My first coin show/fair

[tjaart]

Hi everyone,

I just thought I'd share my experience after attending my first ever coin show/fair today. So even though I lived close to London for more than 4 years, I never managed to attend the Bloomsbury coin fair. Today I changed that and went down. Having previously read a few of the posts about how to behave at coin fairs etc. I was quite excited and nervous at the same time. I have only been collecting for about 2 years so I didn't know what to expect. Due to the inclement weather quite a number of dealers did not show so it looked a bit empty.

Overall I did not expect to feel so overwhelmed. In the end there were simply too many coins to fully focus on my interests. In addition I felt slightly like an outsider as lots of the other people knew the dealers on a first name basis and they talked like old friends. But I guess this develops over time.

Overall it was a very positive experience and thinking on the train on the way back, I have learned the following:

1. Don't be afraid to talk to the dealers and ask them about your interests. I missed out on a London campgate because I felt it might not be appropriate to ask the dealer to keep it aside and when I came back later, it was sold.
2. Take cash. Only one dealer accepted cards. I think taking a set amount of cash is also a great way for a collector on a budget to manage their money. In the end I spent more money than I wanted to but I found 2 or 3 nice coins for a good price.
3. Take paper lists of coins you are looking for. I had my lists of what I have on my phone. This was slightly annoying as I had to scroll through them to check every time. I am trying to collect a silver portrait of every emperor and having to scroll through a list of emperors I have was getting old. Instead in the future I will make a list of emperors I need instead of ones I have. Obviously this will not work for all collecting interests.
4. Don't be shy. I think that as a newbie I felt a bit overwhelmed and as a result didn't talk to dealers or ask to see other coins they might have.

I see this as a very valuable experience and hope to attend many more coin fairs. I am looking forward to hearing if other people had the same experiences as a newbie at a coin fair. Any other advice is also welcome!

Tjaart

[Carausius]

I'd say you had a great experience with some valuable take - away lessons, in addition to the few coins you acquired. I would add the following advice:
1. Don't be afraid to ask the dealer if the marked price is his or her "best price". Many dealers, but not all, expect to negotiate their prices at coin shows. Of course if the price is already quite low, don't bother asking.
2. Don't ignore the booksellers. Many coin shows will have one or two numismatic booksellers in attendance. This is a great opportunity for a beginner to browse and acquire some numismatic books that would not be available at the corner bookshop.
3. Attend regularly. You will gradually build relationships with the dealers

Michael

[mauseus]

Hi,

A shame you didn't make it to York this weekend; it would have been good to catch up. I love to talk to people at fairs (sometimes at the detriment of taking money, lol). I think the internet, although opening the market, has impacted unfairly on the coin market. There is nothing to replace the face to face contact with dealers and coins (having collected since the mid 70's (even at my tender mid to late 40's age)). It builds trust when you know the person you end up corresponding with.

Regards,

Mauseus

[tjaart]

Hi Michael, Mauseus,

Thanks for your insights and responses.

In the end I did learn a valuable lesson although a bit late. I've always regretted not going to coin shows while I was in the UK. The Bloomsbury coin fair just happened to fall on my last weekend in old Blighty so I thought I might as well go. Since then I have moved to Switzerland. If anyone knows of coin fairs happening in the area, I would be very interested to hear about them.

I really want to start meeting some of the dealers I buy coins from. As mentioned by mauseus, it does build trust between collector and dealer and sometimes it is just nice to talk to someone else who has the same interests.

So if you know of any regular coin fairs in the Switzerland/Germany border areas, I would be very interested to know. I guess my next step would be to try and meet some local Swiss/German dealers.

Tjaart

[Pscipio]

Tjaart,

there are a few coin shows in Switzerland, the next one being the World Money Fair in Basel on February 1-2. I will be there at table 114 and it would be nice to meet you! Other coin shows in Switzerland are in Berne in May and in October in Zürich, plus several small local shows over the year. Swiss coin shows are not huge, and the majority of the dealers sell modern coins (15th-21st Century), but there are a number of dealers who specialize in ancients (me among them). The athmosphere is usually rather calm and not comparable to huge coin shows like Munich, so people often have time to chat.

Lars

[tjaart]

Hi Lars,

I should be able to make the Basel show. If I do, I will definitely come and say hi.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I might just make day trips out of visiting the coins shows in Bern and Zurich.

Tjaart