The ANA National Money Show™ was held March 13-15, 2009 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon! The local host clubs were the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association and the Willamette Coin Club, with the Salem Numismatic Society as an honorary host club. We had a great event!!

ANA Governor Walt Ostromecki – I want to again express my thanks to the PNNA, Willamette Coin Club and Salem Numismatic Society for hosting a simply fantastic and successful ANA National Money Show. The entire committee and volunteer core were very friendly, zealous and dedicated. Kudos to all!

I do hope the ANA will consider the Portland venue in the future. Again, thanks for all your volunteer hours and hard work. I know the numismatic press will play up the show as one of the top, if not the most outstanding ANA National Money Shows in many years. I am honored and proud to be a longtime PNNA member!

Looking forward to seeing you all again in a few weeks at the Tukwila PNNA convention.

PNNA officer Del Cushing – I wish to extend my congrats to all who were instrumental in putting together what I believe was a highly successful convention. The organizations did the Northwest proud again. I know that the amount of interest by the Junior set surprised the ANA staff as they were not prepared for the number of future collectors to come through for the Treasure Trivia. It was heartening to see that much interest as THEY ARE the future of the hobby.

John and Nancy Wilson (Letter to the Portland chairmen, workers, and host coin clubs) – Thank you Portland! The ANA National Money Show recently concluded in Portland was a huge success. We grade all aspects of this convention MS70. We want to thank and congratulate the following for a “job well done.” General Chairman Scott Loos, his local Committee and workers; the host coin clubs; ANA Exec. Dir. Larry Shepherd along with Meeting Services Manager Brenda Bishop and all their staff; the ANA National Volunteers, Bowers & Merena Auctions, the exhibitors, judges & speakers; Scout Clinic coordinators; the BEP, U.S. Mint & Post Office; public relations (publicity), security, coin publications; the thousands of visitors who attended and the hundreds of great coin dealers who had tables at the show.  Without the dealers, we wouldn’t have coin conventions. Wow, what an outstanding coin convention! Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the success of this show. We look forward to the summer ANA Convention in Los Angeles, CA on August 5 – 9th. – John and Nancy Wilson, Ocala, FL. [John is a past ANA President.]

Alan Weinberg (as reported in The E-Sylum) – I usually do not attend the Spring ANA shows as they're too often in obscure places without a large collector base within a few hours driving distance. But the Portland summer ANA about 10 years ago was a humdinger, surprising many naysayers at the time. And it was a mere $214 flight from LAX - so why not?

Well, the show was fabulous - particularly in view of the modest expectations of many - with one of the heaviest public attendances I've ever seen at any ANA or for that matter any coin show. Hoards of people and not just "lookie-loos," both on Friday and Saturday. A light drizzle in Portland helped the attendance and the bourse was a sell-out. You never saw so many people at a collectibles show - you had to turn sideways at times, return to a bourse table or exhibit later, due to crowds!

I roamed the bourse floor constantly and did not hear a single negative or mediocre comment. I did hear that the public was not spending big money and many were buying modern material or bullion-based coins. But I do know a beautiful and mark-free Wass-Molitor $50 changed hands on the floor, going to a prominent collector/dealer for his own collection at $65K. I examined the coin - very atypical for this always bruised and marked up gold piece.

CoinRaritiesOnline (Dave Wnuck/John Agre) commented that they were quite surprised to have a very active show with numerous mid-range coins selling. I know that collector/dealer Bill McKivor of The Copper Corner had one heck of a show with the most fascinating and diverse atypical numismatic material I can recall seeing at a bourse table. His table was a constant "beehive" of real collectors with many buying sizable quantities of tokens and medals. John Kraljevich's table was at times so busy you couldn't find a space to squeeze into. Even with the economy in the doldrums, people were spending money and were clearly fascinated by the material on the bourse floor and in the exhibits. There was a significant juvenile attendance too.

The exhibits were quite impressive with Jerry Bobbe's single case exhibit of Spence Conders in red and red-brown prooflike gems eliciting an involuntary "Oh my gosh!" as I walked up to it. Among the exhibits were a genuine 1804 dollar, a Gem Unc 1849 Oregon $10 gold, and two 1913 nickels. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing had a separate huge exhibit which was a hit with high attendance.

I examined at length the new 2009 hi-relief double-thick $20 (three of them) - just slabbed MS69 and 70. Ya know what?- there was a discernible difference in quality between the 69 and 70.

Dave Wnuck loaned me his just-released Whitman-published Dave Bowers Colonial Coin Encyclopedia. Real eye and mind "candy" although I thought it needed a sturdier binding given its projected heavy use by collectors. But a beautiful book and the numerous plates...!

The Oregon show staff that put together the show did a tremendous job all around. I know some of them and know them to be serious collectors. Bravo! I went home late Saturday, feeling fulfilled, happy and assured of a healthy continuance for our hobby, regardless of the economy. Years ago, I'd heard the Northwest had a solid core of collectors. Must be true!

