Canadian Numismatic Association Convention Report by Thalia (with some help from Dad) Hi, I'm Thalia Elizabeth and I am six years old. I collect coins from 2000, since that is when I was born, coins from 1900 since they are 100 years older than I am, and coins with Queen Elizabeth on them since Elizabeth is my middle name. My dad took me to Niagara Falls last Saturday to a coin convention. We left Mom and my brother Kieran at the Lego Brick City and walked a while in the rain to get there but it was OK. I got a new umbrella to use! The first thing I saw when I got there was a giant Canada dollar coin [probably foam core board-Dad] that I could put my head in and have my picture taken. There was a giant Queen Elizabeth coin too, the two dollar coin. I went over to the Kids' Table and a man gave me a Treasure Hunt form to fill out. Dad helped with the address. The man gave me a list of coins to find and a coupon book to use. We needed to find the dealers that had stickers somewhere on their tables. Then Daddy registered at the grownups table and we started looking for treasure. It wasn't easy! Some of the dealers were really tricky. The first one hid his sticker on his lamp! But then one of the other dealers who had a sticker gave us some hints :secret: and we found some of the other tables with stickers right away. Each time I found a sticker, the dealer took one of the coupons and gave me a coin or something else. There were 14 stickers to find. I got some new Canada coins, some very old Canada cents with King George V and King George VI on them. One of them I needed for my book at home. I even got some Canadian Tire Money-- good thing there was a story with each thing I got. I got a pen from the Royal Canadian Mint so I could check off the items I got. I looked at the exhibits too. There were lots of Queen Elizabeth coins and gold coins and Dad liked the coins with St. George and the Dragon. The dealers even had the Canada money with the Princess Elizabeth on it [the 1935 issue of the 20 dollar note from the Bank of Canada]. We saw four different Princess Elizabeth bills! Wow! One of them cost four thousand dollars! At one table [The Canadian Numismatic Dealers Association] someone gave me two books, one of which was about paper money and the other one about Canadian coins. They were great! Dad said he was really impressed with that. [They were previous year Charlton guides... I was really impressed!-Dad] Even with Dad's help there were three stickers we could not find and even some of the other people at the show and the security guard couldn't remember where they were. So we went downstairs where there was a kids' meeting. Except the meeting was over and instead they were having an auction! We thought that you had to finish the Treasure Hunt but we didn't, they let me play anyway. I got fifty Kid's Auction Dollars when I gave the man at the table my form. Oh, and he was wearing one of the stickers I was missing! No wonder I couldn't find him! I bid on a few things but other kids bid more, at first. But then I won two things: a 1912 Canada dime which is silver, and a group of other dimes from Canada which had three silver ones. I kept two of the auction dollars for a souvenir. Daddy felt a little bad :headbang: because he said that if I finished the Treasure Hunt I would have gotten a prize plus five whole dollars to spend at any dealer I wanted. Not enough to get a gold coin though. But he did buy me a few coins with guess who on them-- Queen Elizabeth. One of them [UK pattern 20 cent Euro, 2003] had Queen Elizabeth on her horse and another one [Cook Islands two cents] had pineapples on the back! That one is a proof coin that Daddy said I would really like. On the way out, Dad took a picture of my with my head sticking out of the Canada dollar and with some of the other coins. He said that you don't see a loon that big every day! We had to get back to Mommy and my brother who went from the Legos to the Niagara Falls Aviary to see the birds, but I can't wait until next year to try the Treasure Hunt again! Maybe it won't be raining either. My dad said he is going to park a little closer to the hotel next time! I give the show two thumbs up :thumb: :thumb: ! Thalia Elizabeth
A word from Dad: The "CoinKids" activities at the CNA Convention were, in a word, spectacular. I've heard of the concept of a Treasure Hunt being used before, but this was quite the amazing version of it. The kids could search for 14 different dealers and each one had something for the kids. It's not only an investment in the coins (which were quite nice, by the way-- among them a tombac nickel, "smokestack" nickel and two BU quarters, the RCMP and the Breast Cancer coin), but in the time it took to put something like this on. The dealers who participated in the hunt were, to a person, incredibly nice, often taking time out from a "real deal" to ensure that the children got their Treasure. One of them even awarded the kids something extra in the form of a UK half penny. The Royal Canadian Mint gave pens out to each child as well. Each of the items--12 coins, one paper money item, and one Canadian Tire item-- came with an explanation. Some of the items came in plastic paper money folders-- a major touch of class. We didn't get to listen in on the CoinKids meeting, since we were trying to get those last three items in the hunt but Thalia did get to play in the auction. The kids' and (parents'!) reactions to the fevered bidding on these items was priceless. "Sold, to the little girl in the green shirt!" gave a certain six year old I know a smile from ear to ear-- and one to the auctioneers as well. The only regret I have-- well, besides Thalia not being able to get the last items she needed-- was that we had a limited time window in which to enjoy the show. The general feeling of kinship and enjoyment of the hobby was apparent everywhere. The 2007 CNA Convention is back in Niagara Falls, and there's no question that we will be back, and we will park a little closer!
How awesome was this. George you brought tears to my eyes reading this. Time like this spent with your daughter, Can't get any better than this. I give you as a dad.. a million Thumbs up.
Thalia It sounds like you had a ton of fun!!!....I'm going to be going to a small coin show later this week and hope to have fun just like you did! Speedy
Hi Thalia, Your mom and dad are very lucky to have you as there daughter, I welcome you :hail: and wish you all the best in this great hobby of ours good luck searching ,for those great coins.
Howdy Thalia - and a great big Welcome to our Forum !! :hail: It sounds like you had a real good time at the coin show, and I'll bet the next one you go to will be even better I sure hope you come back and visit us again and again :hug:
That has to be the sweetest coin show reports I have ever had the pleasure of reading :hug: Thalia good luck with your collecting, you sound like a wonderful young lady and I for one would love to see the photo your Dad took at the end of the show De Orc :kewl:
Thanks everyone! I'm working on the photo... have to recharge the camera battery before I can download the images! Hoping later today if the "day job" permits...
Thalia, that is one of the greatest, most complete, best documented coin show reports I have ever read. You should send that to a coin magazine. Also, welcome to this forum. Either your Dad helped out with that report an awful lot or you are smarter than many, many people on these and other coin forums. Not to long ago I was teaching Chemistry at a Junior college and I wish my students were at least half as intelligent as you sound. Again, welcome to the world of coin collecting.
Carl, Thalia is exceptional at expressing herself-- she really surprises us sometimes-- but not so good at typing. That's where Daddy came in, mostly. A lot of what I typed is what she told Mom and her brother Kieran, who were busy with Legos and exotic birds elsewhere at the Falls, when we got back together later in the afternoon. [Note: I wish I could get Kieran more interested in coins, but such is life. Have to let everyone follow their ambitions. He will most likely be entering a Lego Robotics Team upon the start of the new school year. I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring him...] When the local junior club starts up again, we will send in Thalia's report to their newsletter.
Here are the promised photos (I hope this works!): Thalia playing the part of the bird on the Canada dollar (I realized I'd better not say "loonie" in case that gets taken out of context!) A better picture of our six year old with two other very large "coins".
LOL what great pic and what a wonderful smile It makes my day to see little uns smiling like that. De Orc
