ANA WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY Philadelphia, PA — August 14-18, 2018

Know what’s sad? Watching old guys getting their 50 year ANA member pins and imagining them being excited over their brand new 1968 proof sets. Something’s wrong here.

 

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Holy guacamole! I won one of the prestigious general awards. The Derek Pobjoy Memorial Award for Best Exhibit Featuring a Modern Circulating Commemorative Coin or Coins. Yeah, there is such a thing. Luckily, living in a loft with 25 foot ceilings, wall space I’ve got.

 

Is there a list? I really liked the Byzantine gold and Roosevelt exhibits (of course, I'm a world coin/medals fan). Which exhibits were yours. There were tons of excellent ones and I enjoyed looking at them all. Well, the counterfeit one was disturbing and not fun at all, but extremely useful.

 

I hope to post a list tonight. The general consensus is that both the Byzantine gold and the TR exhibit are serious contenders for the Howland Wood - Best in Show. And that was the consensus of 4 guys standing around who are technically still in the running, myself included.

 

We RAN OUT OF CDN handouts! We were done by 12:30 today. All gone! Attendance exceeded even the most Pollyana-ish predictions. This ANA show has ROCKED! And freebie Saturday is still ahead.

 

For all you bullion bugs, I picked up 4 2018 silver 1oz. pieces. Austrian Philharmonic, Krugerrand, 30-year Canadian overstrike, and Britannica, all 2018. None over $21. I even picked up 3 North Korean coins, NOT silver.

 

The Byzantine gold won the Howland Wood for Best in Show. The Assay Commission medals won People’s Choice.

 

Like a kid in a toy store you are.

 

I was here Thursday and today. It was busy and fun. Spent most of my time with the wholesalers and stocked up on new material. Cherrypicked some neat varieties, and found a few deals and steals! Bought 101 coins!

 

Are goatees optional or mandatory?

 

100% required. Disturbing ‘stashes are sufficient for the women.

 

Dang, and I just waxed my upper lip too. Nice to see my favorite won, I'm a contrarian by nature so that hardly ever happens.

 

I have read many positive reports detailing wonderful experiences at the Show. I certainly will consider attending next year.

 

Yeah that is way sad. A 50 dollar gift card from ANA to use at the show i think might of been more fun. Something to flex at a dealers table.

 

A fine choice. Glad for you

 

Congrats, I may attend soon, got to see what this is all about. I come from the philly area and would expect more people there than anything West of the Mississippi due to history of Coins and Money. How many people out WEST would have family coins pasted down thru the generations vs the East Coast. Just the general feel of history in the NE brings it out in people.
Here, where i am in FLorida, no one talks about it unless they brought it with them from up North.

 

Not sure what you are seeing as being wrong. That they were excited fifty years ago over the new 1968 proof sets? Everyone was. That they have given their dues to the ANA for 50 years? Why, should they have quit? Or that they haven't had the decency to die and so reduce the average age of coin collectors? (Kill off all the old guys an the "average age of coin collectors" would be lower, make the hobby look more young and vibrant and not filled with a bunch of "old white guys". )

 

Show post mortem: Getting ready to head out to 30th St. Station to grab Amtrak’s Keystone, which will take me to within a block of my place. The dealers were ecstatic, both in terms of selling, AND buying quality raw material from attendees (I keep telling you guys this about this region.). The exhibit awards were given to popular recipients, except mine. “Why did HE get THAT?” LOL. The attendance audit is still to come, but it LOOKS LIKE the best attended summer ANA show since not 2012, but 2000!!! Next summer’s is in Rosemont, Illinois near Chicago O’Hare airport and is being held there to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Chicago Coin Club. Late this coming March, the ANA National Money Show is in downtown Pittsburgh at the convention center there. In just a short time, mid-September, the regular PAN show is in Monroeville, PA, out east of town where the Turnpike runs. Oh, also TWO years from now, the summer ANA is ALSO in downtown Pittsburgh. They get shows, and Chicago gets shows because they have the most active clubs to supply the extra labor it takes to put one of these on. And speaking for me, if I never see another CDN Monthly “greysheet” promotional item, it’ll be too soon. My right hand wants to cramp up just thinking about it.

 

No, that a 1968 proof set, which seems like two Thursday’s ago, is 50 years ago now.

 

I attended the Coin Grading, Problem Coins and Conservation class with Brian Silliman Sunday and Monday. Needless to say I learned a ton.
On the floor Tuesday I had a nice conversation with Fred Weinberg. Talk about salt of the earth. A man clearly at the top of his game. At the Whitman both I chatted Q David oBowers. Quite the interesting man. I enjoyed the US Tresuries display of the 1933 Staints.
On the floor I picked up a very nice ‘39 and a ‘40 SLH. I was able to get schooled by David Kahn from David Kahn Rare Coins in Capped Bust Halves. This was by far the busiest show I’ve yet to attend.