Left: The Oregon Historical Society exhibit (see below).
Left Center: View of the Collector Gallery near the entrance to the convention hall.
Right Center: The Olsen specimen of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, as featured on "Hawaii Five-O."
Right: The Linderman/DuPont 1804 Dollar and the McDermott/Bebee specimen of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel.

• The Oregon Historical Society had a special marquee exhibit of the “Portland Penny” and the gold “Beaver” coins and dies. (See News from ANA Money Mail e-newsletter below for more information.)

• There was a special award for the best Collector Gallery exhibit with an “Oregon 150th Anniversary” theme. Several exhibits were entered into competition for this award, and several exhibits were also entered by PNNA members.

• One exhibit entered by a PNNA member featured a set of very rare Ludwig Gies cast art medals from "The Great War" (World War I). This exhibit won "Best of Show." Congratulations!

• Information about exhibiting at future events can be found on the ANA website and the PNNA exhibit page.

• SOLD OUT! A very special convention medal was produced with a design inspired by the Willamette Coin Club logo and the Oregon Trail (see below). The medals were first offered for sale at the October 2008 Portland convention, and were sold out by Sunday morning (March 15) at the ANA show.

• Scout (Boy and Girl Scout) Numismatic Workshops.

• Exhibits at this year's National Money Show are the strongest in spring show history and headlined by the Linderman/duPont specimen 1804 dollar. This marks the first display of the coin outside the ANA Money Museum since its recovery 16 years ago. Other marquee exhibits include McDermott/Bebee 1913 Liberty Head nickel (one of five known) and the famous "Portland Penny," flipped in 1845 to determine whether the host city would be called Portland or Boston. For more info on the "Portland Penny," see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Penny.

• Education takes the spotlight in Portland -- pre-convention seminars included "Coin Conservation, Authentication & Grading," held March 10-12. Free workshops included "Estate Planning for Numismatists," "Coin Collecting Basics" and "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Buying & Selling at Auction … But Were Afraid to Ask."

• The Official Auction of the National Money Show was hosted by Bowers & Merena Auctions, and featured several top-line rarities. For more info and prices realized, please visit www.bowersandmerena.com.

Do you aspire to be an ANA Exhibits Judge? The National Money Show in Portland offered an opportunity to achieve that goal. Chief Judge Sam Deep conducted a Judge's Certification Class on Friday, March 13, 10:30 AM to Noon. Participants demonstrated their judging skills on the exhibits in Portland. The next opportunity was at the Worlds Fair of Money® in Los Angeles.

As General Chairman for the convention and on behalf of the host clubs (Willamette Coin Club, PNNA, Salem Numismatic Society), I would like to invite each and every one of you to attend this event and everything it has to offer. Here are some of the highlights:

• Pre-convention seminars are available on topics such as Coin Conservation, Authentication and Grading; Advanced Morgan Dollar Study; and Collecting Coins of the World, 1500-Present. Pre-registration required - please visit the ANA website at www.money.org for seminar days and pricing.

• Convention Workshops: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Buying and Selling at Auction ... But Were Afraid to Ask; Estate Planning for Numismatists; Coin Collecting Basics; and Coin Collecting 101. These free workshops are held during convention hours (pre-registration requested).

• Shop at the sold-out bourse that will feature over 300 dealer tables and visit the U.S. Mint and BEP booths.

• View the many exhibits that will be featured in the Collector's Gallery exhibit area. We are proud to announce the participation of the Oregon Historical Society and their exhibit featuring the original beaver dies and “Portland penny.” How about exhibiting part of your collection?

• Relax and learn in the many Numismatic Theatre presentations that will be run all three days of the show. These presentations will feature many nationally recognized speakers sharing their knowledge in their areas of interest.

• Consider picking up one of the convention medals or sets. The medal commemorates the 150th anniversary of Oregon statehood and features the Oregon Trail design. The cost of the medals is as follows: Two-medal set $50.00, silver $35.00, bronze $10.00. Sets come in a beautiful box commemorating the event. {All medals and sets are sold out.}

• The show will also feature a coining demonstration that will show you minting technology from ancient hot stamped coinage to hand-hammered and screw press striking.

• Any scouts in the family? They can earn their collecting merit badge in the Boy and Girl Scout clinics on Saturday. (Also see Scouting Co-Chair James Reinders’ website at http://collect3.com/ for information about upcoming scout workshops and the actual requirements for the scouts to complete.)

You get the picture ... there will be something at the convention that will appeal to every member of your collecting family. The convention committee has been working hard for the past several months to bring you a great show ... please look for more show information at the ANA website ( www.money.org ) and the PNNA website. If you have any questions on the convention, please contact me: Scott Loos, Convention General Chairman, PO Box 2210, North Bend, WA 98045, phone 425-831-8789, E-mail: scottloos@msn.com.