Where to start a new coin club?

stevepk

I live in the suburbs without a coin club. I would like to start one, but first must determine where. My research so far has yielded:

1. local civic center
Pros: large enough and conveniently close to home
Cons: Fee is $220 per meeting

2. Library
Pros: sufficient space and free
Cons: Auction is prohibited

3. Restaurant
Pros: sufficent space
Cons: items are more prone to theft, too noisey to hear anyone speak

4. Hotel
Pros: large and convenient
Cons: costs unknown and potentially prohibitively expensive

I would like to consider starting a coin club, but it simply isn't going to work if the meeting room is too expensive. I cannot bear the entire cost, so that cost will reach the members in the form of dues. Ten to fifteen dollars per year in dues is reasonable, but not any more. If I ask members to pay hundreds per year to attend to cover the cost of renting a room, the coin club will surely fail. How much should I expect to pay for a meeting room sufficent for a coin club?

Libraries are typically a great idea, but my local library prohibits the exchange of money unless it is for the benefit of the library. Trades are permitted, but rarely are coins exchanged on the basis of trade. An auction is a genuine incentive for many people to join a coin club. Without it, the coin club will surely fail.

Security is an issue. I do not want members to feel their coins can be easily stolen. This means no public traffic.

Bringing new members is the hardest part of establishing a coin club. For this to work, the coin club must have low annual dues (not to exceed $15 per member), must be safe, must have equipment for presentations, must permit a coin auction among members, must be conveniently located (because no one wants to pay to park) and must be available long enough to conduct a meeting.

Any suggestions?

blu62vette

Maybe look into other other municipal buildings. I have been to meetings at a local electrical company and a police station. Both had auctions. No idea on costs.

ambro51

First ask yourself if you are ready for years of hard work for no reward, playing politics with old men's egos, handling "money", LEADING on a long term basis doing 88% of the work?....,.,,

kevinj

Whereabouts are you, what state, city?

If it were me, I would contact the other coin clubs in the state, especially those that have recently started in the past few years
and see how they did it. I know 1 or 2 in NJ that were started by individuals in the same boat as yourself.

Is there any lodges, such as American Legion or others in your area, they might be more reasonable in pricing, have sufficient parking,
and their own security if needed. Our monthy coin show near Mount Holly NJ is held at a lodge. Another option is a firehouse,
many have additional spacing that they rent out for parties and such.

There are other ways to offset costs, such as having dealer tables during the meeting, or certain times of the year, for cost, which
provide members the oppotunity to view and purchase coins.

I also know the local police, they have a public mesage board, and also have an email list. I requested and they published the coin
show there. Local libraries, schools, and scout programs can do the same. Doing a quick small coin show at a school might be kids
interested, which will pull their parents in.

Getting YNs involved is an important part of any club's growth.

I wrote a book called Coin Collecting for the Next Generation, which includes many ideas on how to get kids involved and keep
them involved.

Kevin

kevinj

<< <i>First ask yourself if you are ready for years of hard work for no reward, playing politics with old men's egos, handling "money", LEADING on a long term basis doing 88% of the work?....,.,, >>



wow, with our hobby falling by the wayside, way to support someone who wants to help bring it to his community.

In NJ, I was told that 20 years ago, there were about 70 clubs, now there are about 20.

Kevin

DeliaBug

<< <i>I live in the suburbs without a coin club. I would like to start one, but first must determine where. My research so far has yielded:

1. local civic center
Pros: large enough and conveniently close to home
Cons: Fee is $220 per meeting

2. Library
Pros: sufficient space and free
Cons: Auction is prohibited

3. Restaurant
Pros: sufficent space
Cons: items are more prone to theft, too noisey to hear anyone speak

4. Hotel
Pros: large and convenient
Cons: costs unknown and potentially prohibitively expensive

I would like to consider starting a coin club, but it simply isn't going to work if the meeting room is too expensive. I cannot bear the entire cost, so that cost will reach the members in the form of dues. Ten to fifteen dollars per year in dues is reasonable, but not any more. If I ask members to pay hundreds per year to attend to cover the cost of renting a room, the coin club will surely fail. How much should I expect to pay for a meeting room sufficent for a coin club?

Libraries are typically a great idea, but my local library prohibits the exchange of money unless it is for the benefit of the library. Trades are permitted, but rarely are coins exchanged on the basis of trade. An auction is a genuine incentive for many people to join a coin club. Without it, the coin club will surely fail.

