Last Saturday was the Patterson, NY Militaria show sponsored by
my friends Brian and Jean of The Duffle Bag. This is mostly a
collectors event in that you won't find much in the way of
military surplus gear used by airsoft enthusiasts and
survivalist types. Indeed, it was mostly World War II
collectibles, with a smattering of more recent vintage military
memorabilia. I was in my usual corner spot with a couple tables
of stuff that was excess to needs. I don't sell much as most of
my stuff is either ephemera (military manuals) or post WW2 kit,
but I often do well enough to help cover any purchases I make
at the show, and the traditional after show lunch of calamari
and cheesecake down at the local diner.
This show seemed a little slower than most. My guess is that
attendance was down about 30% compaired to previous dates. I
chalk this up to less word of mouth advertising from the
closing of The Duffle Bag's retail location. I suspect this is
a temporary issue, and once the organizer adopts new
advertising techniques and venues then attendance will increase
to previous levels. The Patterson show is really good from a
collectibles standpoint, and the majority of dealers are
reasonable in their pricing.
The next show is in October, and we'll see how it goes.
