Etobicoke Show - Lightly Attended/Slow Sales

[chaudiere1944]

Hi All,

This show was the least attended Etobicoke show I can remember in the past 5-6 years…but I really enjoyed myself because I was able to have some great conversations yesterday. Sadly I forgot to wear my BCMBF badge and was not able to connect with any of you.

I did my usual first sweep of all the easily navigated aisles/tables to make a mental note of what I may be interested in. I identified a couple small pieces (Helmet display stand/Book) to go back and perhaps pick up...unfortunately due to a number of great long conversations when I returned those pieces were gone.

Overall the Etobicoke Show appeared not too good for the Sellers, in fact having talked with a number of them they were experiencing a dramatic drop in the prices they were being offered for their items. Each chalked it up to a softening overall in the field of Militaria collecting as a result of fears in the general economy. One dealer even lamented about selling a rare Militia badge yesterday for 1/3 the price it was going for in the recent past. On the flip side I chatted with a number of collectors who have made significant purchases recently at auctions and in personal transactions. The items they purchased were on the scarce/rare side but nonetheless still commanded large sums.

I am always remiss to make judgements based upon a few conversations and as such I would be interested to hear what others are noticing…a few questions come to mind: Are we witnessing a recession, no recession or a natural correction in prices? Are all items from the common to rare affected? Are there any significant demographic shifts happening? Are more items being acquired in private transactions/auctions versus the shows?

Mike