ANA 2008-2010

ANA Convention – Baltimore, Maryland – July 30 – August 3, 2008

Several PNNA members attended the Baltimore anniversary convention and had a good time, learned a few things, participated in important meetings, and maybe even made some new acquisitions or some important sales! The convention was generally successful, with good (but not overwhelming) bourse activity, a record auction with proceeds exceeding $40 million, and many other activities, such as educational programs and exhibits. According to a report in Numismatic News, dealers gave mixed assessments of the show. “Nobody seemed to have had a bad show, but nobody claimed it was the best show ever, either.” Traffic on the bourse floor was moderate by ANA convention standards, and public attendance was good, but less than for the highly successful 2003 Baltimore convention. High gas prices no doubt contributed to a drop-off in public attendance.

Your editor, Eric Holcomb, participated in the collector exhibits with an exhibit of Medallic Art Company medals commemorating the Apollo space program, and also judged a different class of medals and decorations, which was highlighted by an excellent exhibit of original Ferris Wheel medals, and by an excellent exhibit of Olympic participation medals (OPM’s). (The first Ferris Wheel was built for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and OPM’s are awarded to athletes and certain other participants at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.) There were also a number of “marquee” exhibits, including an amazing exhibit of early U.S. proof coins from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Eric also participated in the ANA Club Representative Program breakfast on Saturday morning. (Eric is editor of MintMark, the quarterly club rep program newsletter.) The ANA board of governors recognizes the importance of the club rep program, and is trying to strengthen the program and improve communications with numismatic clubs and collectors.

ANA National Money Show – Portland, Oregon – March 13-15, 2009

See ANA Conventions and Shows in Portland, Oregon – 1998 to 2015.

ANA Convention – Los Angeles, California – August 5-9, 2009

Report by Larry Gaye.

I always enjoy going to the ANA shows. The Los Angeles ANA was a very different experience for everyone. It was the first show the ANA has charged the general public an admission fee. Numbers were certainly down though I’m convinced it wasn’t the fault of the fee; just the fact that so many locals won’t go to downtown LA. The show was held at the LA Convention Center, an excellent venue especially for those involved in the set up of the convention. A three day Jonas Brother’s engagement at the Staple Center created gaggles of screaming female tweens that had to be negotiated by all.

The visitor/membership sign-in process was totally different from what we all had become used to. Because of the new entry fee, separate lines and kiosks were needed for existing members, newly signed up members, and the general public. For the first time monies had to be collected for admission fees. The whole process was a challenge that the National Volunteers and ANA staff did a masterful job of accomplishing.

While the ANA charged the general public $6.00 per day per person (kids were free) it offered an introductory ANA membership for $18.00 per year. With that membership program there is no printed copy of The Numismatist, only the online version. A special 13th copy of The Numismatist was printed to act as the show directory and program which everyone who attended received. It was an excellent way to showcase what the ANA has to offer collectors. I have kept mine as a collector’s item; I have programs from all ANA shows since 1997.

The weather was great; for gosh sakes, its Southern California! Suzanne and I had one event we signed up for to the La Brea Tar Pits cancelled due to lack of interest, imagine that? So we called a cab and went on our own; it was a fantastic experience. The cabby was a LA Native and gave us a private tour of points of interest on the way to the Pits. We made arrangements for him to pick us up when the park closed and he was right on time and well tipped. We found a really nice restaurant which we visited several times. It featured great Mediterranean style food at reasonable prices, a great wine selection, and a dynamite staff. We felt right at home and turned a lot of folks on to it.

The first photo (below) is a skeleton of a giant ground sloth, one of many pre-historic animals which became trapped in the famous tar pits. The second photo is a wooly mammoth skeleton.

Skeleton of a giant ground sloth
Wooly mammoth skeleton

Numismatically I spent the least I have ever spent at an ANA show. Most of the material was encased in the clatter and clank of slabs and not in my areas of interest. I did pick up some really neat Arab/Byzantine coins for my collection at a great price so I was happy. Much happier than Suzanne in that the first three days of our sojourn at the hotel found the pool closed because some fun seeker decided to “poo” in the pool. This action caused another reaction in that Suzanne was quite pissed at not being able to swim. Again, IT’S SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! Once the pool clouds cleared all was well with the world.

We had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Lee and Joyce Kuntz were the General Chairs for the show and their volunteers did a fantastic job. Downtown LA is a vibrant area rapidly becoming a place where people live, and that is the key to a vibrant community. I can tell you, the numismatic community had a ball. See you in Fort Worth, Texas March 25-27, 2010. I’m planning on eating a lot of Texas BBQ!

ANA Convention – Boston, Massachusetts – August 10-14, 2010

The ANA reports that the 2010 World’s Fair of Money® was one of the most successful ANA shows in recent memory. Incredible exhibits, educational programs and an active bourse floor were enjoyed by 10,204 attendees – a 32 percent increase from 2009.

Report by John and Nancy Wilson, ANA National Volunteers, Ocala, Fla.

The ANA World’s Fair of Money® convention held in Boston, MA, August 10–14 at the Hynes Convention Center, was a stupendous success. The hotels and convention center were all connected (or close by), and many restaurants and shops were only steps away. Our sincere thanks and kudos’ to the local committee chaired by Prue Fitts, along with the Boston Numismatic Society and other host coin clubs along with their volunteers. Thanks also to ANA President Clifford Mishler and the ANA board, along with Executive Director Larry Shepherd and his staff, the national volunteers, exhibitors, judges, educational speakers, official auctioneer Heritage Auctions, the numismatic press and media, show sponsors and patrons, the dealers who took tables, the numismatic publications, the U.S. mint and BEP, along with 16 other world mints, the authentication services, Positive Protection Inc. for outstanding security, the coin clubs who took tables and held meetings, and the many extraordinary special exhibits (like the ANA 10 case Bebee exhibit, early coins and other highlights, Smithsonian, Massachusetts Historical Society, many rare Mexican Coins, great historical documents, Ship of Gold and others), and finally a wonderful banquet!

Like all ANA conventions, this Boston show had something for everyone, whether they were a collector or not. We thank retiring ANA staff member Brenda Bishop for her 30 years of dedicated service to the Association, along with retiring ANA national volunteers, Paul Whitnah, Larry and Kathy Rowe, Dorothy Baber and Vicki Owens. We look forward to seeing you at the NMS in Sacramento, Calif., March 17-19, 2011, and the WFOM in Chicago, Ill., August 16-20, 2011.

Editor’s note: Larry and Kathy Rowe are longtime PNNA members, and have won a number of awards, including the PNNA’s Bob Everett Memorial Award and Nina Nystrom Memorial Goodwill Ambassador Award.

Also see a report and photos by Lisa Loos in the 4th Q 2010 edition of The Nor’wester. You’ll notice that Lisa is a baseball fan!

Lisa Loos at Fenway Park
Fenway Park in Boston