2nd Day of a 2-Day Coin Show

TigersFan2

What is your opinion of the 2nd day of a 2-day coin show? Is it still worth visiting? Have the good stuff already been picked through and purchased the 1st day? Are the dealers on the 2nd day more loose with their prices to reduce inventory to take home?

I ask because there's a local 2-day coin show coming up and I have a conflict in attending on day 1. Debating driving across town for the 2nd day, especially since I won't be able to visit until the afternoon.

Thank you in advance for constructive opinions.

Barndog

second day morning: worth it

second day afternoon: most of the dealers (and good stuff) likely gone

Jackthecat1

I agree that the afternoon of a 2-day show is usually a ghost town.

TigersFan2

When I say afternoon of 2nd day, I'm thinking 11:30 AM or so.

coinkat

It really depends what you are looking for- While I like to look it can be amazing what gets overlooked...

Flatwoods

It's all relative.

Since the closest show to me is 4 1/2 hours away, twice a year, I wouldn't hesitate to drive "across town" for the second day.

DaveG

Which show is it?



I would think that it makes quite a difference if the dealers are mostly local retail dealers or national "wholesale" dealers who probably get there before the show officially starts and leave before it ends.

TigersFan2

It's the Mesa, AZ show on 1/23-24. It's a difficult show to enjoy because they always have it in a small room with too many dealers. It's very cramped and very difficult to look at coins without bumping into everyone else (or spending much of the time waiting for someone else to move). I believe they do get dealers coming in from out-of-town because many of the dealers aren't at the other more-local shows.

sparky64

I can't speak about the trends of shows. Zero experience.



If it were me, I'd go. Take a chance.



Maybe some dealers bought some coins from the public on the first day and will have them up for sale on day 2.

Might be something you must have.

ricko

First day for hot items or special needs.... second day morning for bargains.. Cheers, RickO

RichieURich

At 11:30 am on the second day, I would guess that there would be several dealers there. And what if one of them has something you want? The only way to find out is to go to the show.

DaveG

Well, I've found that the best way to get a useful answer is to ask someone who knows, so I'd email or call the Mesa Coin Club organizer.



I think we've all suffered through crowded coin shows. However, most coin collectors consider this a "First-World Problem" since a crowded coin show hopefully leads to a happy organizer and happy dealers, which might lead to the organizer getting a larger space or having more coin shows.



It also depends on what "driving across town" means - if it means 20 minutes in light traffic, that's one thing; if it means driving 2 hours in heavy traffic, that's another thing.



In general, I'd say that if the Mesa Coin Club only has one show a year, the least you can do is show up - no matter what time.

TigersFan2

Originally posted by: DaveG
Well, I've found that the best way to get a useful answer is to ask someone who knows, so I'd email or call the Mesa Coin Club organizer.

I think we've all suffered through crowded coin shows. However, most coin collectors consider this a "First-World Problem" since a crowded coin show hopefully leads to a happy organizer and happy dealers, which might lead to the organizer getting a larger space or having more coin shows.

It also depends on what "driving across town" means - if it means 20 minutes in light traffic, that's one thing; if it means driving 2 hours in heavy traffic, that's another thing.

In general, I'd say that if the Mesa Coin Club only has one show a year, the least you can do is show up - no matter what time.

P

At last year's show, I talked with several dealers who said there wasn't enough space. One dealer told me there was a waiting list of dealers wanting to have tables but there wasn't room for more tables. A couple of months after the show, I emailed the Mesa Coin Club organizer asking if it was possible to get a larger room and also relayed to him the content of the conversations I had with several dealers. The response I got back is that they had the same room reserved for next weekend's show. My guess is that they're not seeking to have a larger show and are content with a crowded show in one small room. I remember when I went to their show back in the late 1990s and it was in a large ballroom at the same Mesa Convention Center and was a very good show. But in the organizer's email, he said a larger room costs more money.

The Phoenix Coin Club does an excellent coin show later in the spring at a large hotel conference room. Not as many dealers, but there's plenty of space to take your time looking at coins. The Fountain Hills Coin Club also does a very good show, even smaller, but there's plenty of elbow room. I see that another coin club will be having shows in the northwest Phoenix area a few times this year so I'm looking forward to what they have. There's been one in Tempe that occurs one Sunday each month, but I've never attended because it conflicts with church. Anyway, the coin show choices are getting better in the Phoenix area. We still don't have a mega-show like Long Beach of Vegas, but I think the Mesa Coin Club one has the potential to be much bigger if they'd just find a larger location.

I don't know what goes into putting on a coin show with reserving a room, recruiting dealers, publicity, security, etc. So maybe these details mean it makes more sense for the Mesa one to remain small and cramped. Maximize the dealers and minimize the space.

DaveG

TigersFan2,



It sounds like you have a lot of options regarding coin shows!



I agree, it sounds like the Mesa Coin Club is wary of assuming the obligations (financial and otherwise) of a larger room - which is a shame, especially if it's because they don't have a large enough financial cushion or their membership is aging and/or shrinking.



Still, the organizer should be able to tell you how many dealers will still be there on Sunday.



If the show's that crowded, other collectors may seek to go at a less crowded time and perhaps all the dealers stick around because there's a crowd all the time. (That would be nice.)