Gun Shows for coins?

savoyspecial

One member just posted picking up a key date for his series at a local gun show........I will be honest, it never occurred to me to attend a gun show for coins but apparently there are usually a few tables (of coins) at any decent size gun show......does anyone else have success stories of pickups at gun shows? is it primarly bullion? collector grade coins? please let me know

also, just thinking outloud here, but do gun shows require armed security like other shows (antique, coins, sportscard) do? it seems to me that a would be theif would be crazy to plan a heist at a venue where everyone may be packin'

cmerlo1

I have had several good morgan finds (1888-O Hot Lips, 1921-D Tru_t) at the gun show here in Austin- there are several coin dealers that set up there...

Editedto add- a couple of the dealers are serious ones who also set up a coin shows, the others are selling mostly junk silver...

Robb

Yes, there is armed security at gun shows.

Generally speaking for the Kansas City area, no, they are not a good place for coins unless you want heavily polished Peace and Morgan dollars or coin jewelry.

COALPORTER

They do have the Roadrunner gun show around here that includes a few coin dealers. Almost 100% junk. It would only be a good test of altered/ messed up coin detection. It cost too much to park and get in. I went a few times, but don't even bother now.

TexasNationals

San Antonio/Austin and Dallas I can speak for. Usually there are 3-5 dealer/sellers set up at the shows. Yes there is alot of bullion, but I have bought rare bank notes (Texas Material) at Market Hall (Dallas) and Saxet gun show in San Antonio. As for security there are armed guards and many many many dealers and buyers are armed whether the show says they can be or not. All I can say ir I walk around with a Class 3 M-16 with a suppressor (silencer), I bring it when I need parts and such as not everything is interchangeable. I am not going to get a 15k rifle jacked from me in the parking lot on the way in or out. Alot of arm chair commandos and what look like gang bangers always stop me to try to buy it (not for sale)(class 3 anyways so a bunch of paperwork) and eye ball me through out the show almost looking like they want trouble as soon as I leave so I am very careful.

RebelRon

The only coins that I've ever seen at gun shows are trash.The one gun dealer that I know disapproves of coins at gun shows in general.I would stay away from it myself.

Flatwoods

It depends on what you are looking for. In my area the main coins you will find at a gun show are common date circulated coins.
Mostly Morgans and Peace dollars. Most are coins you could find anywhere for the same price or cheaper.

Dealers at gun shows do good business with people who have no idea what the coins are worth. They see some old coins,
think they are cool and decide to buy one or two, usually at strong prices.

Same people who pay $30.00 for bullion Morgans at estate sales.

TexasNationals

One of two things typically happen. First I go on Sundays in the afternoon, so if they had a crappy show they are more willing to deal with you. But as you start to talk to them and show some coin knowledge about the $30 circulated junk morgan dollars either they will ignore you ( get the heck away from my table) or they will become interested and say "well these prices aren't set in stone" All of the half dimes I bought today were marked 2x to 3x what I paid for them, the more interest I showed in various series and dates teh more better material came out and prices got lower and lower. Bythe end I paid less then I would have paid at almost any shop Texas. My only rule is whatever hapens one or two, don't insult them and thank them for thier time. I asked about bust halves and Texas nationals at a large show in dallas once, he was busy and and siad " Do you see any of that stuff here and gave me a dirty look" I told him thanks and I hope you have a good show. The next show, 3 months later I walked around as always and stopped by his cases, without me saying a word, he said hey your that guy that likes halves and nationals right? I said yep. "I brought some stuff for you" Long story short I bout his entire national collection and 25 bust halves, at his prices which were about 1/3 of bid.

