Options
Whitman Coin Show Moving to Raleigh for Summer 2027
ScarsdaleCoin
Posts: 5,442 ✭✭✭✭✭
Big news for the coin show circuit: Whitman is moving its Summer 2027 show to Raleigh, North Carolina, where it will be combined with the Raleigh Coin Club show in June.
This should make for a significantly larger event, bringing Whitman dealers and collectors together with the established Raleigh show.
What does everyone think about the move? Good location for a major summer show, or will you miss the old venue?
Who’s planning on making the trip to Raleigh in June 2027?
Jon Lerner - Scarsdale Coin - www.CoinHelp.com
1
Comments
Just on a practical note, I think it’s a lot easier to get to Baltimore than Raleigh, especially if you consider relatively short drive times from DC. The nearest airline hub to RDU is American at CLT, and that’s a longer drive than Philly to Baltimore.
Being located in South Carolina, that would be an easy drive for me.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
I would like Charlotte better, but am thrilled that Raleigh will be the spot.
That's great. My airport has 3 competing non-stop flights to RDU. I would never consider going to Baltimore in the summer (or any time of year, really), but will definitely consider attending this one.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
So we have Baltimore in November, then to DC in February and then onto Raleigh… so will there be a fall/winter stop at a different location?
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Hope so
wow... is Whitman pulling out of Baltimore altogether?
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
Wow! Looks like they are really cutting ties with Baltimore.
Not a huge loss for June, given how relatively quiet that show was in Baltimore anyway, but it IS disruptive for March and November. Let's see how DC goes. Anxious to see what they now have planned for November 2027.
June will probably be great for the coin club, and less great for Whitman. Hard to see how Whitman will generate more traffic in Raleigh than in Baltimore.
Sounds good and I might attend.
I would almost never consider going to a Baltimore show for multiple reasons. Los Angeles has three non stop flights to Raleigh/day with delta, American, and Beeze.
I will be there - multiple days. What venue is being considered?
(PS I will never go to Baltimore).
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Maybe not, but it's good leverage for the Sales Tax discussion.
And it's good to have (tested) options.
A last gasp of a dying show?
Don’t think so, the beef may be with the state. Whitman has been a well attended show and I believe will continue to be one.
Well, if Nov. 2026 is going to be the last Baltimore show, I'll definitely be there! ... with probably an economy submission for a bunch of coins!
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
Not the state. Apparently, the convention center doesn't want them anymore. The state gave them a sales tax carve out when they took it away from everyone else in the state.
Okay. But one miss is an aberration. Two in a row begins a trend.
If they are shopping around, and if Baltimore doesn't really want them, there is no reason to think they will be going back. And, they have the sales tax exemption they have had all along. No reason to think that will change regardless of what happens between Whitman and the convention center.
I hope the bags will fit in the overhead bins
RDU is a significant tech/business hub (the Research Triangle), not some podunk town. Every direct flight I just checked from FL, Atlanta, LAX and Charlotte are regular sized Boeing and Airbus planes.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Venue not State
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
How unfortunate.
Why does the venue not want them?
Tired of cleaning mustard stains out of the carpets.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
What they have is the same sales tax rules as the entire state of Maryland which isn't much better than NY.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Please see the thread on the DC show to hear it from the horses mouth. They are not as valuable a client as other users of the facility. It's not that they don't want them, it's that they prefer others if they can get them.
Think of it as a hotel renting a ballroom to a wedding party of 100 rather than to an international trade show of 500.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1124375/baltimore-whitman-show-to-washington-dc
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Yes, of course. Facts don't matter. I don't know what I was thinking.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
the inner harbor wasn't a dump. have things changes?
No. Some people just like to dump on Baltimore. Happens every time someone mentions the Baltimore show
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
The Inner Harbor has been going downhill for years now, as revitalization plans for the area have stalled out. Hotels, shops and restaurants have been closing and office tenants fleeing. Here is just one of many recent articles about it:
https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/baltimores-inner-harbor-history-crime-retail-empty-storefronts
As you said, facts matter.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Whatever it is, it's what they always had. When MD totally removed the exemption from the rest of the state, it created a crave out specifically for Whitman at the convention center.
It has since restored the limited exemption to the entire state. My only point is that the state previously gave them something they lobbied hard for. There is no "leverage" to be had now.
It's the convention center that kicked Whitman to the curb. At least for next March. Not the other way around. And this exploration for alternate venues has nothing to do with Baltimore sales taxes.
The fact that they are now going to NC in June indicates the separation from Baltimore might be more permanent than the one time scheduling conflict Whitman initially stated as the reason for the move to DC in February suggested. It's fine, although it's curious that, as much as many here poop on Baltimore, it's Baltimore that has little use for Whitman, not the other way around due to the sentiments of those here.
