-------OGCA Meetings are strictly LIMITED to members and their guests------

Spring 2020 Member's Newsletter

Upcoming Meeting Dates


 CANCELLEDMarch 14-15, 2020 (Always the biggest! Reserve tables early)
Due to Health Concerns See Home Page

May 30-31, 2020 (Annual Display Show and Banquet)
July 18-19, 2020 (Featuring ROCS [Ruger Owners & Collectors Society] and Remington
Society of America plus a free Ohio Hunter Safety Education Class)
Sept. 12-13, 2020 (Special Guests, Winchester Arms Collectors Assoc.)
Nov. 21-22, 2020 (Annual Meeting/Director Election)

FOR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE, DIRECTIONS AND HOTELS, CLICK ON SHOWS.

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Education and Sharing Knowledge

We had an outstanding January meeting. Tons of people came through the door and 158 guests applied for membership. It reminded me of the old days, and I heard many comments even on Sunday, on the number of people in the hall. March is always the “big one” so if January is any indication of what March will be like I would suggest that you reserve tables early and fill them with your best!

At the January meeting we had four educational displays and a fascinating presentation. Education and sharing of knowledge both on an informal basis at the tables, and in presentations and displays is what makes us different. If this is one of the things you like about OGCA, consider running for Director. See Sherman Kirkland per his article on page 8.

Thank you to David Albert who spoke in January about the many ingenious firearm designs of Eugene Reising. Members and guest enjoyed learning about his work with John Browning on the M1911, the many firearms that bear his name and his designs at H&R. David helped put history into context regarding Reising’s inventions.

The Single Action Shooters Society (Big Irons) built a fine display and brought interesting trade tables full of the Old West guns and collectibles that many OGCA members love.

Members of High Standard Collectors’ Association set up three educational displays at the January show. These included displays of High Standard .22 rifles, OSS silenced pistols, and rare pistols, rifles and shotguns. Many thanks to Jon Miller and Steve Schrott. If you missed the chance to see the .25 caliber prototype in cutaway don’t kick yourself too hard as High Standard Collectors Association may be back next year.

In March, Richard Baird will have an exhibit “Smith & Wesson, the Start of it All.” He is an accomplished displayer and an extremely knowledgeable member. Don’t miss it. The display will be against the wall in the center of the hall.

This brings us to May 30-31, 2020 when several rows will be set aside for educational displays and firearm-book signings. This annual event is one of the best of its kind in the country. However, do not let that stop you from doing a first-time display. You can start small and build on it.  

Take the Northeast Ohio Charter bus to the May meeting and see the Annual Display Show These beautiful buses can hold 56 passengers and we need continued support to off-set the cost for the May 30, 2020 charter to occur. To justify the cost of the bus, it is contingent that 50% of the seats are filled by April 20th.  Click here for the form.

July continues our educational opportunities with ROCS (Ruger Owners & Collectors Society) holding its fantastic Display Show competition. They will be joined by Remington Society of America, and we will again hold a free Ohio Hunter Safety Education Class.

The Winchester Arms Collectors Association will join us September 12-13. We share many common members. If you are a WACA member think about entering their display show competition. I have done it in the recent past and met many interesting people in the process.

2020 is an important election year, please support the OGCA PAC and continue writing letters to your elected officials regarding Second Amendment Freedoms. You will find sample letters at www.ogca.com. Keep up the pressure!

Sincerely,
Fred Kolb
President

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Members Recognition Banquet Sat. May 30th, 2020

Just Announced: Guest Speaker Ian McCollum of “Forgotten Weapons.” Members may click here for banquet ticket order form.  Forms will also be in your Spring newsletter (arrives in February 2020).  First come, first served.  Tickets are limited. 

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Guest Passes $15 Beginning in January / Table Reminders

Guest Passes will be $15 beginning in January 2020. Members may bring up to 4 guests per meeting. Guests are limited to 2 visits per life.  Guest Passes will be on page 11 of the Member's newsletter that will arrive in mid-December 2019.

The Table Application for January 11-12, 2020 and March 14-15, 2020 will be on page 13.   If you are a member and need a copy of a form do not hesitate to contact us anytime at ogca@ogca.com or (330) 467-5733.  (Forms are not posted on the web for security reasons.) Members may reserve tables for up to two shows at a time ($80 per table). Tables may be rented via mail, phone, or in person during a meeting.   "Annual Tables" provides a discounted rate when renting for all 6 meetings January 2020 to November 2020 and must be purchased no later than December 23, 2019. Cost is $420 per table which breaks down to $70 per table x 6 meetings and is a savings of $60 per year, per table.

