Past NCW Contest Summaries & Club Award Winners
All winning clubs receive cash prizes from the PNNA. Currently the annual prizes are $100 (1st), $75 (2nd) and $50 (3rd).
Judges: Larry Rowe (2002-2008), Danny Bisgaard (2009-present).
Dates: April 16-22, 2023. (100th annual)
Theme: Our Money, Our Heritage, Our America.
Winners: No entries submitted.
Please considering entering your club in 2024! We haven’t had a winner since 2019.
Dates: April 17-23, 2022. (99th annual)
Theme: Dynamic Designs, Artistic Masterpieces.
Winners: No entries submitted.
Dates: April 18-24, 2021. (98th annual)
Theme: Money, Big & BOLD, inspired by the celebration of the Morgan, Peace and Eisenhower dollars.
Winners: No entries submitted.
Dates: April 19-25, 2020. (97th annual)
Theme: Remarkable Women: Catalysts of Change.
Winners: No entries due to virus-related restrictions on club meetings and activities.
Dates: April 21-27, 2019. (96th annual)
Theme: Discover the Past, Envision the Future.
Winners: Olympia Coin Club (1st Place), Cowlitz Coin Club (2nd Place). Olympia returned to dominance again this year!
Dates: April 15-21, 2018. (95th annual)
Theme: Connecting Cultures: From Many, One.
Winners: Cowlitz Coin Club (1st Place), Olympia Coin Club (2nd Place), Coeur d’Alene Coin Club (3rd Place). Cowlitz unseated Olympia this year, with Coeur d’Alene joining the competition for the first time, and finishing third. Things are getting more competitive!
Dates: April 16-22, 2017. (94th annual)
Theme: Conflict and Courage: Money and the Military, commemorating the 100th anniversary of United States involvement in World War I.
Winners: Olympia Coin Club (1st Place). See 3Q 2017 Nor’wester. The Olympia Coin Club won again, as it does just about every year!
Dates: April 17-23, 2016. (93rd annual)
Theme: Portraits of Liberty: Icon of Freedom, commemorating the centennial of the iconic Liberty designs introduced on U.S. silver coinage in 1916.
Winners: Olympia Coin Club (1st Place), Cowlitz Coin Club (2nd Place). See 3Q 2016 Nor’wester.
Dates: April 19-25, 2015. (92nd annual)
Theme: Building Tomorrows: Inspiration and Innovation at World’s Fairs, commemorating the centennial of the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club. See 3Q 2015 Nor’wester.
Dates: April 20-26, 2014. (91st annual)
Theme: Coin & Country: Celebrating Civic Service, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Half Dollar.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club. See 3Q 2014 Nor’wester.
Photo: Dennis Reed (right) accepted the PNNA’s National Coin Week award on behalf of the Olympia Coin Club. Presenting the award on May 3 at the annual PNNA convention is PNNA President Danny Bisgaard (left).
The Olympia Coin Club continues to dominate the PNNA’s annual National Coin Week award, winning the award for the 11th time in 13 years. In fact, no other club has ever placed first!
Dates: April 21-27, 2013. (90th annual)
Theme: Buffalo Nickel Centennial: Black Diamond Shines Again.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club. See 4Q 2013 Nor’wester.
As noted by the ANA, “A century ago, the United States Mint was preparing to release what would become one of the country’s best-loved coin designs. A North American bison named Black Diamond likely served as the model for the coin’s iconic reverse.”
Photo: Rick Schulz (left) accepts the award from PNNA President Danny Bisgaard (right) on behalf of the Olympia Coin Club, at the PNNA board meeting on July 27, 2013.
The Olympia Coin Club continues to dominate the PNNA’s annual National Coin Week award, winning the award for the 10th time in 12 years. In fact, no other club has ever placed first!
Dates: April 15-21, 2012. (89th annual)
Theme: Change in Money: Cowries to Credit Cards.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club. See 3Q 2012 Nor’wester for the full report.
