The ANA’s World’s Fair of Money is probably the largest (at least in size) show each year, and one I greatly anticipate since it means I get to buy some amazing coins to buy for both inventory and my personal collection, I usually sell quite a bit of inventory, I get to visit a new and interesting city and experience their culture and local food, and I get to see/meet some amazing coin people. As a result this report is going to be quite photo packed so I will post it in segments. Sunday – I had a nice direct flight from LAX to Philly, so my sweet hubby dropped me off at the airport early Sunday morning. After I checked my bag, I headed through security, but as often is the case, they wanted to do extra screening on my carry-on bags so I asked for a private room and they directed me to this tiny room with two TSA officers, who were both very nice and respectful. They did their usual search through both my carry-on bags which were, of course, full of coins, along with swiping the inside of my bag with their special little wand that detects drug and/or bomb residue. However, apparently the swab they used for my slabbed coins set off their security alarm and they brought in the supervisor to tell me I would need “additional” screening. I was a little concerned because I didn’t know what to expect. I was curious as to what alarm was set off but the supervisor said that was confidential and I was not allowed to know. I asked if they knew, and he said they did, but they couldn’t tell me. They then proceeded to perform a rather thorough body pat down (I was a little disappointed that they wouldn’t grant my request for a male to do this – (wink)) and they also did another more through search of my 6 double row boxes of slabs. Even though I usually arrived at airports 2 hours early, this was taking quite a bit of time and I was beginning to get a little nervous that I would miss my flight. Luckily, however, the second test proved negative, and I was free to continue to my gate. I still have no clue as to what would have set off their alarm. Shortly after I got to my gate I found out that, due to the big thunder and lightning storm on the east coast, all flights to the east coast were delayed, including mine. The board said my flight would leave about an hour later, so I decided to go get my usual preflight beverage – this time I chose an Irish coffee. A little while later I went back to my gate and found it deserted! The flight ended up boarding pretty much on time, but I hadn’t heard the announcement. The gate agent said they were just about to make an announcement at the restaurant because there were several people still missing. I’ve never Flown Virgin America before and was curious to see what kind of airline it would be, what amenities they offered, and how good their service was. Although it was expensive ($129), since it was a 5-hour flight I decided to upgrade to the level just below first class so I could have priority boarding which would ensure I would have adequate overhead space for my bag, plus it included my checked bag fee, all food, beverages, wi-fi, movies and extra leg room. I felt that it was well worth the extra fee! So I found my seat, sat back, ordered some wine, watched a movie, then took a nap. When we got to the Philly area, we had to circle around a short while to wait for the storm to pass over before we landed. We then had to wait on the tarmack for about ½ hour while they moved all the planes in and out of the gates. This was just an interesting sculpture I saw at the airport A shot of the city on my way to my hotel I ended up at the small bar at the hotel and had my very first Philly Cheesesteak sandwich (I prefer them with only meat and cheese, no onions or peppers. It was very yummy! Monday – I went over to the pre-show, dropped my coins off at Rick Snow’s table, and wandered around to see what I could find. I ended up finding lots of great coins for my inventory, as well as a Two Cent proof in a DOILY HOLDER (from CRO) which I’ll keep in my own collection and a couple very cool Wiener Cathedral medals! Then I wondered around the Reading market across the street, bought another Philly cheesesteak sandwich, I even found a cute little winery and ran into our new ANA President, Jeff Shevlin. I did a little wine tasting, and bought one of their tasty Pennsylvania wines. Then I headed back to the show for set up time. After everything was all ready to go, I opened up that Pennsylvania wine, sat down and enjoyed a glass or two, then wantdered around to take some pictures. After set up was over, Rick invited me to attend the PNG reception/dinner at Davia’s Restaurant. I was able to meet and chat with some very notable numismatists, including the incredible David Bowers! The reception was held in the penthouse which had a great view of the city
As always, terrific photos. IT's official, Charmy is a Wine'o !! Dave looks like he is showing his age some. He is a great guy and a pleasure to speak with.
