My Very First Stamp Show

Just got home from my very first stamp show. I went with 2 guys from my stamp club.

I spent way too much money but had a blast. I bought some used Candian that I was missing and bought a few extra in case anyone here was missing any.

Also got a few grab bags with lots of neet stuff in them and some odd packets that were a very good price. The guys just chucled, they said I looked like a kid in a candy shop

Boy am I going to have fun tonight.

Dianne

glad you had a great time. I am sure you will have hours of fun sorting your new goodies.

Glad to hear that you had fun!

This is a perfect definition of a good stamp show:

Dianne.....


If you only bought enough to have fun for only one evening.....you weren't there long enough.

But, I'm glad you had a good time.

Enjoy yourself Dianne, I am so envious.



Butch

Dito Butch!

I am still waiting to attend my first show.

I actually bought enough to last about 3 weeks Tonight will just be a start.

Dianne...glad to hear you had a good time..

Dianne:

Sounds like you had fun! I love stamp shows. I am on the ORAPEX committee (the big, national-level stamp show held each year in Ottawa). I run the Youth Booth.

FUN!

Glad you enjoyed yourself.

When the next big show comes around, I'll post my "How To Get The Most Out of a Stamp Show" piece, as per usual.

David

Hey David, wish I was closer. I would love to come give you a hand with the Youth Booth. It's a lot of fun working with kids. I did for quite a few years until the friend who did most of it passed away and others took over. Not as much fun when they took it, but I do other things now for the club.

I had a great time at the Royal 98 Royale in Hamilton. I was exhibits chairperson. I got to see almost all the "$$$$$" exhibits before anyone else. Included a few that were actually sent to me by mail. I was a bit nervous having them around for a few days. But it was interesting. I was actually able to sit down and look at them page by page.
We started setting up for the show on a Thursday, it was really hectic. It was about 9pm before we finished and we had to be back the next morning for 8am to get started. The committee and volunteers were usually the first to arrive each morning and the last to leave each night. Then Sunday take down we were there until about 9pm again.
I don't think anyone really knows how much work goes into preparing a big show until they have been on the committee. We started almost 2 years in advance. I wouldn't have missed being part of it for anything. It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun.

Doodles:

There is a lot of work for a stamp show. ORAPEX is an annual thing... I only do the Youth Booth, as that is one of the contributions of the Ottawa Philatelic Society. There's four of us at the booth and we are already sorting stamps, etc.

CHEAP DONATION PLUG: Any used stamps, on piece greatly appreciated.

Being the exhibit chair would be challenging, but most exciting!

Good for you!

David

Working with the kids is really fun. Do you have contests or games of any sort?

We used to have, "guess the number of stamps in a jar". The winner would get the jar of stamps. Dan, the friend looking after the booth used to provide a gallon pickle jar. They hold a LOT of stamps. I know, because I counted them one year. It was just under 7000 stamps. Would you believe a kid got it within 8 stamps.
I can just picture the kid pulling all those stamps out of the jar in the middle of his living room floor. They don't look like much when they are in the jar, but I am sure his mom wouldn't have been too pleased to see the pile when she called him for supper. hehehe!

We also had a "design a stamp" contest. We had pages with the outline of a perfed stamp, and the kids would draw and colour whatever they wanted. Then we just had someone at random pick the one they liked best. The kids were all about the same age group, so they didn't have to be sorted in age groups. Everyone got something anyhow for doing a picture.

Dan also made a "star" board. He took coloured stars, mostly red, green and blue and put them onto a piece of bristol board. Then he scattered a half dozen or so each of silver and gold ones around. He covered each star with a stamp and for 25 cents a try the kids got to pick a stamp. The red, green and blue got smaller prizes, silver got bigger ones and gold got even bigger prizes. WE had loads of donations too, and then Dan would take all the money he got and buy more stamps for the next show. He took the games and things around all of the local shows in the area. If he didn't get enough donations or make enough money, he would buy what he needed himself. He thought working with the kids was the best thing in the world.

Dianne,
Glad you had fun, Have fun sorting all your goodies, How were the exhibits?

Rick

There were no exhibits at this one.

Dianne,

I know where you are coming from. I went to my first stamp show only a few months ago. It's difficult not to spend too much.

Steve

You're right there Trigg. I only brought a certain amount of money knowing myself all too well and left all debit and credit cards at home.

Neeless to say I came home with 0 dollars.

Dianne