealers have no reason to beat feet outta there before Sunday because they can just leisurely pack up and drive their stuff back to their stores or offices.. so for them, it's cost effective to do the entire show..

Harv

JOHNandBEA

We attended our first show today and were pleased admission was only $ 3.00, THEN we walked in to a vast near empty room. A bit disappointing to say the least. Left an hour later and drove 3 hours home. Oh well....But I did follow the advice from this forum:

.........walk all around

..........get acquainted

...........don't buy anything at your first show

OK that was easy, what next?

CLASSICS

hi john and bea.............welcome to the forum........you didnt buy anything at your first show, just looked around to see what was there. smart move. what next you ask........before you by any coins, pick up a redbook and read it., and any other good books you see on items you like to collect. knowledge first, coins later.