"COINS - AS SEEN ON TV" SPECIAL ALERT! AAN-TV OUT OF BUSINESS!

Absolutely it is! The Coin Vault has been on the air for 25+ years, and they do a nice job of it. HSN "The Vault" with Mike Meezak has had a part on the Home Shopping Network for 18 years if I recall correctly. While their entire programming isn't all coins, I have no doubt it has been a very profitable part of their huge overall business.

 

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I’m sure it’s good money but on the grand scheme of things for that it’s probably a small fish for their programs

 

Very true. There are some, now one less, that really abuse their buyers with outlandish prices. And there are those that are at least pretty fair, depending on the item being sold. As I've said in the past, you gotta know your coins. They all aren't bad.

 

Yes, although The Coin Vault has a pretty strong following and Rick Tomaska's RCTV has been going after them and other Coin TV networks/shows in general as Rick puffs out his chest and proclaims quite often "There are other coin TV shows out there that have been around for 25 years, and they've never done something as rare as this (his current on-air deal)!"

 

"As if" indeed.... Personally, I'd love to see a certain well-known figure in this hobby suffer the same fate. Not because he's the most egregious offender overall, but because due to his otherwise respectable position among many.

Really, this is no different from Potter and his utter crap "Strike it Rich" baited hook. There are shysters in every field, but when they double as respected figures, it's only that much more dangerous and potentially damaging to this hobby as a whole.

 

You would think as they do not devote many hours a week in coin TV programming. But when you see what they are asking for 99% of what they sell, those over-priced offerings add up pretty fast!

 

Wouldn't be talking about Rick Tomaska, would you?

 

That I would...

 

The fact they don't get many hours a week or prime slots generally is how you know they're a small fish. The other products sell far more and have far better profit margins.

 

Rick Tomaska's RCTV Rare Collectibles Television
The Coin Vault
HSN The Vault with Mike Meezak
AVC's Collectible Coins with Don Davis

While there are now only 4 that I know of, there were as many as 8 back in 2014. Like AAN-TV, they folded their TV tents.

 

Yes, I am not surprised. I did a write-up featuring RCTV earlier in the year. Ricks TV stint began about 5-6 years ago when he was a Guest Host on Barry Chappell's Art and Coin TV, which folded 3+ years ago.

 

Cable Shopping Network, which isn’t really a network and buys infomercial time early on Saturday on the History Network, also is functioning. Mike Mezack also sells on that program.

 

Aren’t most of those reruns?

 

No matter what the production costs are — I contend that’s no big deal at HSN because they are on and phone staffed 24-7 — and no matter what the profit margin is, these shows are doing the hobby a disservice with their overpriced stuff.

Any positive effect of getting people interested in the hobby is dashed — perhaps years later — when the buyers realize how badly they got ripped.

A simple comparison glance on eBay while these shows are on would tell the dumbest of the stupid that something was amiss.

 

When they were on CNBC, they often were. ESN Direct did the same thing to fill the five hours they were on.

 

I’d actually assume it’s the opposite. The costs to sell on HSN are very likely the highest. The network has almost all the leverage in those talks. They don’t need the coin show even if they’d like to have it and losing it would be no major loss as they can sell almost anything. On the other hand the show does need that channel and it’s consumer base.

 

A simple truth, yet one that rather frustratingly so only becomes apparent after all too much trial and error and a whole series of misteps.

 

It's these darn newfangled electronics.

 

If you want clarification, just search the forum for "Detecto"

Grab a drink (or another) and hunker down cause those threads are quite interesting to read.