SUN NOV 20, PRE98 WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE #152

News from the Office:  Just got in from the Nations Gun Show in Chantilly, VA, which is/was our home show.  Sad to say, it was a total waste of our time and effort.  Clearly, collectors no longer attend these types of shows anymore.  Other than just a few shows such as the one in Tulsa or The Show of Shows in Louisville, we have now reached the tipping point where Gun Shows are dead and completely irrelevant for serious collector grade guns. This includes the equally pathetic shows held by the OGCA and The Forks of the Delaware.  The marketplace for historical firearms has now almost completely gone online.  While we may occasionally attend the Chantilly show and set up, going forward we will no longer be setting up at any show on a regular basis.  We certainly will make forays to scout out and pillage these affairs.  

We have long attended shows and there were many years where we spent 30-40 weekends traveling to shows.   Beginning at the turn of the Century the internet took off and online sales grew, and gun show sales declined.  This has been a lengthy process, but we have now reached the point where successful advanced collectors no longer find it advantageous to take the time to attend most shows.  Perhaps it is time to make most shows an annual or semiannual event where people may actually want to take the time to attend.   

Watch:  ALL QUITE ON THE WESTERN FRONT on Netflix, it the new German Version and its very dreary and dystopian.  If Putin had watched it, he would never have invaded Ukraine. This show will cause increased interest in WWI firearms for sure! 

Please make an appointment if you are stopping by the office.   We are more than happy to pull something for you to look at if you have an interest; we just need to know in advance and don’t mind a visit.