If you are among the Coin World subscribers who have cut the umbilical cord and are now totally digital, you are among the vanguard in the numismatic realm. Unlike a daily newspaper that has stopped home delivery of its newsprint edition, Amos Hobby Publishing (Coin World's parent company) is providing a bridge to the future and is inviting subscribers to travel at their own pace.

Coin World's subscribers can remain totally in the paper-print dimension or they can tip-toe into the digital world gradually. Or, they can take the big leap and go totally digital. To each his own.

For numismatic bibliophiles, the future is likely to encompass electronic book devices, also known as e-readers.

Amazon says that already more than 250,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers and magazines can be downloaded. We're not aware of any numismatic titles currently available on Kindle 2. However, as e-readers evolve (as color becomes available and costs decrease - Kindle 2 currently retails for $339), we predict a stampede.

Imagine having your entire numismatic library on an e-reader, being able to take it with you anywhere, and being able to key-word search any of your books within seconds. Such is not wishful thinking. The technology exists. It's only a matter of time before numismatic books and periodicals migrate to e-readers.