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Meeting Hours Now Start at 8:30 AM / Save on Lodging Cost with Increased Sat. Set up Time

Sat. and Sun. Meeting Hours now start at 8:30 AM, and tableholder set up hours Sat. and Sun. morning have been extended to better accommodate members who rent tables and potentially avoid the time and cost of a Fri. hotel stay.  Based on the recent Membership Questionnaire it is clear that these minor time changes will make a big impact. There are no changes to the Friday set up time.   Note the Holiday Inn at Roberts Centre still has a strict 2-night minimum (which is beyond OGCA's control) and a list of other hotels can be found on the Shows page.

Meeting Hours Now in Effect Saturday 8:30 am - 5 pm Sunday 8:30 am - 2 pm Set up/Exhibitor Hours Fri. 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm exhibitor Set-up Sat. 7:00 am - 8:30 am exhibitor Set-up Sun. 7:30 am - 8:30 am exhibitor Set-up

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Annual Display Show May 30-31, 2020
Four 1st Place categories! Mark your Calender!

We want YOU for the May 30-31, 2020 Display Show especially since the next one will not be until 2022. If you are considering building a display, 2020 is the year! We anticipate display table space to sell out so request a Display Show Packet today and send in your entry as soon as possible, no later than May 1, 2020.

The first display table is free, each additional table is $40. Each display entry will receive one complementary banquet ticket as well. To obtain a display show packet, including the rules, contact Member Services Coordinator Sandra Schwab at (330) 467-5733 or sschwab@ogca.com. If you have questions regarding displaying you can also call Display Show Chairman Sean McCarter at (614) 395-2919 or stop by in person at table P-21; as well as any other member of the Display Show Committee including Chris Rohal (registration), Rod Kirian I-1, Marty Capito W-14, and Chuck Benton G 3.
 

Great prizes
•First Place Military: Minuteman Freedom Bronze
•First Place Antique: Minuteman Freedom Bronze
•First Place Pre-World War II: Minuteman Freedom Bronze
•First Place Post-World War II: Minuteman Freedom Bronze
•Second Overall: $600
•Third Overall: $400
•The Robert Rubendunst Best Educational Award: $750
•Thomas L. Kyser Best Single Gun Award: $300
•Member’s Choice Award: $750
•Best 1st Time Displayer: $300
•Judges Choice: Antique, Military, Pre-World War II, Post-World War II: $225 Each

Winners of First Place Antique, First Place Military, First Place Pre-World War II and Post-World War II will receive a numbered Minuteman Freedom Bronze (Valued at over $4,000). All other award winners will receive a plaque and cash prize listed above. As a gesture of our appreciation, all who participate will receive a commemorative keepsake.

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Calling all Firearm Book Authors!

Want to promote your firearm book during the May Display Show? Reserve your spot in the
Author’s Corner. For more information contact the Business Office at 330-467-5733 or e-mail Sandra Schwab at
sschwab@ogca.com
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Meet our Talented 2020 Display Show Judges
 

We are excited to introduce our incredibly knowledgeable and diverse judges for the upcoming OGCA Display Show May 30-31, 2020.

With 1.35 million firearm enthusiasts following him on YouTube, many of you recognize Ian McCollum, founder and editor of Forgotten Weapons, a web site and video channel dedicated to archiving and publicizing unusual and interesting firearms. He has been running the site since 2010, and if you haven’t witnessed his high-energy firearm history lessons, just ask your grandkid to Google his program for you!

Mr. McCollum is also a Technical Advisor to the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners, a founding partner in Headstamp Publishing, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Firearms Act Trade and Collectors’ Association. His personal collecting focus is French military rifles, which he has recently written an extensive book, “Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016”. Ian will also be our keynote speaker at the Members’ Recognition Banquet the evening of May 30th. (See page 5 for details and to purchase tickets).
Mr. McCollum travels extensively filming, and he has worked with the Cody Firearms Museum, British National Firearms Centre in Leeds, Dutch Military Museum, Danish Military Museum, Liege Arms Museum, Beretta collection, Heckler & Koch, Institute of Military Technology, and French Gendarmerie Nationale. He lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife and Australian Cattle Dog.

Our next judge is also known world-wide by firearm collectors. She is a member since 2011 and a former Display Show judge. Beverly Haynes started with Colt in 1981, and has spent most of her 37 years there in the Archive Department. Working closely with previous Colt Historians, Marty Huber and Kathleen Hoyt, she has spent years studying and expanding her knowledge of the Colt shipping records. She was promoted to the position of Historian in 2010 and considers it an honor to continue the legacy of providing vital information from the records through the Colt Archive letters. Having been credited in multiple publications for her contributions and assistance in their research efforts, Beverly is committed to her belief that sharing knowledge is key to enjoying and collecting firearms. Sharing her passion for historical firearms has become a way of life for Beverly, and she looks forward to serving the collecting fraternity for many years to come.

Welcome back Display Show judge, author and award-winning displayer Lawrence Wales. Larry is a longtime member and has been collecting firearms for over 40 years. He has been creating displays since the early 1990s, and his outstanding exhibits have ranged from just one special gun to 35 firearms.

