The 1997 edition of the Raleigh Coin Club Coin and Stamp Show is history and all indications are that it will be remembered as a BIG success. The last count I got from Halbert was that we had sold eighty tables! Most dealers and attendees I had a chance to talk with were pleased with the turnout and activities on the bourse.

This year we tried a number of new things in order to improve this and future shows. We registered as many guests as we could as they entered the bourse. This served two purposes. First it helped give us an idea of how many people showed up for the show. This number is very important to our dealers. Through registration, counting, and estimating those that chose not to register we had approximately 700 people Saturday and another 400 Sunday. The second benefit from registering guests is that it gives us a database of names and addresses to send reminders to for next year’s show.

To facilitate registering guests we used hourly raffles through out both days as bait. Instead of giving away coins Alex made $10 gift vouchers redeemable at any dealer’s table the day of the show. We announced a new winner every hour on the hour. This was the HIT of the show. The public and dealers loved it. It was even suggested that the frequency be increased to every 30 minutes.

Also new this year was David Provost’s idea for a grab bag of coins for Young Numismatists attending the show. Saturday’s goodies included coins cut from mint sets donated by Graewood Coins and Stamps of Raleigh, and foreign banknotes donated by Loran Ross and Lewis Hudson. By Sunday we had run out so James Gahrmann purchased a bag of odds and ends to distribute to the kids. The club wishes to thank everyone for their contributions. The club made many new young friends through these efforts.

Also this year we attempted to give the public some educational opportunities at the show. The two Daves brought Numismatic videos and equipment to the show and set up a viewing area upstairs. We had three different programs available and although only seven non club members attended any of the showings it worked better than we anticipated. Next year mention of educational videos or presentations should be added to our advertising strategy to increase attendance.

We also benefited from WNCN-TV 17, the local NBC affiliate’s live broadcast from the bourse floor Saturday mourning. They did a weather report from the floor and a number of people at the registration table mentioned seeing it. The club thanks Dave Spahr from channel 17 for the publicity.

We also had copies of Coin World, Numismatic News, and Linn’s Stamp News available at the door to help promote the hobby. We also printed 100 copies of last month’s newsletter for distribution at the show. There were none left by the end of the show Sunday. We also distributed a large number of applications both from the registration table and free literature table.

There were five educational exhibits all of which were excellent. David Provost took first place with his Statue of Liberty - A Centennial Celebration. Bob Schreiner captured second place with an interesting exhibit on Fakes and Forgeries - In the China Trade. Third went to Sam Kirby and his The Birth of the Argentine Republic through it Coinage at Potosi 1813 and 1815. A Peoples Choice Award was added this year and Bob Schreiner also captured it. Congradulations to all that perticipated.

It is now time to relax for a month or two, then review our positives and negatives from this show and begin planning next year’s show. Let’s resolve now to make next year’s show even bigger and better! If you missed it this year you missed one great show and will have to wait a whole year for the next Raleigh Coin Club Coin and Stamp Show!

ã Copyright Raleigh Coin Club   -  1997, 1998, 1999,2000,2001,2002

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