Chattanooga Civil War & Artifact Show & Sale News
Originally published September 2019 · p. 15
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—It is rare that an event in only its second year makes a significant impact in the world of Civil War shows, but this annual event has the makings of a future mega event on the Civil War and artifact show circuit. Dealers and displayers from across the country occupied 250 eight-foot tables that were viewed by over a thousand attendees. The gate crowd was up substantially from the previous year, with lines actually formed around the building at opening time on Saturday morning. Far from being a Civil War only show, the event featured both non-dug and dug artifacts from ancient times up to World War II. The huge selection included weapons, artillery projectiles, insignia, buckles, buttons, bottles, books, prints, jewelry, and much more. As always, to increase exposure and assure a large walkin crowd, American Digger promoted the show through various multimedia outlets, including radio, TV, numerous live feeds, and podcasts. The event was held at the spacious Camp Jordan Arena in East Ridge (a suburb of Chattanooga); the community was very supportive of the show, even hanging a thirty-foot-long banner across Main Street. For those new to the world of Civil War sales events, not only are they a great place to view and buy artifacts or equipment (including metal detectors and accessories), but are one of the best place to have finds identified and questions answered by notable collectors and dealers Several qualified appraisers had tables set up, including Antique’s Roadshow’s Rafael Eledge (ShilohRelics.Com). Several detector manufacturer reps and retail dealers were also on hand to answer questions about their products. To encourage and reward those who publicly show their collections, awards were given for Best of Show (Mike Fisher), Best Non-Dug Artifact (Bill Blackman), Best Dug Artifact (Joe Mooney), Most Educational (Mark Miller), and People’s Choice (Sid Witherington). Next year’s show has been confirmed for July 25 & 26, 2020, at the same location, and is expected to be even bigger than the 2019 event.