Larry has studied Charles Newton and his firearms for 25 years and has written four books about the history and features of Newton rifles. Larry is a life member of the NRA, OGCA, Colorado Gun Collectors Association and the Winchester Arms Collectors Association. Lawrence is a retired veterinarian after 36 years of practice ranging from equine farm practice to sports medicine at thoroughbred race tracks He and his wife of 50 years, Nancy, currently reside in northern lower Michigan.

Like Ian and Beverly, he realizes how much work and dedication goes into each display and understands how important the judging process is to each displayer.
 

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Suggestions For a Great Display

The 2020 OGCA Display Show is coming up fast! It will be held during our May 30-31 Meeting.
We would love to have you display your gun collection even and especially if you have never done it before.

What is the real purpose of having a display show and awards for displays? To provide an interesting and informative experience for our peers, the gun enthusiasts of OGCA. Make your display visually appealing so people just have to stop and check it out!

The point of this article is to provide some displaying advice, especially to those that are not familiar with the OGCA displaying methods. The scoring criteria gives points to things other than guns. OGCA’s scoring is different than a lot of collecting association display shows where the guns displayed are paramount, and the related material and overall presentation not nearly so important. This has been borne out in the past by the fact that displays that have done well in collecting club display competitions, have not done well at OGCA.

The concern I hear the most, in various forms, is that a displayer is disappointed because their display included the greatest whatever, and how could that be overlooked and not given some type of award. The answer is the competition is not just about presenting the greatest gun or most complete collection of a particular model. Great guns and completeness are important, but what usually differentiates the high scores from the lower scores, is the presentation of related items, an orderly display, a display that communicates the story well, and one that followed the requirements of judging.

The Display needs to engage the audience.

A successful display is one that engages people reviewing the display. This begins with a visually interesting presentation. What is interesting:
1. Presentation of firearms so that they can be easily viewed. Generally, with a side view, when viewed from normal standing position. This requires positioning the gun at different angles depending on what level they are displayed at.
2. Use of non-firearm materials such as advertising, period holsters, factory accessories, period ammunition, ect.
3. Non-firearm visual props that make the display engaging.
4. Period photographs of the firearms in use and blowup photographs of special features of the displayed firearms to communicate easily the feature being emphasized.
5. Telling a story that is interesting through the display as a whole.

Present the collection with a diversity of information in a way that is easily understood and appreciated.

A large collection can be presented as an engaging display, by not displaying every gun. This can be accomplished by selecting 8 to 10 common models that represent significant variations in the production of the model. Noting in the descriptions the specifics of the variations available, such as caliber, barrel length ect. In addition, displaying a limited number of special guns to emphasize unique features. Along with these guns present relevant accoutrements, advertising and photographs. A theme that brings the story together is a great benefit as well. 10 to 20 guns well presented is more engaging than 50 guns that are very similar.

To receive a high score on the display, particular attention needs to be given to the judging criteria.

In creating the display, attention needs to be given to the criteria used for judging the displays. This criterion emphasizes the use of additional materials, clear presentation of information, and a visually engaging display, in addition to scoring for the firearms presented.

The judge’s scoring worksheet is provided to you in advance in the Information Packet. Per the article on page 3, there are many benefits of being part of the 2020 Annual Display Show. Take the next step by contacting Member Services Coordinator Sandra Schwab at (330) 467-5733 or sschwab@ogca.com.

- Sean McCarter,
2020 Display Show Chairman

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The judges will use the following criteria in judging the displays:

EDUCATIONAL FACTORS

A. TITLE: Is the title clearly visible and does it reflect the contents of the display? 10 points

B. CONTENTS: Is the display explained with supplementary text in a well-balanced manner (i.e. is it too much to digest or just right?) 20 points

C. LABELING: Are individual items properly and adequately identified? 10 points

D. COLLECTOR IMPORTANCE/HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. 30 points

MATERIAL OF THE DISPLAY (WEAPONS)

A. COMPLETENESS 30 points

B. CONDITION: How does condition compare to material available?
• Have any items been restored? 20 points
• Rarity of items displayed 30 points
• Related items 30 points

GENERAL APPEAL
Are neatness, general appearance, relative skill and creativity evidenced in the presentation of the display? 20 points

Total points available 200

The next display show will be in 2022. So, if you are considering having a display, now is the time.

To obtain a display show packet, including the rules, please contact Member Services Coordinator Sandra Schwab at the Business Office (330) 467-5733 or at sschwab@ogca.com. If you have questions regarding displaying you can also contact Display Show Chairman Sean McCarter via phone (614) 395-2919 and in person at the meeting hall, table P-21; committee member Chris Rohal via phone (440) 223-2725 and in person in the OGCA Registration Room at the hall, as well as any other member of the Display Show Committee including Rod Kirian I-1, Marty Capito W-14, and Chuck Benton G 3-4.

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