The last scheduled Santa Clara Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo will be the upcoming show, being held Nov. 18 to 20. Future dates for the twice-yearly Northern California show, including the previously planned March 16 to 18, 2012, show, are being canceled by the Santa Clara Expo’s owner, Collectors Universe Inc.

The Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo, also owned by Collectors Universe, is not affected by the Santa Clara show closing. The next Long Beach Expo is scheduled for Feb. 2 to 4.

“The coin show business has changed quite a bit in the past decade and the smaller regional shows face significant financial challenges. We have decided to stop our involvement with the Santa Clara show and concentrate our efforts on the larger Long Beach shows,” said David Hall, president of Collectors Universe.

“We appreciate the support of dealers and Bay area collectors, and are sorry we can no longer provide the show,” he said.

Public attendance was growing in recent years as thousands of collectors attended the two annual Santa Clara Expos, and the support of local and regional dealers was excellent, according to show organizers. However, the number of out-of-state dealers who purchased bourse tables dwindled due to frequent scheduling conflicts with competing shows in the eastern United States and elsewhere.

“We had a wonderful run bringing together collectors, dealers and the general public. I appreciated the huge support from the San Jose and Cupertino Coin Clubs, and I have many great memories of visitors from around the world as well as from Silicon Valley and the Bay area,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo general chairman.

“We were unsuccessful in finding a buyer to take over the shows. Many of the local dealers I’ve already spoken with about the upcoming closing are disappointed because they told me they always did good business at the Santa Clara Expo,” he explained.

Gillio and his company, Expos Unlimited, acquired the Santa Clara show in November 2002 from its founder, Rudy Christianson. Gillio expanded the show to include more coin and stamp dealers, showcased special exhibits, arranged for visits by U.S. Mint representatives and on-site participation by third-party grading services including Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guaranty Corp., and arranged for rare coin and paper money auctions to be conducted in conjunction with the show by Superior Galleries and Teletrade.

He also tried other enhancements such as adding a fourth public day to each show in 2004, and for a brief time conducted a third Santa Clara Expo in the summer.

In the mid-2000s, eBay was a corporate sponsor of the Santa Clara Expo and conducted educational seminars to teach collectors and dealers the then-new concept of how to buy and sell online. Gillio sold the Santa Clara Expo and Long Beach Expo shows to Collectors Universe in 2006.

In addition to numismatic items, the Santa Clara shows features dealers offering stamps, postcards, historical documents, autographs and estate jewelry.

The 2011 Santa Clara Expo will be held in the Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054. Free parking is available to show attendees. Public hours are Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Admission costs $6 (for a three-day pass) and $3 for seniors. Children 7 years of age and younger are free.

For more information and discount coupons for the upcoming Santa Clara Expo, visit online at www.SantaClaraExpo.com or call an expo representative at 408-748-7055. Prior to Nov. 17, call Expos Unlimited at 805-962-9939. ¦