I'm sure they will find a suitable home somewhere. I seriously doubt that it's going to be Raleigh, NC on a permanent basis. Maybe suburban Philly, although Whitman seems to have a preference for cities.
Yes. Inner Harbor has fallen on hard times. Doesn't seem to have impacted the convention center. Not even a little, given that it's the convention center that could not accommodate Whitman, not the other way around.
Retail is in bad shape shape now in downtown Baltimore. The same can be said for shopping malls that are being repurposed all over the country.
Not so much commercial. Whatever is or isn't happening in Inner Harbor, new office complexes are springing up all around Baltimore.
It takes a long time for convention center cycles to adjust, as shows book years and even a decade+ in advance. A decline in hotel rooms within walking distance, as noted in the article, would likely also constrain future bookings.
It doesn’t matter what’s happening with shopping malls all over the country or in other parts of Baltimore, since we are talking about a specific coin show at a specific location in the declining Inner Harbor.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Raleigh or Charlotte would be a good place. Half way between New York and Florida. Good airports, reasonable state. I don’t see a suburb of Philly, but that’s just me.
In any event, I wish Whitman good luck and I will see them in NC.
You're right. Shows book years in advance.
As they have with Whitman in Baltimore. Until now.
Now, Whitman is scrambling to book unbooked times in unbooked locations, because it apparently has lost its home in Baltimore. The only surprise is why are we first hearing about this now?
There are plenty of hotel rooms and restaurants to service the conventions that are displacing Whitman in Baltimore. The decline of retail at Inner Harbor has nothing to do with the success of the convention center, and everything to do with the decline of B&M at shopping centers like Inner Harbor all over the country. Believe it or not.
A good location potentially. I'll be happy to participate in the new location, and we'll see how it goes.
I'm just an outsiders looking in at these shows and locations.
These big coin show cater to dealers. If you're a dealer and making money, great!.. That's what it's about. I'm just a hobbyist.
Whatever the duration time (2, 3 or 4 days) of these show, you guys don't need that much time... Why? Because the majority of you leave early!.. I guess you have better things to do... Or you just want to get the hell out of dodge and away from the city riff raff! 😂 🤣
There's a lot of astute observations and opinions here -- most of which are accurate. First and foremost, we are SUPER EXCITED about Raleigh. Why? June Baltimore has clearly lost it's mojo. I think 3 regional/national shows a year in the same location is a recipe for burnout. Happened to Long Beach. That said, we were hunting for a new location to breathe some new life into the Summer Expo, and we reached out to the Raleigh Coin Club, who run an amazing show with tons of collector and local dealer traffic. We're often worried about overlapping them, so joining forces kills two birds with one stone. The collector base in Raleigh area is really good and they also were outgrowing their diggs at the state fairgrounds. So, now we will move the show to the beautiful Raleigh Convention Center, bring Stacks Bowers auction lots and attention, and I really feel this is a great move for all of us.
Back to the other topic of whether we are abandoning Baltimore. Honestly, we have no intention of doing so. The Baltimore Convention Center folks have their own agenda and that is to get the largest conventions in the space possible. They want big numbers (called "City Wide Conventions") and folks, we just ain't that. So they offer us dates, sometimes they make us wait until the bigger conventions pass, etc. which sucks. We're scrappy. We're like, hey let's look around and have some fun, see some new cities, meet some new customers, and new dealers.
On a serious note, we totally feel that if we don't make some changes to Expo, it won't survive. Our #1 goal is for the show to succeed so we can keep doing it (trust me this is not about profit). We realize that change is difficult and we would like nothing more that just stay in Baltimore forever. But, I think most of you know me well enough, to know that mediocrity is not part of my game plan.
So next year is: February Washington DC, June Raliegh, NC.
We haven't yet booked out November 2027, but our first choice is still Baltimore. Just hoping they give us some dates...
p.s. the Whitman team went to the DC convention center last week and LOVED it. It's a world class facility with very convenient hotels. You will be blown away. If you haven't been in a while, you will love spending a few days in our Nation's capital. So many great restaurants and things to do. We're hoping the US Mint will participate, as well. Lots to look forward to.
Whitman Brands: President/CEO (www.greysheet.com; www.whitman.com)
PNG: Executive Director (www.pngdealers.org)
John, You're obviously not a priority for Baltimore Convention Center. They should not be a priority for you.
Thanks for the thoughtfully written response @JohnF
Hope to attend one or both of the new locations
Nothing is as expensive as free money.