The Swap Area will be in operation at the Show again this year. The hours will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. As in past years, Swap Area participants are only allowed to take "swap dollars" in exchange for their specimens and material. These swap dollars are good only for redemption at the booth of a retail dealer through the end of the show. Swap dollars are treated as cash when presented at a retail dealer's booth on a dollar-for-dollar basis. At the end of the show, the retail dealers redeem the swap dollars they received for cash.

The purpose of the Swap Area is to give amateur rock collectors a chance to show and sell their material at a commercial show and at the same time avoid direct competition with retail dealers. This is achieved by preventing cash sales at the Swap Area. If "swap dollars" are used for all transactions and can only be redeemed with a retail dealer, then the dealer still benefits from all sales at our show. The amateur collector benefits from this arrangement too:

• The collector gains exposure to the general public.
• The collector reduces inventory of excess or unwanted stock
• The collector can replace that reduction with specimens or stock of their choosing.
  

We are looking forward to a successful swap area at the show this year. Please stop by to see what they have to offer. Often there are great deals because material is typically offered at rock-bottom prices (please excuse the pun), much below normal retail value. 

If you have any questions, please direct them to the dealer chairman or the swap area chairman, one or both of whom can usually be found at the Swap Area. We would appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have on improving the Swap Area.