On U.S. minting facilities: When the U.S. Mint sent a representative to Anchorage to meet with commission that helped design the Alaska quarter, I suggested that they strike some at the Alaska Mint ( a private mint with which I have no legal connection – we do buy their product). The lady was not amused, and did not take my suggestion seriously. She had no idea how serious I was!

Before leaving for the ANA convention, my boss lamented that he really did not want to go. With the current level of business in his shop, he could make more money staying at home. We left one of our staff back in the office and he called us to say business was like it was back in 1980.

I will comment of Alan Weinberg's statement that no one was buying bullion gold or silver. During the show we got an order from a client and picked up a thousand ounces of silver from SilverTowne. That was not really an ANA transaction. If we had been at home, the same deal could have been arranged through the mail.

On several occasions, I saw characters from Star Wars wandering the floor of the convention center. I suspect they came in for the earlier Comicon convention and lost their transporter rides home. I could see no connection between them and numismatics.

Here are a few more observations I made at the Chicago ANA:

While a relatively minor negative about the show, this was a particular irritant thruout the show: the extremely loud and all-too-frequent public address system which interrupted any form of business transaction or conversation while it blasted. In many decades of ANA attendance, I do not recall the PA system being quite so loud or so obtrusive. I did notice that almost everyone around me, while the PA system blasted, was similarly irritated and had to stop what they were saying or doing.

Heritage proudly exhibited some just- arrived notable auction consignments, some of which literally knocked me for a loop. John Adams - formerly a diehard consignor to Stack's and Bowers & Merena/ANR with his 1794 coppers and his Indian Peace medals, etc - has consigned to Heritage the first segment of his remarkable Betts Early American history medal collection for the January NYC International show- to be catalogued I understand by John Kraljevich according to Heritage's Mark Borckardt, who wisely knows his limitations as this is a very difficult series to catalogue . Certainly an esoteric group of medals but with many great rarities and the forerunner of the rest of Adams' Betts medal collection including his remarkable Comitia Americana medals.

And Denis Loring has consigned most of his 1793 Chain and Wreath cents, a remarkably choice EF and AU grouping (just the way most of us like 'em- lightly circulated but still relatively "affordable"), for Heritage's Jan FUN Orlando auction. Denis is keeping a type set of 1793's but the rest of the coins have been off the market for well over a decade. I've seen them raw "in hand" at an early EAC in Ky - they're now necessarily slabbed (sob!) - and they are notable for their immaculate surfaces and rims.

A man was arrested on Staten Island yesterday for the murder of a coin dealer in Brooklyn, cops said. Cops caught Andrew Jackson, 26, by using fingerprints he left on the car where his victim was beaten to death, said a law enforcement source.

Jackson and two other violent crooks allegedly dragged numismatist Steve Halfon, 61, out of his car near his coin shop on Kings Highway in Gravesend at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday.

They threw Halfon into another vehicle, where they beat him savagely. The vicious gang later dumped an unconscious Halfon about a mile away on East 7th Street near Avenue N in Midwood, less than two blocks from Halfon's home.

Coin dealers are notorious poor promoters. If you own a coin shop drop an email to the city editor of your local newspaper. Mention something newsworthy like you are getting an increasing number of first time coin buyers -- of investment coins, bullion coins of gold and silver.

See how fast the city editor will send a reporter! That's news in this economy.

Here's an exceptionally fine article from Chico Nevada of local coin dealer John Kranz, just published this week. Short article, nice photo, highly readable throughout. Excellent example.