Stamp Show Observation

Saturday, I attended the Nashville Stamp Show, hosted by the Nashville Philatelic Society.

Nashville isn't really a hotbed of stamp collecting, but it does have an active club and I always try to attend the annual Spring Show.

Maybe it was my imagination but this year's seemed larger than the last 3-4 years, which I've attended. There were some good exhibits. There were 17 dealers and I just don't remember that many previously, though certainly I could be wrong. What struck me is a couple of the dealers were younger guys, which is kind of nice to see. Finally, while I was there, I felt the attendance was better than when I've been in the past.

For myself, I seriously added to my collection of newspaper revenues and I picked up two Minkus Global Supreme albums. I spent more money here than at any of the past local shows.

Maybe it was coincidence or just my timing or a little of both, but it looked like a better show than in past years, and that is a good thing. Not sure if this is an anomaly, or are other local shows seeing some slight uptick?

Many seniors who have retired have gone back to stamp collecting and they are also getting their grandchildren into it.

There could be a couple of reasons for this perception. 1. There has been an uptick in show attendance because of the National population aging. What does this mean? Well I attended 1 show per year while I was working. Now that I have retired, I find myself seeking out more distant shows and middle of the week shows. 2. Since retiring, I find myself more attentive to my collection and seek out inexpensive means of 'filling in the blanks' as well as having the to opportunity to inspect the items needed, rather than judge condition from illustrations. 3. Although on a fixed income, I find expenses somewhat less than working (gas-lunches-car maintenance reduced) I find myself better budgeting limited funds but continue to spend on the collection. 4. The new blood at the shows could be hand-me-down collectors wanting to make some $$s by personally selling rather than ebay (or other on-line)and also enjoy the social aspect. Of course I could be WAY off base here but there are more collectors than 'investors' and collectors (and we collectors) do go against the stream to gather the most in the most efficient manner, (both time & $$)

Here is my take on recent shows. Two in Texas in the past 6 months. First shows in probably 20 years or more.

Nicely organized and laid out. Bright rooms with lots of space. about 15 or 20 dealers, same at both shows. Many displays by members but buried at the back of the room and no one looking at the stuff.

I am an old guy(54) but felt young here, it was mostly older guys by themselves dealing with older guys as sellers.
The feeling in the hall was very clinical almost library like and serious. Funeral home came to mind.
I can hang for about an hour and then bolt. There is very little interaction with most people busy with magnifying tools.

It was difficult getting into the hall, little like homeland security wanting to know everything about me before granting entrance. The world we live in now, I guess.

Before I get nailed (what were you expecting) questions. I just think that this works for some but if we are trying to attract new collectors or younger folks this atmosphere would drive them away back to their playstations or coffee bars.

I don't know what the "fix" is but a more lively atmosphere would help. Maybe a beer garden...lol.
Some kind of electronic virtual stamp display, Bring modern stamps into the for front and not buried or ignored. I remember that the modern stuff was ok with me when I was a kid. Also all I could afford. When I was young a 30 year old stamp was amazing to me especially if I could afford it.

I am not looking for a carnival atmosphere but more LIFE needs to be injected. Even people on people discussion and chit chat. What a concept.

Ok I am done. Hope I don't tick to many off. Just my opinion. Still allowed I hope.
BTW. I thought the dealers prices were through the roof without any indication that dickering was welcome. seems like most we 80-100% catalog.

As you can tell, I just joined this forum. I thought that I would throw my 2 cents in here. I am from Nashville, and I didn't even know about the show this past weekend. I would have loved to attend, but it seems that maybe only members of the local club were aware of the event. I'd put myself in the "medium" age for stamp collectors (I'm 46). I collected as a child in the 1970's and have recently rekindled my love of collecting. The internet and technology have changed everything when it comes to collecting. We have scanners, digital cameras, online catalogs, multiple research sources, and cataloging programs. In my opinion,if we want to attract the younger set to this fun and fascinating hobby, we need to promote these new tools and revise the image of the stamp collector as an older person in a dark study with a magnifying glass and stacks of hard-copy books. Yes, I have the books and the magnifiers, but I also have the internet, a digital camera, and a digital microscope.

Welcome to the forum fangirl.

You make a good point, no doubt that the need to promot how new technology can help collecting. The question remains, how to do it?

New technology like digital microscopes, scanners, etc. need to be shown and demostrated so that the older collectors and new collectors are made aware of these new tools. I think this would be a good selling point for a dealer to start making.

Another issue I have seen at the past several shows is the significant lack of lighting over the tables! Sometimes, its hard just to see what's being laid out for sale, let alone inspecting the item.

Again, welcome to the forum.

Art

I've been to two shows in the past 2 months (my first.....) and I found the atmosphere subdued, but friendly when sitting down by another patron or by a dealer. The fact that these things usually take place in a cavernous hall probaly doesn't help matters. The idea of demos of some current technology related to stamp collecting would be most welcome, if a club could gather the resources to put it on. While I'm also a young/old 54 and know how to wield a digital camera, lets face it , there is a large sector of collectors who are not even familiar with forums such as this, let alone scanners and microscopes. How to pep it up...maybe some light background music...I'm serious! John
(Retiring into his chaise lounge...... with smoking jacket, glass of brandy, and monocle.)

ecmorgan, I agree that this years show was better than the past few. I live just south of Nashville and have attended the show for some years. I spend a good bit there this year and picked up some nice items. I think it was better, for me, than the Atlanta show this year.

