By Jeff Garrett for Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) ……
For more than 50 years, I have been attending the annual Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Convention. In the 1970s, when I first started going to the show, it was held in my hometown of Clearwater at the old Fort Harrison Hotel downtown. My earliest memories of hustling rare coins took place there.
The show later relocated to its semi-permanent home in Orlando. It has moved around the state a few times because of conflicts at the Orlando Convention Center. Orlando is ideal because of its central location and plentiful parking. There are a multitude of reasons for the show’s success, but nearly everyone agrees that the 2025 FUN Show was a great way to start the numismatic year!
Because of all the planning and organization, the show is fortunate that its winter convention is usually a roaring success. Unfortunately, some rare coin conventions around the country are not so lucky. In recent years, several major shows have stumbled, mostly ones that have not established a strong base of annual attendees. Coin shows are like golf tournaments; the best ones have history that people are eager to be a part of.
The reasons some shows succeed and others falter can be complicated. Many believe the internet has been a game changer, the theory being that collectors don’t need to attend a show when coins can be found so easily on the web. There is much truth that; at any time of the day or night you can shop for rare coins around the country. Why go to a coin show when so much is available at the push of a button?
Nevertheless, I believe the opposite is true. The internet has created millions of new coin collectors. These collectors start on the web but soon find the idea of attending an actual coin show more exciting. My analogy for this is the spread of legalized gambling in the United States.
Many predicted that a casino in every large city would destroy the gaming industry in Las Vegas. However, this was not the case, as local casinos introduced millions to the excitement of casino gambling causing these folks to want to experience the “big time” — a trip to Las Vegas! I hope that is how many new collectors feel about going to rare coin conventions like the FUN Show in Orlando.
Despite all of these headwinds, most coin shows are in generally good health. If a coin show like FUN is run well, the public and collectors will attend. I have a saying that I repeat often after coming home from a show, “Anytime I get concerned about the health of the market, I look around at the thousands of collectors at a major coin show and feel better.”
Most collectors love the excitement of going to a coin show and actually seeing and holding the coins. There were literally hundreds of millions of dollars in rare coins at the FUN Show this year. Where else can you go and hold museum-quality objects in your hands?
Photographs on the internet have improved a great deal over the years but nothing beats seeing “real” coins in person. Coin shows also present an incredible educational opportunity for hobbyists. They can see a vast array of rare coins and educational exhibits on display, and perhaps attend an informative seminar.
Seeing a great rare coin is exciting, but for many who attend coin shows it is the people that make it special. Where else can you go and see the legends of your hobby walking about and, in most cases, very accessible to anyone attending? Coin shows are where many long-term relationships are developed. Over the years, these relationships will probably be the most important thing you gain from attending.
I have attended two or three coins shows every month for more than 50 years. If you do the math, that adds up to a lot of shows! Most of my closest personal relationships were started at coin shows. As I have stated many times in this column, finding a mentor to assist you in your collecting pursuits is very important. Coin shows are an excellent place to find a dealer or advanced collector who will share their years of knowledge with you. Regardless of what series you collect, there will probably be someone there who specializes in the very coins you are seeking for your collection.
One piece of advice for anyone new attending coin shows: Try to attend early! Coin shows are front-loaded as far as business is concerned. More coins trade in the first few hours than during the rest of the event. Dealers are eager to purchase fresh coins as they are placed in the showcases. In a good market, the bourse floor is abuzz with activity during the set-up period. As this business settles down, many dealers might even start to leave.
By Friday afternoon, some of the largest dealers are headed to the airport. This situation causes much consternation for collectors and show promoters. The show promoters’ attempts to make dealers stay longer have been met with limited success. Remember, many dealers like myself attend at least 25 to 30 coin shows a year. Being away from home most every weekend would be impossible for anyone trying to maintain a family life. I hope to meet anyone reading this article at the next major coin show. Just be sure to be there by Friday for the best experience.
This year’s FUN Show was extremely successful for any dealer who brought a strong inventory. The biggest impact for sales at this year’s convention was coins being sold for entertainment. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of dealers selling coins on streaming platforms such as Whatnot. One of our biggest sales this year was to a dealer selling breakout boxes of rare coins. These mystery box sales are creating a huge demand for coins in the $100 to $1,000 range. It turns out that finding quantities of nice coins can be difficult.
A future article will take a deep dive into how “entertainment” and numismatics have merged. The world of rare coins continues to evolve, with technology continuing to change how people collect coins. Stay tuned for more information on this important development.
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