GRAY GHOST
New member
hello, all. frank [ olddigger ] and myself attended the civil war show in richmond, va. today. it was an exciting time for all, with many coins, civil war artifacts, revolutionary war artifacts, native american and all other manner of the stuff we find in our hobby was there, and more. since we regularly dig up stuff we have little or sometimes no idea of, it gave us a good chance to meet up with some of the experts to figure out what some of the stuff is we found. we did get some good answers, and a new - found idea of what our relics and coins are worth.
the values of good revolutionary war, war of 1812, and civil war artifacts are skyrocketing. before you decide to sell, do some research on the trends of the going prices first. i can easily see that investors are starting to really step in now and drive prices for choice artifacts and coins up. and there seems to be no end in sight! i was asked by nearly every vendor there if i sold what i found, and was offered a business card. good condition and above american coinage is doing well too - almost out of reach for the regular collector.
i was most surprised by the prices commanded of union civil war buttons - they are starting to get up there too. there are many serious collectors who pretty much have a disdainful attitude towards them, since so many were made. those that cost 8 or 10 bucks last year are now 12 to 14 bucks! everything is moving up. so, i figured that since i couldn't find a nice "A" confederate artillery button, or a nice virginia cuff button on my own, i would buy some nice examples. and i did, spending 70 dollars on a nice ironback " A" button and 35 dollars on a nice virginia seal cuff button. i know that both were good deals, knowing what i was looking for and having done my homework. i also snatched up an 1864 two cent piece for a dollar, a 1773 virginia half cent and 179? u.s. half cent for 15 dollars. not bad.
i went to the show with a budget in mind, and stuck to it. it's hard to do, i know, seeing all that nice old silver, old coppers, and artifacts that make us all drool. it takes a certain amount of discipline and restraint, my friend! of course, i felt some of the older stuff was way overpriced, some of the vendors were down right rude and snobbish, i guess clean jeans and a t shirt, cool shades and a pocketful of cash don't cut it for them anymore. their loss, buddy, not mine.
i do try to attend every show i can, and check out local fleamarkets and antique shops on a regular basis. some really good deals can be found if you know what to look for and do your homework on what your're interested in buying. i feel it's important to support our hobby through these means. nearly all of the artifacts, coins and relics i've bought in the past have appreciated nicely. so, my friend, do you want to help stimulate the economy and help yourselves and our hobby in the process? invest in the hobby. buy what some of our fellow hobbyists are finding. i learned a lot today too, so it's been a good experience.
thanks for reading, and give it some thought. happy hunting,
the values of good revolutionary war, war of 1812, and civil war artifacts are skyrocketing. before you decide to sell, do some research on the trends of the going prices first. i can easily see that investors are starting to really step in now and drive prices for choice artifacts and coins up. and there seems to be no end in sight! i was asked by nearly every vendor there if i sold what i found, and was offered a business card. good condition and above american coinage is doing well too - almost out of reach for the regular collector.
i was most surprised by the prices commanded of union civil war buttons - they are starting to get up there too. there are many serious collectors who pretty much have a disdainful attitude towards them, since so many were made. those that cost 8 or 10 bucks last year are now 12 to 14 bucks! everything is moving up. so, i figured that since i couldn't find a nice "A" confederate artillery button, or a nice virginia cuff button on my own, i would buy some nice examples. and i did, spending 70 dollars on a nice ironback " A" button and 35 dollars on a nice virginia seal cuff button. i know that both were good deals, knowing what i was looking for and having done my homework. i also snatched up an 1864 two cent piece for a dollar, a 1773 virginia half cent and 179? u.s. half cent for 15 dollars. not bad.
i went to the show with a budget in mind, and stuck to it. it's hard to do, i know, seeing all that nice old silver, old coppers, and artifacts that make us all drool. it takes a certain amount of discipline and restraint, my friend! of course, i felt some of the older stuff was way overpriced, some of the vendors were down right rude and snobbish, i guess clean jeans and a t shirt, cool shades and a pocketful of cash don't cut it for them anymore. their loss, buddy, not mine.
i do try to attend every show i can, and check out local fleamarkets and antique shops on a regular basis. some really good deals can be found if you know what to look for and do your homework on what your're interested in buying. i feel it's important to support our hobby through these means. nearly all of the artifacts, coins and relics i've bought in the past have appreciated nicely. so, my friend, do you want to help stimulate the economy and help yourselves and our hobby in the process? invest in the hobby. buy what some of our fellow hobbyists are finding. i learned a lot today too, so it's been a good experience.
thanks for reading, and give it some thought. happy hunting,