Security is an issue. I do not want members to feel their coins can be easily stolen. This means no public traffic.

Bringing new members is the hardest part of establishing a coin club. For this to work, the coin club must have low annual dues (not to exceed $15 per member), must be safe, must have equipment for presentations, must permit a coin auction among members, must be conveniently located (because no one wants to pay to park) and must be available long enough to conduct a meeting.

Any suggestions? >>



Bill Fivaz wrote this and Whitman is distributing it free, perhaps it may help with some ideas.
A Guide for Organizing, Operating and Growing a Successful Coin Club

MrHalfDime

"First ask yourself if you are ready for years of hard work for no reward, playing politics with old men's egos, handling "money", LEADING on a long term basis doing 88% of the work?....,.,, "

Well said, and sadly, very true. Been there, done that, with several coin clubs and organizations. If you can answer "YES" to Ambro51's questions, then go for it, and good luck to you. As to where you can meet, I would echo Blue62vette's comments. Our local coin club has met in an Odd Fellows Hall, a church, a bank, and a Veteran's Nursing Home over the years. Another local club met for years at the police station, which was quiet, free, and certainly safe. Maybe even a local school has a meeting room available, or a town hall, community center, or church.

WTCG

<< <i>First ask yourself if you are ready for years of hard work for no reward, playing politics with old men's egos, handling "money", LEADING on a long term basis doing 88% of the work?....,.,, >>



He nailed it. Try school classrooms after hours or places like Elks Lodges or cultural centers. If a restaurant as a private room that works also.

Kove

A "community center" might be a better option. Sometimes these are found in churches, local clubs or civic organizations, retirement communities, town halls, or certain subdivisions. They typically offer quiet meeting rooms, lots of tables and chairs, at a very reasonable price.

$220 per meeting at your local civic center sounds like more than a coin club needs. A small building owned by a private group should be much more reasonable, like $500-$1000/year or less. Even if you find a free room at a local church, a donation is in order.

There are lots of ways to get members to pay for the club in ways that won't seem like fees, such as coin raffles at meetings, a local show, and other contests that might cost $1 to enter, like a guess-the-grade at each meeting.

CoinZip

2. Library
Pros: sufficient space and free
Cons: Auction is prohibited



Food for thought..........you can always set up an online auction to get around the con listed in #2
It could be part of your clubs website...There is some "Free Ware" available that may work for you.


Another option would be to contact a local auctioneer that has an auction house.....


edited to add: the club I belong to holds its meetings in a Public Library and we have an auction every meeting.
another thing to consider with auctions, some states require auctioneers to have a license.

RedTiger

If those are the only four choices, it is the library or the restaurant. Perhaps mix both in so trades and an auction can happen. Another group I belong to rents a room at a local hotel and it is like $60 for 3 hours. That is likely too much for a start up coin club. The $220 is more like a price to host a small show, not a monthly meeting. Some curious folks may not want to go to a restaurant because they figure they are expected to buy a meal.

It sounds like the op has already done some research on finding a room. Rooms are more and more difficult to find, primarily because of security, and insurance.

Another idea is to try to negotiate a deal with the library that a percentage of any auction proceeds goes to the library as a thank you for the room. This is likely going to be cheaper than the other options, even a restaurant. If this arrangement is no good, if the club can attract members, another option is to meet at a restaurant every few months to hold an auction.

Good luck with the new club. It is a lot of work though, so while that some comments may sound discouraging, it is also realistic. Most volunteer organizations have 10% of the people doing 80% of the work, and the club founder is sure to be carrying a heavy load for a while.

ambro51

A VERY real concern with coin clubs in general...especially today, is that fewer and fewer people want to stand up in front of A group of strangers and say "hi my name is joe van DDR snoot and I live over on maple street and collect 10 and 20 dollar gold pieces". ...you know these clubs are a "free public thing" and I KNOW I got verrrrry weird vibes more than once at a meeting. B. people don't want to physically bring coins "out" in public anymore. Imagine showing off your tray is Saints then when you leave the kid with the red Mohawk and nose ring ( who sat through the whole meeting and even bought a cleaned Walker Half in the auction). He is waiting for you and as you come to your car...there he is. Etc etc etc .... Maybe the Internet might be the best place for a coin club, like this wonderful forum.

Constantine

I think a local church would be a good venue. I know you didn't list it, but I'd imagine there is a church or two around your parts. They usually have halls or big rooms with a friendly atmosphere. A church donation for the time/space benefits both parties two.