The only word that can be used describe the 2018 Chickamauga Civil War Show and Sale held February 3 & 4, at the Dalton Trade Center in Dalton, Ga., according to Show Chairman Mike Kent. Even though Kent was expecting a solid show bas on results from his recent sho in Richmond, Va., and Franklin Tenn., this one surpassed his estimates in terms of both dea participation and attendance. With a show record 500 tables filling the 45,000 square foot Exhibit Hall, the aisles were packed with eager collectors, diggers, enthusiasts, and hist buffs looking for deals and renewing old friendships in th hobby. For MK Shows owner Mike
his Civil War show season even though it is just February. MK
The Walsh family (Jonathan, Ni Fort Donelson Relics, are main shows.
A Record Crowd Shows produces the Capital of t Confederacy Show in Richmond in November, the Franklin Civil War Show in December, and the Dalton Civil War Show during February, so this is his last s for the next nine months. These last three shows have been the best in recent memory according
and attendance up noticeably which has been unusual for the past few years. Although hard to pin down exactly why, some increases could be traced to the recent publicity surrounding the remov of Confederate statues and memorials around the country. In the advertising world there no such thing as bad publicity, constant attacks on our heritag from the nightly news, social
newspapers appear to have only increased the public’s interest
ohn and Alex), owners of at all the major Civil War
the Civil War, not discouraged it. In fact, it appears that more people are now taking the time to fully understand why Confederate statues are being removed in this country when they normally see this happening only in third worl countries during military coups. In studying this trend, Kent has noticed increased activity in three distinct areas that impact the Civil War industry as a whole particularly the collecting aspec of our hobby; book and periodical sales, metal detector sales, and
or not increased interest in thes areas has impacted participation in Civil War shows or whether participation in shows helped impact these areas is open to speculation but consider these arguments. The market for Civil War books and periodicals has never been better. Book dealers are reportin
47 – Advertiser Index 26 – Ask The Appraiser 6 – Black Powder, White Smoke 32 – Book Reviews 46 – Classifieds
the major Civil War publications are up as are ad revenues for same. New authors signing up for tables at most shows are reporting strong sales. Kent said “The number of new books being reviewed each month in publications such as Civil War News is impressive and limited only by the available space.” At a time when many of us thought electronic tablets would signal end of the printed word, book an periodical sales are flourishing Another indication that our hobby is healthy is robust sales and emerging technology in the world of metal detectors. As relics are becoming scarcer, technology has had to improve to give diggers the ability to sear deeper, discriminate better, and be easier and lighter to use. Ma of us who grew up with detectors that emitted a beep anytime a Inside this issue: 34 – Critic’s Corner 41 – Events Section 18 – Inspection, ARMS! 22 – John Banks’ CW Blog 12 – The Source
(All photos metallic object was detected can now choose from machines that are digital, work in any type of soil, can determine what the object is before you dig, and ca be paired with a GPS for locatio logging. The big names in the business spend thousands of dollars in advertising fees each year as evidenced by full page color ads in most mainstream Civil War publications. At a tim when we thought all Civil War sites had been hunted out, these new high tech machines are responsible for many of the late finds which fill up the pages of numerous trade magazines each month. Events such as Digging in Virginia where participants pay a fee to metal detect a know Civil War site under controlled conditions are enormously popular and sell out quickly.
7 – The Unfinished Fight 20 – This And That 10 – Through The Lens 35 – Small Talk-Trivia