Members of the West Springfield Coin Club are hoping that attendance is better at their spring coin show than it was at last year’s fall show – but that seems pretty likely.
The fall coin show was scheduled for Oct. 30, the day after the Halloween snow storm blanketed the area and shut down most activity as local residents struggled to cope with snow and widespread power outages.
Fortunately, a repeat of that weather is unlikely and area coin dealers are getting ready to gather at the Dante Club in West Springfield on Sunday for the coin club’s semi-annual coin show, a 25 year tradition for local numismatic enthusiasts.
“We’ve got plenty of tables” the club president, Peter Setian, reported to the members of the club at their most recent meeting, noting that 13 dealers are already committed to the event which will open at 9:30 a.m. and close at 3 p.m.
Setian has said that the semi-annual shows have been staged at the Dante Club, located at 1198 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield at the corner of Baldwin Street, every year since 1988.
He said that the vendors at the show will not only exhibit, buy and sell coins, but will also provide free appraisals of coins and associated collectible items.
He said that the shows both serve as a resource for area collectors and hobbyists, and also provide much of the club’s annual operating expenses.
Setian said that patrons of past shows have been sent postcards to inform them of the upcoming event and, if they bring their postcards to the show, will be entitled to make a random choice from a group of vintage U.S. coins.
There will also be a raffle at the show. Setian said that both admission to the show and parking at the Dante Club are free.
The club meets monthly, with a summer hiatus during July and August, at the Church of the Good Shepard at 214 Elm St., in West Springfield. The meetings are generally staged on the second Sunday of the month.
The remaining meetings of 2012 will be on May 20, June 10, Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.
At each meeting, a program about a specific aspect of coin collecting is offered after the club’s business is conducted.
Following a social break, members offer a small number of coins for sale at an auction.