jdimmick

Normally, I quit going to GUN shows to buy coins from dealers a long time ago, but recently there was a coin and gun show side by side. A freind of mine who is into guns more so than I , rode up with me to the coin show. Anyway, I walked over to the gun so with him after finishing at the coin show. I just so happen to stumble across a guy who was trying to look up some coins in a blue book, Apparently he had just taken these in on a trade for a gun purchase. Anyway I purchased a couple items from him at really good price, and he basically let me go thru the whole deal. I was buying coins at 1/2 greysheet, and good stuff, not junk. I walked away with a great deal, and he was happy to get rid of them as he did not care for coins at all, but did know a little about them. Then 2 weeks later, the same gun dealer put me on a coin collection of somebody he knew that was about 4k worth.

jakeblue

Generally, the coins at gun shows, on balance, are not of the best quality or rarity. But, sometimes a little effort pays off. My best pick-up was a raw XF 1890-O VAM 10 Comet. I got it for a really good price. Decent coins ca be found, but I would not go to the shows specifically for the coins; afterall, it is a gun show.

jesbroken

Here in West Virginia coin shows are nonexistant, but gun shows are every weekend somewhere. Very few gun shows do not have coin dealers presenting their wares. Sometimes as many as 10 to 15, but mostly only 2 to 3. Usually right at the entrance into the room or at the least along the second row. I guess there must be a lack of attendance for coin only shows.
Only chance I get to attend a "coin" show in WV.
Jim

scotty1418

I've never seen an AMAZING coin at a gun show - lots of real junk mostly but you can find some good deals on silver sometimes. I'm sure a VAM hunter would have luck too.

I've never had trouble selling junk silver at strong prices at a gun show.

lkenefic

The only time I ever handled coins at a gun show was at a small show in Williams AZ. The "dealer" showed me some cleaned/whizzed pieces of do do and a fake 1877 IHC. I just looked at him as I was handing it back to him and just said "good luck with that"...

morgandollar1878

There always seems to be someone at a gun show that has at least one show case with coins in it. I have never bought anything from them though. The times that I did check to see what was in the case or cases, it was all way over priced and not worth my time to negotiate a deal.

ricko

The major gun show in Seattle (second largest in country), always had three to four coin dealers set up and a couple of mixed tables. The mixed tables usually just had third tier goods, or second tier purchased from the regular dealers. The 'coins only' tables had some very good material, slabbed as well as raw, with high prices that were negotiable. One table was a major gold dealer, gold in any form, but lots of gold coins. He always seemed to do a lot of business. Cheers, RickO

Mission16

I have gone to about 12 gun shows since I moved to Arkansas. I have probably bought coins or bullion at 9 of them. A couple of times, that was all I bought. Nothing great, rolls of wheats, buff nickels, 90% & 40%.

In the last year I bring along a few rolls of SAE's to trade with. Maybe 70% of the time I can trade with someone but I have never come home with those SAE's.

I have to agree that it seems the more folks that have coins on thier tables, the more junk in general there will be at a given show.

FullStepJeffs

As the guy selling coins at gun shows in San Antonio and Austin these days, I've learned the following:

1. The only thing I use collector coins for at gun shows is to ask the individual to point to the coin their great grandmother has in a jar in their basement that is worth a fortune... gun buyers don't buy big ticket collector coins. I sell mostly silver at gun shows and quite a lot of it.

2. Since tables cost money, bring a red book, leave the collectible coins at the shop and sell silver... even the gold doesn't sell at these shows very often.

3. Reference Rule 2... the gold buyers come to the store, so make sure to have lots of gold to look at and bring lots of business cards to hand out.

4. Bring lots of silver, in all kinds of coins, bars, junk silver etc... it's the biggest thing sold.

5. Bring paper... because you just never know when someone will buy 5 notes... and everybody has silver certificates they have to tell you about.

Hope this helps!

Steve

koynekwest

I cherried a Mint State 1943-S Washington quarter at one several years ago. Found a few cheap Braided Hair half cents in XF and AU too.

Billet7

I always look for coins at the gun shows, but they usually only have junk. Rarely will I find something that is mildly interesting, of course if you are going to get something nice for a rip of a price, this is a good place to look. I would imagine you could really find something rare, but obsure at one of these events.

TrustNo1

guns=wild west=silver!