Trading at coin shows

I find this to be a very interesting and relevant comparison given that our city is currently considering adopting rules for food trucks. We have two food trucks that park downtown, sometimes right outside restaurants, and sell food.

I've heard that most restaurant owners are totally fine with this because they aren't afraid of a little competition. It doesn't hurt that they are serving two different demographics. The person that is looking for a $5 snack they can eat while walking around downtown is probably not going to get a table and spend $20+ and a half an hour eating lunch in a restaurant.

For the city, it's about three things: Money, safety and control. They are considering imposing a tax on the food trucks to help offset their impact on city services. They want to impose rules to help ensure the safety of consumers, and they want to limit the locations where they can operate to business and retail areas unless the truck is catering an event at a residence or park. As far as I know, they aren't even considering the sort of rules that other cities have where food trucks cannot operate within so many feet of restaurants.

I think it's important for all of us to understand that we all live in different regions of the world, in different size cities, with different attitudes towards many things. What is perfectly acceptable in small town Montana, might very well ruffle a few feathers in NYC. In a different thread, someone mentioned setting up a table outside a coin show and selling coins, cookies and lemonade. I think he was being sarcastic, but you'd probaby get away with doing something like that here in MT.

 

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I know you are speaking from personal experience. We might be perceiving the same environment in a slightly different way. I think dealers are generally social types who enjoy the fellowship of shows—or they wouldn't be doing it. But I'm always very aware that they have their mind on the bottom line. It's a business. Chatting can be fun on their end but can get old quickly if they're not cultivating sales—or customers. Some, I've noticed, have no patience at all and can be downright jerks.

I'm sure much depends on the size of the show, the busyness, the turnout, whether sales have been good, etc.

Your original description of a coin show as a "social gathering..." to me better describes the purpose of a coin club—and even they are often just an excuse to have a monthly auction!

 

You are right. I perceive most shows as more of a regional activity, whereas clubs are more localized.

 

Is ther a place where collectors can get together and trade with each other and Maybe buy stuff off each other

 

Trucklemans Ln and East 98th Street, near the old trolley tracks in Canarsie.

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