Visiting a Coin Show
With the challenges in the economy and the increased interest in gold and silver, the number of guests at the monthly Greater Atlanta Coin Show have steadily increased since the beginning of the year. The amount of people and the seemingly chaotic activity at the show can be intimidating if you are not familiar with coin shows.
Activate your imagination and let’s take a mental tour of a coin show.
For security purposes, only one entrance is active with the other doors on the bourse for emergency exits. From the entrance, you look into the room filled with tables (sales and backup), chairs (guests and dealers), the dealers’ showcases, the dealers and the guests. The sales tables are arranged in rows with aisles for guests to meander through at their leisure. The backup tables provide storage space for the dealers and are private within each dealer’s space. Of course, the showcases give the guests a glimpse into what the dealer brought to the show along with some security for the dealer’s merchandise. Many people prefer to stand, but the chairs allow for involved discussions and transactions between dealers and guests.
If you attend at a busy time, the room appears to be disorganized. In reality, the bourse is a beehive of bustling activity. Those bustling bees, both dealers and guests, are in pursuit of their specific collecting and investing goals.
As a newcomer to the room, the challenge becomes where do you start to pursue your objectives. Sometimes, if you are unfamiliar to the bourse and to the people, you can observe the room for a couple of minutes as you determine where you want to begin. Instead, maybe you want to walk the aisles of the bourse to get an idea of what each dealer brought to display, how busy each dealer is and which dealers you want to stop to visit.
Now, if you are truly new to the coin show bourse, you can learn by observing. However, take care not to interfere with other guests’ interactions with the dealers. Also, be conscientious such that your observation does not make the other guests or the dealers nervous.
Otherwise, take your time to learn the bourse and to learn numismatics. The dealers will be glad to answer questions provided you do not monopolize their time. The dealers are collectors at heart and enjoy talking about coins and precious metals, however they are business people as well. They need to make sales in addition to talking about their interests.
Don’t be intimidated by the bourse floor. It’s just lots of people pursuing their interests.
It may take time, but soon you will be comfortable being a part of the bustling beehive.
Reminder! Next Show this Sunday, September 13
Isn’t the cooler weather wonderful? Even 80 doesn’t really feel that hot.
Per weather.com, Sunday’s show weather will be sunny and cloudy throughout the day.
Reminder, the show begins at 9 am for guests at the Holiday Inn Select on Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
If you need directions, visit our web site:
http://www.atlcoin.com/GACS-Location-Directions.html
Remember, “the early bird catches the worm.” In this case, come early to visit your favorite dealers and to browse the bourse.
By the way, did you know that saying originated in the 17th century? It was first recorded in John Ray’s A collection of English proverbs 1670, 1678 as per The Phrase Finder at www.phrases.org.uk.
Some of your schedules prevent you from arriving early. But, you will not enjoy the same bourse experience as those who arrive early in the day. Several dealers have long drives or plans for their evening. They pack up and leave before the bourse closes at 5 pm.
Make your plans and visit the show this Sunday, September 13.
See you there!
Gold – watch it climb…
Have you been keeping track of the gold prices? Are you watching them climb?
Some speculate gold will climb much higher than it is today. Take a look at www.kitco.com’s gold chart for the last ten years:
There are pundits who claim gold prices will rise to $2000, $3000 or even higher. Who knows? No one, really.
But, with the stock market still fluctuating, many people are exiting their stock positions to invest in gold. Some want the physical product. Others invest in the “paper” gold and let someone else hold and keep the physical product.
Historically, gold has been a good investment in trying times.
Certainly, people visiting the monthly coin show think gold remains a good investment today.
Whether you collect, invest or are just interested in gold, the charts can be fun to watch.
