Every year the ANA sponsors National Coin Week and selects a theme for the promotion of our hobby. This year the celebration is the week of April 20-26, and the theme is Money Makes The World Go Round. The PNNA has a contest among member clubs for the best promotion of NCW. Cash awards are given to the best three clubs that submit a presentation of their promotional event. There is no formal application necessary. Just submit a description of the event to the NCW judge for consideration. Photos are a great way to supplement the application. It is now time to consider what your club may wish to do for NCW! The awards are $100-$75-$50 for the top three club efforts. The annual theme does not have to be part of your effort; if you have an already-established program for promoting coin collecting in your community that does not refer directly to the annual NCW theme, it is still acceptable for consideration. Send a report of your club’s efforts to Larry Rowe, NCW Judge, at PO Box 61621, Vancouver, WA 98666 not later than 31 May.

The PNNA board has made the annual National Coin Week contest among member clubs a permanent program. The awards are $100-$75-$50 for the top three club efforts. The annual theme does not have to be part of your effort; if you have an already-established program for promoting coin collecting in your community that does not refer directly to the annual NCW theme, it is still acceptable for consideration. Send a report of your club’s efforts to Larry Rowe at PO Box 61621, Vancouver, WA 98666 not later than 31 May. In some years, not enough clubs have participated to be able to make three awards. This is pretty easy money, folks – if your club is perpetually short of funds, consider this opportunity to earn some.

Remember that the ANA also gives awards for NCW promotion excellence. If your club belongs to the ANA, submit a report to the Outreach Department to be considered for this award.

The ANA early spring convention exhibit program includes a special exhibit category and award for National Coin Week-suitable exhibits. Among other prizes, the best NCW exhibit earns a scholarship and transportation to the ANA summer seminar. If your club has such an exhibit, and someone will be traveling to the spring convention who can set it up, don’t overlook this opportunity to have it recognized. If the club wins, a club member can use the scholarship. Contact ANA HQ for exhibit rules for the spring conventions. (A club must belong to the ANA in order to compete for the convention exhibit award; non-member clubs can show their exhibits non-competitively.)

Also see the upcoming exhibits page.

Several years ago, PNNA established an annual competition of displays or promotions by member clubs to celebrate National Coin Week. Cash prizes are award for the top three entries. Like convention exhibiting, the NCW program has declined until there was only one entry this year. Are the prizes too small to bother? Is there no interest in this promotion? Your comments would be appreciated.

This year’s winner takes the top award based on their promotion of NCW, not because they are the only entry, but because they had an outstanding program. The theme for the 2007 NCW was “The Presidents Are Coming.” This year’s winner is the Olympia Coin Club of Olympia, Washington, and they will receive a check for $100.00 for their club treasury. They placed a display in the Tumwater branch of the Timberland Regional Library. The attractive display consisted of three trays of presidential coins and medals. There were presidents on current coins, foreign coins, and medals and tokens. The Olympia club also arranged for five AM and FM local radio stations to make public service announcements about NCW. They provided the stations with trivia questions and prizes to award the winners. The club president, Dick Cowley, also had on air interviews on two stations. The PNNA commends The Olympia Coin Club for their excellent promotion of National Coin Week.

ANA Info: The American Numismatic Association and the coin collecting community celebrated the 84th annual National Coin Week April 15-21 with the theme, “The Presidents Are Coming!” a tribute to the U.S. Mint’s new Presidential $1 Coin Program. The ANA has developed several online resources at www.money.org, including a ready-to-print, two-panel exhibit, “The Presidents Are Coming! United States Mint Issues New Presidential Dollar Series." Other online resources include sample press releases, ideas for activities and a National Coin Week flyer that can be tailored for local clubs.

The American Numismatic Association and the coin collecting hobby celebrated National Coin Week April 16-22, 2006 with the theme, “A Penny Saved is History Learned.”

To help collectors encourage people in their communities discover the fun of collecting, ANA has developed materials, including a complete PDF ready-to-print two-case exhibit, “Benjamin Franklin: A Man for All Times.”

“We are excited to offer these innovative resources on-line so collectors can host their own displays,” said ANA Museum Director Tiffanie Bueschel. “All they need to add are their own numismatic materials.”

The full-color exhibit template, posters, a sample press release and proclamation, images and a promotional brochure are all available at www.money.org. Click on “National Coin Week” from the “Numismatic Events” drop-down menu.

