A Guide to Dallas and Texas Coin Shows

How a coin show works

The main room at a coin show is called the bourse floor. Dealers rent tables in rows and set out cases of coins, currency and bullion. Some tables carry a bit of everything. Others stick to one area, such as Morgan dollars, world coins, large-size notes or gold.

Visitors walk the aisles, look through the cases and ask to see coins up close. Prices are posted on many items, though dealers will often talk. Dealers also buy, and a good part of the business at any show happens between the dealers themselves before the public arrives.

Larger shows add more. You may find a booth that takes coins for submission to a grading service, competitive exhibits, educational talks, a table for the local coin club and programs for young collectors. Smaller shows might be twenty tables in a hotel ballroom on a Saturday. Most charge little or nothing to get in, and many have security at the door.

Texas and DFW shows to know about

Texas has a strong show circuit. These are recurring events we have confirmed exist. We do not list dates, venues or hours, because they move from year to year. Check the organizer's website or a current show calendar about a week before you go.

• The Texas Numismatic Association convention. The statewide collectors' association holds an annual show that ranks among the larger regional events in the South, with a big bourse, exhibits and educational programs.
• The Houston Money Show. The Greater Houston Coin Club puts on this long-running show, worth the trip for collectors who want a large room of dealers.
• Shows in Grapevine. Promoters hold coin shows in Grapevine more than once a year, which suits Dallas collectors who want a smaller event close to home. Check the promoter's listing for the next date.
• Local club shows. Coin clubs around North Texas host one-day shows and swap meets. Ask a local club or check its newsletter.

Selling at a coin show

You can sell at a show, and some people do well there. The upside is choice: walk the floor, show your coins at several tables and compare quotes. For a few well-known coins, such as certified silver dollars or common gold, that competition can work in your favor.

There are trade-offs. Each dealer buys for their own inventory, so a table may want three of your coins and pass on the rest. Quotes are usually verbal, and the busiest hours are crowded and rushed. You also carry your collection through a parking lot, a crowd and back to your car, which is not ideal with an estate's worth of gold. If you sell, ask for a receipt that lists each coin and the price.

Coin show vs a private appraisal

What to bring

• A driver's license or state ID. Texas law requires buyers to record the seller's photo ID.
• A written list of what you have, with dates and mint marks if you know them.
• Coins in their holders, albums or flips. Do not clean anything first.
• A 5x or 10x loupe and a small notebook to jot down quotes.
• Your phone, so you can check the live spot price for gold and silver.
• A plain bag that does not shout coins, and a friend if you are carrying a lot.
• Cash if you plan to buy, since some tables prefer it.

Show manners for first-timers

• Ask before you pick up a coin, and hold it by the edges over the table.
• Leave coins in their flips unless the dealer says otherwise.
• Do not crowd a table when the dealer is in the middle of a deal.
• Haggle politely, and keep it light on low-cost items.
• When buying anything costly, favor coins certified by PCGS or NGC and ask about return terms.
• Get a written receipt for every purchase or sale.

When a show is not the right fit

Shows are built for collectors who enjoy the hunt. They are a harder fit for someone settling a parent's estate with twenty albums, a box of rolls and a few gold coins. Hauling all of that through a convention hall is tiring and risky, and the piecemeal offers make it hard to know what the whole lot is worth. Many sellers use a show to learn and get a feel for the market, then sell the full collection in a private sitting.

Coin shows and selling for Dallas collectors

Dallas sits in the middle of a busy show circuit, so a collector here can reach a show most months without a long trip. The Grapevine show draws dealers from across North Texas, and the statewide convention brings in tables from all over Texas and beyond. For a hobby collector looking to fill a hole in a Mercury dime album or pick up a slabbed Peace dollar, that is a real perk of living here.

For sellers, the calendar can be the problem. Shows land on set weekends, and the dates rarely match the week an estate needs settling or a house in Lake Highlands goes on the market. A seller who has to load boxes of coins into the car, sit in traffic on the LBJ Freeway and then walk a bourse floor for hours often comes home tired with half the collection still unsold.

That is where we fit. We hold private appraisals Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by appointment, so you do not wait for the next show weekend. A buyer checks every coin for date, mint mark, grade and eye appeal while you watch. Gold and silver are priced from today's live spot price, and collector coins are priced on current dealer demand. Larger estates can be handled with a home appointment so nothing has to travel.

One more Dallas point: a show is a great place to learn what dealers want. Spend an hour walking the tables, ask what they pay for the coins you own and write the answers down. That homework makes you a sharper seller anywhere, including at our table. Just leave the bulk of the collection safely at home while you browse.

Feel free to do both. Visit a show to learn, then bring your coins to us and compare. Call (469) 754-8608 to book a free appraisal and leave with a written offer, item by item, whether you sell or not.