The three-day Expo, held at the Exposition Center on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, enjoyed a total attendance of just over 2,000 with more than 1,000 attendees on Saturday alone. (Note:Attendance figures do not include dealers taking part in the bourse.) This year's attendance was up more than 20% over 2013; the annual show has seen an increase in attendance of at least 15% in each of the last three years. Publicity Chair Dave Provost commented, "We expanded our publicity efforts in 2014 and tried several new advertising approaches. It's clear from the show's record attendance that we were very successful in reaching our target audience."

The bourse area featured over 80 dealers from up and down the east coast, covering 140 tables. "I heard from multiple dealers that they were very happy with the show's attendance and that it translated into strong sales," noted Paul Landsberg, the Expo's Bourse Chair. He continued, "Several dealers told me they had their best North Carolina show ever. That's certainly something we like to hear. It really helps validate the effort the club puts in to host the best show possible."

The Expo's "Kids Zone" experienced tremendous interest throughout the weekend with constant activity. More than 90 young collectors visited the area and engaged in coin quizzes and carnival-style games to earn prizes. Dealers and RCC members donated a nice assortment of prizes for the kids, and the US Mint provided an assortment of educational materials and Mint-branded supplies.

The Expo presented a strong schedule of educational seminars on Friday and Saturday. Topics ranged from discussions of Bechtler gold and North Carolina gold mining, to Civil War era paper money and battle flags. Also presented was a talk on how North Carolina is marking the Civil War sesquicentennial with events throughout the state. Educational programs are a core feature of the RCC's annual show and always draw informative speakers and enthusiastic audiences. The Society for Paper Money Collectors added to the educational opportunities for show attendees; it held an open meeting at the Expo on Saturday and presented a talk on Confederate paper money.

The RCC also sponsored a successful food drive at the Expo. The combination of food and cash donations received will enable the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to provide 1,051 meals to those in need. The club is very thankful for the generosity shown by Expo attendees.

For the first time, the RCC conducted a raffle at the show to benefit the club's educational outreach programs. It was well received by attendees, with all 1,000 available tickets being sold before noon on Sunday.

The club is already looking ahead to its 2015 Expo and actively exploring ways to make it even more of a "destination show" for collectors throughout the southeast and mid-Atlantic states.

2014 Raleigh Money Expo^TM
Show Schedule