The table my drink is on (one of the best pieces I own) I could probably sell and buy a small eagle half (one of my dream/ most wanted coins) with the proceeds
I think there is a coin show next month at the Old SF Mint. Santa Clara coin show is in April. suninjune
Sorry I wasn't on for several hours there, but I was running around like crazy to get ready for Long Beach! As someone else said, it can be difficult to turn a profit at some of these shows, especially when you factor bourse fees, hotel, travel, etc ... We had an amazing show, but we were (and continue to be) lucky ... a friend of ours told us that for the whole weekend he sold $210. FOR THE WEEKEND. Suffice it to say he went home with a loss. You can never tell how a show is going to go; it's always a calculated risk, but one with a reasonably high chance for a favorable outcome. We only just found out about the Old SF Mint show ourselves, and apparently he has one table left -- we're going to talk it over tomorrow, but we may end up sneaking up to SF again at the last minute! Also, I'm glad to see my purple sparkly nails meet with everyone's approval ... my sister hates them! I chalk it up to jealousy -- she's a lawyer, and so the craziest she can get with any sort of ornamentation tends to be neutrals and white. I can get away with it, and I think it's fun, so I do! Sent from my iPad Junior Numismatist, Alhambra Coin Center lifeatthecoinshop.com www.facebook.com/lifeatthecoinshop
If you look at how the best coin dealers in the northeastern US operate, with diverse inventory to attract many customers with precious metals as the bread and butter and the numismatics as an additional aspect to their business, but not the centerpiece, you will get a sense of what it takes to make a living in this business regionally. I see many dealers not having successful business plans with online inventories or being particularly open to having customers look through their material unless they are "serious" at the prices that the dealer inflates their inventory at. Many have no return policies and unlike Walmart, "no return" policies do not help build or maintain a business. Some dealers have personalities that do not help them, too selfish, no exercise programs, poor diets basically bullies who want everything their way. Results are therefore predictable. Going to numerous coin shows is probably necessary for many dealers to maintain their business presence regionally even if they do not make much money at many of the shows. It is no fun to be standing around doing little in the way of business or hearing both good and bad banter, but that is the what you probably have to do with large established businesses.