Tell me about your first show

ressikanflute

I'm thinking of getting a table and moving some of my collection and dabbling part time to fund my interests, develop relationships, etc....

It's modest, maybe a 60 coins of mainly slabbed Buffalo Nickels and Morgans. A piece of gold here and there, a few toners and CC Morgans.

Did you share a table your first time? How many coins? How many types?

I don't want to buy more for the sake of accumulating for the display case, but I don't want to be under coined either.

Any advice appreciated...

mirabela

<< <i>Tell me about your first show >>



June 1988, SPAC. Couple hits of blotter, second set opened with Scarlet / Fire ... or is that not what you meant ??

Sorry, could not resist ...

JupitarCoins

<< <i>

<< <i>Tell me about your first show >>



June 1988, SPAC. Couple hits of blotter, second set opened with Scarlet / Fire ... or is that not what you meant ??

Sorry, could not resist ... >>



AHH The good ole days!!

SeaEagleCoins

<< <i>

<< <i>Tell me about your first show >>



June 1988, SPAC. Couple hits of blotter, second set opened with Scarlet / Fire ... or is that not what you meant ??

Sorry, could not resist ... >>




LOL





Actually...I did my 1st coin show with the same intention as the OP here... weeeellllllll....now several years later I have Tax ID, Business cards, Invoices, etc... you see, it was like getting a backstage pass to a rock concert... access was much nicer...as was the view...and being an OCD type...one thing led to another and ...

mrearlygold

1st Show I set up at was in Red Bank NJ ( little teenie tiny show ) in either 1979 or 1980. I had a large group of unc-gem Indian and Lincolns.

The show twas a bomb for me. Should have had Silver dollars

Danegeld

My first show (yes, I know I'm behind the curve, LOL) was this last spring; The Black Hills Coin Show. I met and had a good chat with Alan Herbert an ANA Governor, he's kind of a local fellow being from Belle Fourche, SD.

Take Care
Ben

WTCG

The first coin show I attended was the San Jose Coin Club show in San Jose, CA. It's fascinating to me how that show was so much better attended by both dealers and attendees back then than the same show is now.

Tootawl

My first coin show was a spring Baltimore show. Being over-whelmed would be the understatment of the year.

Smittys

I have a polaroid shot of my first set up, I gotta find it
It was 1977 and I was 19
I don't think I had a coin worth over 100.00
Had a great time bought from other dealers and the public

njcoincrank

1976 in the spring.

Warrensburg, Missouri at the Holiday Inn.

Set up with two other collectors (who were also classmates). Victor Bozarth and David Williams. We called ourselves VDB Coins, after our first initials. Of course it was every man (boy) for themself. No partnership there.

I was fourteen and Vic was fifteen. By the way, Vic is still in the coin business and goings under the name of Vic Bozarth Numismatics.

I seriously doubt that the total value of our table was $1,000.

It is now 32 years later and I do around 30-35 shows a year. Have for the last 25 years.

njcc

SeaEagleCoins

<< <i>I'm thinking of getting a table and moving some of my collection and dabbling part time to fund my interests, develop relationships, etc....

It's modest, maybe a 60 coins of mainly slabbed Buffalo Nickels and Morgans. A piece of gold here and there, a few toners and CC Morgans.

Did you share a table your first time? How many coins? How many types?

I don't want to buy more for the sake of accumulating for the display case, but I don't want to be under coined either.

Any advice appreciated... >>




My first post to this thread was fun but here is my take on my first show set up...

I had 2 lites and NO cases... just slabs and trays of raw coins laid out on a table...
I do not recommend this to anyone...very nerve racking, to put it mildly.

Do not go in with any expectations...go to have fun...put your best foot forward.

Have a very good idea, albeit a realistic one, of what you want/need for the coins you are offering. Have an extra loupe (just in case)... extra change for those hopefully many $100 bills that come rolling in... and I would offer that 100watt Daylight bulbs are probably the best to use at a show. I use the lites from Staples that say "Use 75watt Bulbs" and have always used 100watt w/o a problem... an extention cord always comes in handy... a little bottle of Windex and some paper towel...

...and most importantly... a ton of patience and a great sense of humor...

Best of luck and don't be surprised if your venture ends up lasting a whole lot longer than you thought... you just might enjoy being on "the other side of the table"... even if you don't it will be a great learning experience.

AU58WALKERS

spring of 1954...
I was 9 years old. I took the bus from the west side of Columbus, Ohio downtown. I think it cost 6 cents.
I was told I had to dress up to go to the coin show. that was my first tie.
The show was on one of the upper floors of a old historic hotel in downtown Columbus.
As best I can remember it was a very large show with many dealers set up.
Everyone was wearing a suit and tie, very low key, not alot of noise. Dealers and their customers were quitly making deals.
I was in awe at all the very old coins on display for purchase. one dealer had a case full of chain cents. The first ones I had ever seen.
There were alot of pipe and cigar smoking dealers in that room. That was the norm.
I spent the better part of the day in that room. All the dealers were verey friendly to me. I remember that well.
Finaly I made a few purchases of some indian head cents and a bust dime. I think the dime cost me 15 cents, it was in one dealers cull dish.
Those were great times.

Nic

I was 13 and wore a leisure suit for I thought it would help in dealers taking me serious.
I was the best dressed () and it worked. That was 1972.

K

Halfhunter06

my first coin show was in 1993 where i bought a 1909-s indian penny in vf 30, loved the coin. In 2007 i sent it in to be slabbed by PCGS and it came back counterfeit lol. You can imagine that i will never forget my first coin show.

PerryHall

<< <i>my first coin show was in 1993 where i bought a 1909-s indian penny in vf 30, loved the coin. In 2007 i sent it in to be slabbed by PCGS and it came back counterfeit lol. You can imagine that i will never forget my first coin show. >>



Usually when this happens a collector is lost to the hobby forever. I'm glad you stuck around.

RichieURich

Here is DRUNNER's primer on setting up at a coin show:
New dealer coin show primer

garsmith

<< Tell me about your first show >>

My first coin show was at the Long Beach Convention, smoeone hit my brand new Ford, Exdedition in the parking lot and drove away

Musky1011

Overwhelmed by the amount of over graded common crap

Lack of Original uncleaned collector grade XF-AU material

bought nothing

ColonialCoinUnion

It would have been the Syracuse Stamp & Coin Show in 1970 or so.

One of the old (really, really old) timers befriended me and gave me a few cool things, including a 1962 Jefferson Nickel struck on a copper planchet, which was a big deal for a kid.

coindeuce

I believe it was in 1997. I had a couple Allstates full of Dave Albanese (ARC) material on memo. I was at the monthly O.N.A. show in Syracuse N.Y. I had to keep cleaning the drool off of the glass from the local farmers.

Tiny

The first one I went to was I think 1959 or 60. Was the local club show and the one thing
I remember was looking at the 20 dollar gold pieces that were $35. each. I asked my Pop
if he would but me one but him being a policeman and all and Mom a school teacher that
was to much to spend on a coin.