KELLEN HOARD'S 2017 DENVER ANA DIARY

The ANA World’s Fair of Money is one of the most well-known events in numismatics. Each August, hobbyists from around the world meet up to talk, learn, buy, and sell everything numismatic. I had the good fortune of attending this year’s show in Denver, and as always it was a highlight of my numismatic year.

Wednesday
I started my journey at the Sea-Teac airport on Wednesday, August 2. An approximately three-hour flight found me in Denver. Instead of a taxi, it was deemed more economical to take a train. Upon arrival at Union Station, free mall buses were utilized for transportation to my destination: the Holiday Inn Express. It was here that my mother and I (she was accompanying me on this vacation) were to stay for the rest of the convention. By the time we arrived in Denver it was too late to attend the convention. Fortunately, it was still possible to attend the Heritage Auctions Platinum Night. Some major rarities were up for auction, such as a 1792 half disme and a 1943 copper cent. Even though I was unable to stay the entire time, I got the most important thing: the auction catalog!

Thursday
On Thursday, I hit the bourse at 9:30 sharp. I spent about half an hour speaking to various people including John Kraljevich and David Lange. In my wanderings, I was also able to acquire a few sample slabs from both PCGS and NGC. At 10:00 I quickly made my way to a Money Talk by David Finkelstein on 1794 dollars. The talk was fascinating, informative, and consisted of good reasoning. I shall be interested to see where his research continues in the future. Another note: the distance between the bourse and Money Talks was long. I am sure many numismatists got some serious leg exercise! After the talk, I made my way back to the bourse. My mother met up with me and we explored the exhibits and the U.S. Mint section. While she is not a numismatist, she likes the history.

My mother left and I decided to complete the ANA’s Treasure Trivia. If any of you know any YN or child attending an ANA convention, I highly recommend suggesting this excellent program. Through the program, I have learned many pieces of useful, interesting, and engaging information. By the time I had finished, the Numismatic Bibliomania Society Symposium was about to begin. Another long walk took me to Room 407. The symposium consisted of a talk by Neil Musante about his two-volume book set Medallic Washington. He mainly described the story and process behind creating the book. A favorite among the audience was his examination of George Washington’s descendants. Ultimately, all I can say is that I am now starting to save up for his books and you should be as well.

After the meeting, I walked with Joel Orosz back to the floor, and we ran into Scott Rubin. The three of us talked about a variety of topics including Armand Champa and the Money Tree until it was time for the book signing of 1792: Birth of a Nation’s Coinage. Unbeknownst to us, it was set to win the NLG Book of the Year award that night. After I got my copy of the book signed, I stopped by Charles Davis’ table. My pick-ups consisted of a copy of Penny Whimsy and a third edition of Overton’s Early Half Dollar Die Varieties. Upon acquiring these I exited the convention and walked back to my hotel room. Quickly, I unloaded my new purchases and ate dinner at a Thai food stand – that had run out of noodles! Soon, I was back to the convention center for the sample slab collector second annual meeting. Here, six of us discussed everything from new purchases to ideas for maintaining relevant information on sample prices and varieties.

Friday
My first event of the day was the EAC General Meeting. While coppers are not one of my main specialties, there is a lot to learn from the people involved. Just a few of the big names present were Denis Loring, Charles Morgan, and Rob Rodriguez. After general EAC business, the conversation evolved into a discussion on the future of the hobby, specifically the impact of social media and the internet. Various obstacles to overcome were presented. Foremost among them seemed to be teaching the older generation more about utilizing technology. I hope to write an article further detailing the discussion soon.

After the meeting was over I talked some more with various members of the club individually. Eventually, I was able to spend some serious time on the bourse. At 11:30, it was time for the Numismatic Bibliomania Society general meeting. Many notable numismatists were there, and I finally had an opportunity to meet the illustrious John Adams. Incoming President Tom Harrison started off the meeting. Len Augsburger followed up with the financial details. Next, our editor gave an informative presentation on the making of The E-Sylum. Finally, the NBS Benefit Auction took place. With David Fanning as the auctioneer, all the lots sold and raised some more money for 2018.

After exiting the get-together, I ended up speaking to Douglas Mudd, the ANA curator, for a while. Directly afterwards, I met Roger Burdette at the Whitman booth. I had done some transcription work for him, and it was an honor to speak with him in person. At 2:00, I headed to Room 501 for a Money Talk by Joel Orosz and Len Augsburger (with additional commentary from Pete Smith) on the coinage of 1792. I thought their presentation was well-done and engaging, to say the least. Afterwards, I finished working my way through the dealers on the bourse. It was then time for my return to the hotel.

At 6:30 PM, my mother and I arrived at Bistro Vendome, a rather fancy French restaurant. Inside we met up with Len Augsburger, and soon were joined by Len’s wife Debra Kurtz, Joel Orosz, and Wayne Homren. Dinner was delicious, and the topics of conversation were entertaining. This was by far the most enjoyable part of my convention.

Saturday
As I had no plans, my mother and I walked around the bourse floor finishing things up. I picked up the final PCGS signed promotional slab, and we both went to view which exhibits had won awards. My mother discovered that the exhibit she had voted for People’s Choice was the second runner-up and was rather proud of herself. After mailing off some catalogs I had bought, we left the convention center and took a bus to Union station after a fast lunch at a local café. The train ride was uneventful, as was the airplane flight.

If the World’s Fair of Money is ever located near you, I highly recommend attending. If you are an ANA member, admission is free. If not, access can be gained for a nominal fee or for free on Saturdays. The numismatic world awaits inside!

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web