Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

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Ronald Sieber
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Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#1 Post by Ronald Sieber »

I was wondering if anyone has been to both the Hershey Swap Meet and the Stoddard one in the same year and would be able to provide a comparison between them?

Thanks in advance,
=rds

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Adam Wright
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#2 Post by Adam Wright »

There are three major east coast swaps every year, Hershey, Stoddard, and Ski Roundtop.
Hershey is in April
Stoddard is in June
Roundtop is in September

They are all different and have their good points and bad points.
Hershey is by far the biggest, but bigger isn't always better. Digging through Cayenne, Boxster, 944 and 924 parts to find a 356 gem isn't much fun. The weather can be unpredictable so every few years the rain is hard and cold. Also, since it is the biggest you get a lot of the pro parts sellers so they tend to be high on pricing.
Stoddard is good because the weather is almost always nice, it's summer. Plus there is a heavy concentration of 356 and early 911/912/914 parts there, which is the stuff most of us are looking for. Prices are good since it is a smaller, more laid back swap. Also, the Stoddard crew is always super friendly and work really hard to put on a good event.
Ski Roundtop is in a beautiful setting, a ski resort, and the weather usually holds since it is just the beginning of fall. Roundtop tries to keep everything pre-1980, so it is all the parts we all want. Also, Roundtop has a way of bringing the guys out of the hills with parts that haven't seen the light of day in years and years. In terms of parts buying, I always fill my trailer at Roundtop. Last year I was so overweight I had to go 50mph the whole way home or the trailer would fishtail.

So basically, they are all a little different, none any better than the other, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Ski Roundtop.
You can see pics of all three on my blog:
https://unobtaniuminc.wordpress.com/?s=swap
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#3 Post by Steve Smith »

+ 1 on what Adam said. BTW is Camo gear a perequisite to entering the Unobtanium booth?

When the weather is nice, quite a number of people drive their P-cars to Hershey, so it ends up being a great, informal car show in addition to the swap. The last two years the weather has been perfect and it seemed like at least a hundred+ Porsches of all variety were in the parking lot, as well as quite a few cars for sale.

Stoddard is much smaller, but has the added benefit that what you don't find in the swap can be purchased from Stoddard and save on shipping.

I wasn't at Ski Roundtop last year, but some of our gang from Cincinnati attended and said they were particularly impressed by the parts they found and the reasonable prices.

You can't go wrong with any of them. I guess it comes down to which one works best with your schedule and drive time.

Let's all hope for good weather at all three!

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Peter Boettcher
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#4 Post by Peter Boettcher »

I would echo Adams comments. Each event has its own distinct features that differentiate it from the others. Our favorite rib joint in the world is near the Stoddard swap which is an added incentive for us to attend.
Ski Roundtop has been building up each year and is my favorite of the three events. Lots of parts and also a very social group in attendance. We found more 356 and 912 parts than at Hershey.
Please stop by B51, B52, and B53 at the upcoming Hershey swap.

356 Regards,
Peter Opa Boettcher
Cincinnati, OH
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Ronald Sieber
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#5 Post by Ronald Sieber »

Thanks to everyone for the comparisons. Camo shorts are very Upstate, btw.
Peter:
OK, your rib joint reference is a teaser. Please disclose the name and address.
Incidentally, my favorite rib place is Buz & Ned's on 1119 N. Boulevard in Richmond (23230) near the AAA Richmond Braves ball park. Right off of I-95. On the same street is a classic motorcycle shop, a classic pinball machine store, and a sports car restoration shop. Really cool street and great ribs!

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Adam Wright
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#6 Post by Adam Wright »

Steve Smith wrote:+ 1 on what Adam said. BTW is Camo gear a perequisite to entering the Unobtanium booth?
You can't see it in the first picture because it was a little cool outside but Big John's camo clothing works well with his "Right to Bare Arms"

He even has a camo Porsche hat!
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#7 Post by Greg Bryan »

That John is light on his feet for such a big guy!
Greg Bryan

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Reinhold Plank
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#8 Post by Reinhold Plank »

Is the there already a date for the 2017 Hershey swap meet ?

Reinhold
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Peter Boettcher
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#9 Post by Peter Boettcher »

We preregistered last year so we could keep our same spots in 2017, and the date will be Saturday, April 15, 2017. Please note that this is Easter weekend which most likely will impact attendance. In 2018, Spring Carlisle will overlap the Hershey event. This is an amazing event. We do Carlisle on Friday and Hershey on Saturday. Be sure your Tetanus shots are up to date!

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Peter Opa Boettcher
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James Davies
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#10 Post by James Davies »

I went to all 3 of them this year. For me, the Hershey was by far the best. I was looking for pre-A parts, and I found lots of great stuff at reasonable prices. I would pick Hershey if I was only going to one in a year. The others were good too in their own way. I found little gems at each one. Always nice catching up with friends at these as well. =)

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Reinhold Plank
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#11 Post by Reinhold Plank »

ok, so it is the 15 th april ? on the official homepage http://cpa-pca.org/events/2016/4-16/swap/index.html i found this:

We’re already working on 2017. The tentative date is April 22, 2017. Once we have the final commitment from HERCO, we will print the date. Save the date and we plan on seeing you again next year.

as i want to combine the trip to visit friends it would be great if someone can me confirm the right date

thank you
Reinhold

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Peter Boettcher
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Re: Hershey Swap Vs. Stoddard

#12 Post by Peter Boettcher »

Hi Reinhold, I checked with my friend who is in charge of the Hershey event and he has confirmed that it will be April 22nd, 2017. This is great, as it will not conflict with Easter weekend and it will also coincides with the Spring Carlisle event which doesnt have much Porsche content, but is one of the biggest car swaps in the US. I will watch for the formal date announcement which should be coming soon.

356 Regards,

Peter Opa Boettcher
Peter Boettcher

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