KELLEN HOARD'S 2018 WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY REPORT

One of my favorite numismatic events of the year is the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money held each August. The show took place in Philadelphia this year, and between my own observations and talking with others, it seemed to be excellent convention.

I flew out to Philadelphia on Wednesday, August 15th. The flight was long, but I got there in time to order an Uber and speed to the convention center. Once there, I was able to spend some time in Stack’s Bowers lot viewing, looking at a variety of Pine Tree shillings, Stellas, and the 1913 Liberty Head nickel. From lot viewing I walked over to the Rarities Night auction. The big focus of this auction was, of course, the nickel, and as the lot got closer more and more people filed into the room. Eventually, the fabled lot arrived, and a collective breath was drawn, only for the coin to receive no new bids and sell for the pre-bid of $4.5 million. In the five-minute break following the coin’s sale, the room quickly cleared, and I followed the stream of people out the door and to my hotel.

On Thursday morning, I woke up early so that I could take a historical walk with my mother, E-Sylum editor Wayne Homren, and NBS historian Joel Orosz. We had decided to recreate the walk Thomas Jefferson took on July 11, 1792 to deliver silver to the mint for coining into half dismes. We started where the State Department offices once stood, which was where Jefferson worked at the time. From there we crossed the road to observe the site of Jefferson’s old home, now converted into a parking lot. A short jaunt down the street brought us to a recreation of the home where this same man had written the Declaration of Independence.

From there, we walked north along 7th street to reach the location of the first Philadelphia mint. Now a massive, high-security federal building, it still felt momentous to stand across from the spot where the tiny mint had once stood. Our group continued north to look upon the spot where David Rittenhouse had once lived before we completed the final stretch of our journey to where John Harper’s cellar used to be. The walk was quite fascinating. Joel and Wayne’s commentary throughout the expedition provided excellent historical context, and it was a great kickoff to my trip.

From Harper’s cellar, it was a quick walk to the convention center. Once I reached the bourse, I made my way over to the numismatic literature section. Kolbe & Fanning, Charles Davis, and the Numismatic Bibliomania Society were next to each other. I took up the helm of the NBS table for a little while, before heading down to the NBS symposium at 1. Roger Burdette was the presenter for this year’s symposium, and he gave a great talk on numismatic research, with a focus on the National Archives.

From that talk I immediately walked over to an ANA Money Talk next door, where Q. David Bowers, Steve Hayden, Fred Holabird, Neil Musante, and Jeff Shevlin were doing a panel on tokens and medals. Susan Trask moderated the panel, and I learned a lot throughout the hour they spoke. Afterwards, I made my way over to Heritage Lot Viewing, where I was able to look at the 1792 Washington gold eagle and other pieces. The rest of my day was spent volunteering at the NBS table.

After the show closed for the day, I was able to meet up with Coin Week editor Charles Morgan and Sample Slabs author David Schwager for a captivating conversation. During the meeting, they invited me up to the NLG Bash, which I had never attended before. I decided to see what it was like, and it was an enjoyable experience. The food was delicious, but I heard attendance was lower than it had been in previous years.

On Friday morning, I walked straight to the bourse floor and spent some time among the dealers and volunteering at the NBS table. At 11:30, the NBS held its general meeting, where attendance was good and the benefit auction results were strong. Afterwards, I went out to lunch at the nearby Reading Market with Craig Sholley and Rob Rodriguez. I learned a lot through conversing with both of them, and the food we picked up at Herschel’s East Side Deli was delicious. Then I spent some more time on the bourse floor talking with Shanna Schmidt and various other dealers before meeting up with Len Augsburger and my mother for an Uber to a French restaurant nearby, Bistro La Minette.

Each year, Joel Orosz, Len Augsburger, Wayne Homren, Len’s wife Deb, my mother, and I go out to dinner the Friday night of the convention. The dinner and conversation were as great as always, and it remains one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.

I woke up early again on Saturday morning so that I could attend the ANA Board of Governors meeting. After the session was over, I walked to a nearby USPS to mail off several of the books I had purchased during the convention. From there, my mother and I stopped by the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Mint, Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall before we headed back to the airport and took off for home.

The show was extremely fun to attend, as always. It was great to see many of the people I know but did not mention in this report, such as Young Numismatist of the Year Abby Zechman, ANA Educator Sam Gelberd, Heritage Senior Cataloger Mark Borckardt, and many others. If the ANA show is ever in your area, I highly recommend attending, for it is an extremely enjoyable show.

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web