Autumn Stampex 2009 And Provincial Events.

It was nice to be in the UK during a Major Stamp show.
Usually, I am not in the UK at the right time and this was my first for many years. My opinions about the shows and this venue have not changed however, even though I had a few wonderful memories to take away with me.
The truth is I hardly recognized the exterior of the Business Design Centre in London's Islington. It seemed very new somehow and not how I imagined it was from my one and only visit about 10 years ago.



A short queue was forming in those early hours before opening and I happily chatted to a few collecting strangers as I waited for my friends arrival and the doors to open.





Finally that moment came. My friend had arrived and the doors opened. That feeling of excited anticipation came pouring out as we marched into the entrance hall. The plethora of dealers magazines awaited everyone and by the time we'd gone through the doors my bag was many pounds heavier !!



Two rather unusual looking postboxes, most likely for this special occasion, took pride of place.





Our first port of call was the Information stand, run by my own Club, the National Philatelic Society. Here I picked up the very interesting show programme which contained two limited edition postcards. It was strictly one programme per customer but I managed to swipe a second copy and it will be one of the prizes in a competition I will run in the coming days. Pictures of these items will appear on Stamperdude's 'Unusual Stamp related items' topic later.



After this we sat down for coffee before the long day ahead. It was here I got my 00p Machin gift, the highlight of the day. So almost as it began, the zenith had been reached and thereafter followed a tiring look into the world of Stamp dealers and Frame upon frame of superb material. It was tiring, expensive but satisfying. It is a pity for me that the venue was open and without atmosphere. Others will disagree but I prefer the previous venue in London's Victoria.

Here are some pics of the layout from Stampex 2009;








We took some time off for lunch which we spent in the Pub opposite.
No, we didn't have any beer !!
But we did have........



and....



Another trek around the show followed. On the way out, I stopped to spend a few pounds at the Royal Mail stand....



It cost me a small fortune to purchase only the booklets and a few items for other friends, and it appeared that RM did not do as well as they did in the past. I saw no queues at their stand at all, maybe a sign that they are issuing too many crap items and driving GB collectors away !

Turnout overall for this first day was OK, never too busy.
Next time, I will give you my thoughts and comparisons between this and the smaller provincial stamp fairs.

Until next time.

Londonbus1.....Loves Sausage and Mash !!

Michael,
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful images from the show you attended. I think that it would help others whom haven't had the opportunity to attend a show get an idea of one. Then again it just may make them envious.

I would love to attend a stamp show. Does anyone know if there is ever one near Monterey, California? It looks like a lot of fun.

Food looks great...oh there were stamps too...

Sharksfan...How far away is San Jose ????

http://www.stampshows.com/sanjose_sjsc.html

Sharksfan11,
Check your in box for the contact info for the Monterey Stamp Club in your area. Also, in February there is a stamp expo in Riverside CA, I don't know if that is close.

Thank you all for the info. I had no idea there was even a stamp club in my area. I will have to try to get to San Jose for the show up there. That isn't too far away. Matter of fact I will see if the Sharks will have a home game that night. That would be to cool. Stamp show by day....Hockey game by night. My dream day.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 Sharks / Blackhawks

I better buy my tickets now. I AM going.

Looks like a great show. I am envious and drooling.



Butch

Butch,
Yes, it was a great show, but these big Exhibitions are very expensive. Not only to buy, but for the dealers, organizers and visitors alike.
London is an expensive city charging big prices. I would not have swapped the day for anything, but the best bargains were to be found in the smaller provincial stamp fairs.

Many of these fairs are thriving and it is always good to sit down at one of the stalls and pick your way through cheap albums for items you need. More relaxed and easy going than the bigger shows.
I visited 4 such fairs after Stampex and picked up most of the bargains there. From one dealer in particular, who was at 3 of the events, I spent some good dollars but got some terrific bargains that were not on offer at Stampex.

I purchased large lots of British and Israel postage for me and my family. The Israel postage was about a quarter of what I buy it for in the Post Office here. Also the Gb postage, very cheap.
I got many Flag sheets and Cinderella stamps which I will post here and there as time allows. All of her stamps were 10p which made for some huge savings.
Bargains can still be found if one looks around.

Here is the dealer in question;





her tables were always full from the beginning until the end. I had to wait my turn to browse !!

Does anyone else here at SCF make comparisons between the smaller and larger shows??

How do they compare in your country??
Do let me know.

Londonbus1

Michael..I tend to find much better stamps at better prices at the smaller shows, 10-15 dealers, and I do best on one day shows.

The dealers can charge less, because the cost to them is much lower than the big APS shows.

I was planning on attending the NYC Mega Event this weekend , but I was disappointed with last springs show.

They once held this show at the Jacob Javits Center, and then switched to Madison Square Garden. Nice and roomy

They have now switched to a hotel, two floors, and I feel like a sardine packed in a can.

If one wants to view exhibits, than the big shows are a must

Well there's my 2 cents

And an excellent two cents is was too, Sir !
Anyone else have any views on this.

Look forward to hearing from you

Londonbus1....from anyone