The Low Country Coin Club of the greater Charleston area, SC,held its largest coin show to date. Hosting the annual Winter Coin Show on Feb 2, 3, & 4 at the Exchange Park Fairgrounds in Ladson, SC. The new location included a 7,000 square foot showroom ( double the size ofthe previous room )with larger aisles giving customers plenty of room tobrowse. Billy Crawford, a member of the Low Country Coin Club and author of 'A Detailed Analysis of Lincoln Cent Varieties' was provided a guest table throughout the show to display many of his rare varieties and error coins.

    Randy Clark, President of the Low Country Coin Club, reported the new location was necessary to support the expanding regional population and number of coin collectors. Fifty-three dealers from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New York were in attendance. Well over 1000 customers attended the show. Nearly all dealers reported average to strong sales and provided positive feedback to the club on the new location and customer turnout.

    The new location also provided several firsts for many numismatic dealers, a separate dealer parking area to minimize the probability of dealer thefts and robberies as have occurred following other larger coin shows in recent years. Also, onsite recreational vehicle overnight parking with full hookup. Uniformed and plain-clothed security personnel were in attendance throughout the show in addition to other surveillance methods. Customer and dealer security is not taken likely at this show and is considered to be of paramount importance in ensuring customers and dealers return for future shows.

    The increased customer base was a result of expanded advertising efforts the club has undertaken. The LCCC sent out more than 300 post cards to customers who signed up at previous shows for notified of this and future shows Flyers were mailed to every coin club in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia a month before the show. The addition of several local roadside advertisements placed in key traffic areas throughout the Low Country region caught the attention of many first time customers.

    The Low Country Coin Club Winter and Summer Shows have always been free to the public and should continue. Customers were asked to show identification at the door and sign in to record attendance and to obtain email or street addresses for those who requested notification of upcoming shows. The club expects to be sending out over 500 customerpostcards and emails for the LCCC Summer 2007 Show to be held August 10 - 12. The summer show will also include an on-site Low Country style cookout on Saturday evening for club members and dealers.

    The number of numismatic dealers is limited for Low Country Coin Club shows to help ensure dealers have a reasonably profitable weekend and to ensure a continued reputable dealer base is maintained. Dealers are rated individually based on club member, dealer and customer feedback. Additionally, dealers who have been in attendance for consecutive shows are given priority reservation privileges for upcoming shows. For this reason, new dealers wishing to participate in upcoming shows should request bourse applications as soon as possible by

contacting Randy Clark. New dealers may be asked to provide a summary of their numismatic and business credentials.

Bill Latoure