Local Clubs...What are your thoughts?
KellenCoin
Posts: 1,206 ✭✭✭✭
Hey guys!
I am a member of my local coin club. In fact, I am the librarian and YN representative (this role honestly means nothing, it is just a title 
). Anyways, my club is fairly average in my opinion; mostly old white guys, with me as the only consistent YN. We start each meeting with a little time to buy, sell, and trade items, then talk about various business and announcements. We have a theme of the month, and also have exhibits. There is a small auction every time, and trivia occasionally. Finally, there is a raffle ticket session.
Anyways, I have become curious: What is your local club like? What sort of activities at there, how many people, etc. You do not have to say the name of the club, I am just curious what goes on.
Thanks!
CCAC Representative of the General Public
Columnist for The Numismatist
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Comments
You can check out the Glendale Coin Club and see our newsletters at our website if you'd like some more ideas:
glencoin.com
We have a good mix of people at our meetings, usually 35 or so attend. We start out the meeting with announcements, then have show and tell. We have an educational program each month, usually 15-30 minutes. Break for refreshments at which time folks do auction lot viewing and buy raffle tickets. Then we have a live auction and give out our raffle prizes. Meetings usually last around 3 hours, sometimes more if there are lots of auction items brought in.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
You will find this to be the one constant in our hobby (with an option to add 'cheap')
www.brunkauctions.com
Sounds like some good time karma going on here.
No coin clubs around here... Nothing coin oriented except antique shops with overpriced Morgans and slick Buffalo nickels... Cheers, RickO
We tried a coin club but it eventually disbanded after 4 or 5 years for plenty of reasons....
1) not enough diversity in meeting topics - or no topics at all
2) the same few people did all the work
3) those same people were "officers for life"
4) we did get some YN's to come for "freebies" but their parents were not very supportive
We disbanded when we got down to the last 5 guys - we found it easier to meet occasionally for dinner to talk coins than to set up a venue for a bigger meeting.
Wish we could get started again, but that is not likely.
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Like your club, most of the members are "old White guys," but we have had a number of Young Numismatists through the years. People can trade coins prior to the meeting although there is no formal bourse. There is a business meeting followed by an educational presentation, which I often give. Topic have ranged from German inflationary currency from the 1920's, coins from the ruling houses of England, many U.S. coin topics, error coins, counterfeits and this month's subject, P.T. Barnum. Yes, there is the Bridgeport commemorative half dollar and a number of P.T. Barnum tokens and related pieces.
At the end of the evening there is an auction. I am the vice president in charge of education, treasurer and I compile the auction list. I also try to run herd over it to week out counterfeits, lot listing errors (e.g. a clad Proof Ike dollar put up as a silver Proof Ike dollar and grossly over graded items, especially when the YN's get involved.
I've had fun with it, but we might be headed toward a crisis because of an aggressive member who thinks he knows everything and wants to run everything. As I've learned from other clubs, those guys can be a pain.
The best YN program I ever saw was at the Wooster Country Numismatic Society in central Massachusetts. They had an entire sub club for the YNs that held presentations and auctions for them, and even had a separate treasury. There were a lot of YNs and they were enthusiastic. I really enjoyed their meetings and often attended them although I had to drive over 90 miles round trip to get there.