The thread title says it. We had our first meeting of the Central Florida Coin Club last Wednesday and about 25 - 30 people were there out of a pre-pandemic normal of 40 to 50. Encouraging. The venue is a city-owned Senior Center so the Center management made us sit 6 feet apart which was awkward and we weren't allowed any shared refreshments or dealing. Masks were optional and about half the attendees wore masks. But it was great to see everyone. We had a nice meeting with some fun back-biting and challenges to the leadership-you know the usual human interaction. We have two FUN Board members in our membership and one said they just sold the last table available for the show and it would be the biggest Summer FUN Show ever at about 240 tables. I don't know how to equate number of tables to number of dealers. I posted here a couple of weeks ago that I had heard the show was sold out and I did a count of the published list of dealers at that time and I came up with about 230. So, maybe the Board member means number of dealers when he says "tables". Don't know - people can so loose with their definitions in casual conversation. Had an interesting conversation with some folks about security (or lack thereof) at several coin show venues. It's always scary to find out what really goes on. Protect yourself in and out of any show or club meeting. Always be situationally aware. Next week is the Lakeland Florida Collect-o-Rama Show which is a pretty decent show and the promoter says it will be one of his largest ever by dealer count. And then the following week is Summer FUN. Two weeks later my son and four-year old grandson fly in for a week with us. That will also be FUN!
I am trying to get my local club up and running in July. We meet at a church facility, and they have been shut down since March 2020 when we had out last meeting. In the mean time, our president died, not of covid, and the vice president has moved away in addition to a few members. That leaves me as second vice president in charge of education in charge. I have no interest in becoming the president. I am already the treasurer. I hope we can keep the club going. We have enough money, but it's going to be up to the members. We used to hold a local show three times a year, and it will be challenge to keep that going since the president ran it. If we don't have the shows, the money for our projects, like a free book to every member at Christmas, will run out. If you live in the Tampa area, send me a PM. I will let you know when and where the meetings are.
Wow! Didn't realize that so many clubs have been struggling. I guess I am lucky that my club started meeting June 2020 and has been running strong since. Good luck and respect to those of you who are working to get your clubs up and running again after so long.
What is involved in being a part of a coin club? Is it kind of an open thing or the opposite? How do you find out if there's a coin club in your area? I've been collecting coins for decades, lol, I've never been to a coin club, coin show or coin shop - though a comic book shop by my house in Michigan does have 2 display cases with coins for sale. I haven't been back to Michigan in almost 2 years now, sigh! I almost exclusively buy coins online, but I kind of like the idea of joining a coin club.
Coin clubs are almost always public. We would have to know what city/state you live in to really be able to help you. Although I believe the ANA has a club directory on their website.
The ANA has a club directory and many, but not all clubs are ANA-affiliated. Go to www.money.org and look for links. Now some clubs, such as the Bust Half Nut Club, are not your typical local coin club but rather a highly specialized and particularly selective bunch. You cannot simply express a desire to join and the arms open wide. But almost all clubs will accept anybody for the price of a modest annual dues. Most are in the neighborhood of $15 to $25. Of course, you always face the old Woody Allen conundrum of not wanting to belong to any club that would have you. LOL.
Thanks, I used that site and sent an email to a coin club that's about 30 minutes away, I hoped there'd be one closer, lol, but I may join up. Appreciate the info!
30 minutes is a good distance. I have to drive an hour + Saturday night traffic to get to one of mine.
Is that 30 minutes in Manhattan rush hour traffic? In other words, about 500 yards? Or is that 30 minutes in no-speed-limit Montana? In other words, 60 miles? BTW, it takes me 90 minutes to make it to one of my coin clubs and one hour to the other. The first one is about 60 miles away and the second is about 25 miles. It's all about the traffic and the highways, baby.
Is that 30 minutes in Manhattan rush hour traffic? In other words, about 500 yards? Or is that 30 minutes in no-speed-limit Montana? In other words, 60 miles? BTW, it takes me 90 minutes to make it to one of my coin clubs and one hour to the other. The first one is about 60 miles away and the second is about 25 miles. It's all about the traffic and the highways, baby.