Fangirl, are you a member of the APS or do you get LINN'S STAMP NEWS? The show was listed in the APS monthly magazine and LINN'S in the section where shows are listed. Also, if you are interested in visiting/joining the Nashville Philatelic Society (club), Their next meeting is 3/24/14 at the Madison Library, or the Brentwood Philatelic Society (Club), their next meeting is 3/18/14 at the Brentwood Library. They would be happy for you to attend and consider joining. There is also a club in Murfreesboro and one in Sumner County (Hendersonville) if they may be closer for you. The web site for the Nashville club is http://nashvillephilatelic.org/ I occassionally attend--but its a long drive for me. The Nasville club meets twice monthly, the others once monthly. RayMac, who posts here, is a member of the Nashville club too. If you need the address for the libraries, let me know.

Just as a point of information, newspaper stamps are not revenues. Newspaper stamps are essentially a subset of parcel post, they paid the postage for mailing newspapers and periodicals in bulk.
Revenue stamps exist only to pay taxes.

Very bad habit I need to break. I tend to call everything back of the book revenues, which I know is incorrect.

We have a stamp show twice a year here in Fredericton. It's not as large as the ones mentioned here, 6 or so stamp dealers. It is put on by our stamp club and we do have exhibits. Some of our members have some pretty impressive ones. We also put on a silent auction where many great deals can be had.

What I like about the shows is being able to view the exhibits, chat with dealers and other stamp collectors and searching for deals while trying to fill some of my collection.

I have gotten some amazing deals at these shows and met some great people. With any luck I will meet someone from this forum at our next one which takes place on March 29th.

Dianne

Lots of interesting comments here. But some serious issues need to be address. First, I been to over 100 stamp shows here in Chicago ,St Louis ,Milwaukee and Florida . They all have basicly the same lay out. The stuff being exhibited is now mostly covers which I don't collect .There are very very few viewers looking at the exhibits and even fewer reading the write ups . I especially have little interest in Thousand dollar covers . I seen enough German Inflation rate covers and Zeppelin covers ,we don't need to see any over the next five years . I exhibited some WWII material at the local library and more people stopped and viewed my material than any stamp show other than the National Show in Washington D.C. so with exhibits out of this world cost wise ,you can keep the exhibits ,and that's why few view them .There are a few I enjoy and learn from but mostly a waste. ,,,,,,,,,next posting later about the dealers .

I'm 45 and started going to shows when I was in the military, around 20 or 21. I'll concede shows fundamentally haven't changed much in the last 25 years and I'm sure longer.

The way exhibits are set up, they do not lend themselves to multimedia approaches. The dealers - even at the Ameristamp Expo I attended last month - are not using the most up-to-date event/show marketing techniques to draw attendees to their booths.

Another curiosity. I am the VP of a public relations agency, and this just hits me as odd. I was not asked in Nashville, nor at the APS show, nor at any show last year, for my email address. It seems that in the late 80s and early 90s, at every show, every dealer was asking for my mailing address.

Still, I really enjoyed the Nashville show this year. I came out of it feeling a bit more encouraged about philately in middle Tennessee.

I am from Nashville and attended this show. I go each year and to a couple others at Opryland. I enjoyed the show this year. I took all 3 of my kids with me and my little girl (6) is excited to learn more about stamps. I bought a big box of WW stamps to soak and she is excited. She wants me to get a drying book for her like I have. My oldest son (11) could not get out fast enough. He was ready to go play his games. My wife even enjoyed it. She was talking about wanting to start on some topicals.

Stamp Dealers at Stamp Shows --------There are good points and bad areas that come to mind about dealers. First they need to make money at the show and build contacts for more future sales . They need to identify who is there to spend money and who are the LOOKERS. As a worldwide collector and a generous amount of money at each show ,I need to see what they got .Most usually direct me to a pile of beat=up album pages in folders that have been picked over and spit out by the past four or five previous owners . They price this pile of left overs at 1/3 to 1/4 catalog which they purchased at 1/10 or 1/15 catalog ,this is the same material I was purchasing at the age of ten .Now I say what better collections you have starting at $500.00 or more and I want the stuff already researched and written up .I will not buy better stuff where they are selling close to full catalog and the dealer next to them are only paying a small fraction of catalog for ,so please don't try to sell me a nice complete set at half catalog and the best price that set will get is 1/10 catalog at the same show or on ebay ----give me a break .I am not putting your kid thru college ,I just put mine thru . Then I shake my head about all the dealers who carry the same tired stock from show to show this goes on year to year . One local dealer is selling a S/S from Poland that I looked at four years ago with a small pin hole in it ,I pointed it out four years ago to him and again two years ago but he wants full catalog for it and would not note that it has a hole in it .It was in his stock this year . Most dealers will carry the same picked over stock from show to show and will complaint people are not spending money .The dealer who do the best at shows to me are those that sell supplies .

Some dealers do put out the same tired stock as a matter of habit, but they may have stuff they picked up behind. I like to go through dollar boxes of old covers and the front table is where the dealers put their better items. I ask if they have a dollar box of covers to go through and often find that they do.