There were no winners of the PNNA’s club competition for NCW programs in 2005, because no entries were submitted!!

April 17-23, 2005 was the 82nd annual ANA National Coin Week, a time for individual collectors, clubs and dealers to educate the public about the coin collecting hobby. But, most of all, it’s a time to let the world know that collecting coins can be educational, inexpensive and fun! The National Coin Week theme for 2005 was Explore the World through Money focusing on the stories about coins; the people, places and objects depicted on money; and the many collectors, past and present, who collect and study coins.

2004 National Coin Week Competition by Larry Rowe, NCW Judge

Every year PNNA has a contest whereby member clubs are encouraged to promote National Coin Week in their area to make the public aware of the hobby of numismatics.  PNNA offers cash award prizes of $100, $75 and $50 for first, second and third place winners.

This years theme was “Discover the World of Money.”  As the judge for the PNNA award, I was not able to announce this years winner in time for the last issue of The Nor’wester, and for that I apologize. I regret to report that only one application was received. As a result of this, I needed to determine what place that application deserved, based on the content of the display, and not the fact there was no competition. Having done that, I am happy to announce that the winner for 2004 is the OLYMPIA COIN CLUB, earning first place and $100 for their treasury.

I commend Dick Cowley of O.C.C. for putting together an excellent application package for the contest. It makes it possible for the judge to determine exactly what the club did.

The Olympia Coin Club set up their display at the Tumwater Timberland Regional Library. The subject for their display in line with the national theme was “People, Places and Objects Depicted on Money.”  The display was set up prior to National Coin Week and remained in place until the end of May. The display illustrated a number of different topics about coins, as well as some currency. Some numismatic books were displayed to encourage the viewer seeking additional information.  All in all, a very nice entry!

Congratulations to the Olympia Coin Club!

2003 National Coin Week Competition by Larry Rowe, NCW Judge

The annual competition sponsored by PNNA for National Coin Week brought only two entries again this year.  “Tale of the Coin” was this year’s theme as selected by the American Numismatic Association.  Participating clubs promote the hobby of numismatics in their area according to their best ability.  No specific rules govern, only that what is done is written up and submitted to the PNNA judge.  Monetary awards are given to the top three member clubs who are selected.

First Place ($100) - Olympia Coin Club, Olympia, WA.  The Olympia Club built a display which it exhibited in the Tumwater branch of the Timberland Regional Library from April 14 until May 31, 2003.  The club did an excellent job of describing how “Every Coin Has A Story to Tell.”  A change in leadership, a great victory, a tragic loss, hard economic times, a reaffirmation of a nation’s values are some of the stories a coin has to tell.  There are also stories behind the coin, why it was made and the people, places, or objects it depicts.  Illustrations of the stories on coins were included.

Second Place ($75) - Seattle Numismatic Society, Seattle, WA.  Two members of the club visited McClure Middle School in Seattle and talked to two classes of students about ancient coins and the cultures of the societies that used them.  They spoke on Chinese, Greek and Roman coins.  They answered questions and examined some coins that they brought for display.  They donated some ancient coins and some books to the teachers for use as teaching aids.  The children were very interested and had a good time.

Congratulations to the participating clubs.

2002 National Coin Week Competition by Larry Rowe, NCW Judge

By now all member clubs of PNNA should be aware that they can earn money for their organization by entering the National Coin Week competition. This competition, now a permanent annual event, is sponsored by PNNA to encourage organizations to promote numismatics in their area. There are no rigid rules or requirements. All that needs to be done is to promote the hobby in any way that a club has the means to. The promotion undertaken needs to be written up (photos help) and submitted to the PNNA judge to determine issuance of awards. In 2002 only two entries were received, and following are the results.

First Place ($100) — Olympia Coin Club, Olympia, WA — The Olympia Club placed a display in the Tumwater branch of the Timberland Regional Library. In keeping with the theme of "Faces of Time" the display illustrated how different people were depicted on coins and currency of the world. The display also contained coin trivia questions with illustrated answers. It was an attractive and attention getting display.

Second Place ($75) — University Coin Club, Seattle, WA — The University Club placed their traveling exhibit in a Washington Mutual Bank branch in Federal Way. The display illustrates the many facets of coin collecting and was a popular attraction for bank customers. A club member also delivered a talk on the hobby of collecting at a local Kiwanis club meeting.

Congratulations to the winning clubs for their efforts to promote the hobby.