To quote the ANA, “Money has gone through some amazing changes in history – we exchanged cowrey shells for goods and services thousands of years ago, today we swipe a plastic card or use PayPal. From the first coins and paper money to the steam coin press and polymer notes, the transformation of money is a fascinating journey.”
Dates: April 17-23, 2011. (88th annual)
Theme: Blue, Gray and Greenbacks.
Winner: (no entries submitted).
Dates: April 18-24, 2010. (87th annual)
Theme: Beautiful Places: Landmarks and Mintmarks.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
Once again, only one entry for this contest and it was submitted by the Olympia Coin Club. They had a new location for their display at Tumwater High School. Only printed materials were used this year because of the unavailability of locking cabinets. The display was put up on Friday April 16th and taken down April 26th.
The pictures in the display were of Mt. Rushmore and a series of slides that discuss landmarks, mintmarks and the national park series. In addition, members of the club donated numismatic publications to the Tumwater High School Library. The display was in keeping with the National Coin Week theme “Beautiful Places: Landmarks and Mintmarks.” (The theme was chosen by a panel of ANA staff and club members and celebrates the many landmarks and scenic places that have inspired coin designs.)
Public service announcement were run on the two most popular radio stations during the week. Each station was provided prizes for callers that responded to the announcements. Each prize contained a set of silver plated, gold plated and regular quarters for either 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 or 2004.
Dates: April 19-25, 2009. (86th annual)
Theme: Lincoln’s Legacy: A Nation United.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent.
We asked for more clubs to participate this year but only one did. Olympia Coin Club, once again, wins this year’s National Coin Week award – a monetary contribution from the PNNA to the Olympia Coin Club.
Dates: April 20-26, 2008. (85th annual)
Theme: Money Makes the World Go Round.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
Again, this year there was only one entry. Olympia Coin Club of Olympia, WA is this year’s winner. The judge has determined that OCC is worthy of first place based on the display and the exposure to the public. The club followed the ANA theme of “Money Makes the World Go Round” with samples of money from around the world. They gave examples of how money developed from the barter system, how it provides the world with its needs, and displayed ancient and modern money (both coins and currency) from nations of the world. The display was done in an organized and easy to follow format. The OCC display was set up in the Tumwater branch of the Timberland Regional Library where it was viewed by hundreds of people. Congratulations to the Olympia Coin Club on another great display. OCC will deposit $100 into their club account.
Dates: April 15-21, 2007. (84th annual)
Theme: The Presidents Are Coming! (A tribute to the U.S. Mint’s new Presidential $1 Coin Program.)
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
This year’s winner (and only entry) takes the top award based on their promotion of NCW, not because they are the only entry, but because they had an outstanding program. This year’s winner is the Olympia Coin Club of Olympia, Washington, and they will receive a check for $100 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 NCW promotion.
Dates: April 16-22, 2006. (83rd annual)
Theme: A Penny Saved is History Learned, based on Benjamin Franklin’s “A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.”
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
This year’s winner again was the Olympia Coin Club of Olympia, WA. They will deposit $100 into their account. Their entry deserved first place for their promotion. They made an attractive eye-catching display which was placed in the Tumwater branch of the Timberland Regional Library. They also had a local radio station make public service announcements about NCW, providing the station with trivia questions and prizes they can award winners. The Olympia club also gives presentations at local elementary schools. Congratulations, Olympia!
Dates: April 17-23, 2005. (82nd annual)
Theme: Explore the World through Money.
Winner: (no entries submitted).
This 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 NCW theme for 2005 focused 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.
Dates: April 18-24, 2004. (81st annual)
Theme: Discover the World of Money.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
Judge Larry Rowe reported that only one application was received. As a result, he 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, he announced that the winner for 2004 is the Olympia Coin Club, earning first place and $100 for its 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!
Dates: April 20-26, 2003. (80th annual)
Theme: Tale of the Coin.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
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.
Dates: April 2002. (79th annual)
Theme: Faces of Time.
Winner: Olympia Coin Club.
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.