"It is with great disappointment that the FUN board of directors is announcing Summer FUN 2020 is cancelled. The FUN board has worked hard to make this show a reality, desperately wanting to provide a venue for our dealers to get back to what they love and have our numismatic community be able to convene again. However, it has become clear that the "cons" far outweigh the "pros" at this point in time.

"First and foremost is the concern for the health and well-being of our dealers, our service providers and our public attendees. There are currently many concerns and also many unknowns about how things will be in early July. The FUN board voted and approved the purchase of masks and hand sanitizer for our attendees, but was still apprehensive about being able to keep everyone safe with some level of social distancing and other safety measures.

"From Bob Hurst, President of FUN: "Our auction partner, Heritage Auctions, has endorsed this decision and has graciously agreed to transfer the Summer FUN auction consignments to their upcoming official auction of the ANA in Pittsburgh August 3rd-8th."

"From Steve Ivy, C.E.O. of Heritage Auctions: "We understand and fully endorse the decision of the FUN organization. The safety and health of the numismatic community is the first and foremost consideration. Heritage Auctions and its entire staff look forward to the upcoming winter show and auction in January with even more anticipation than normal."

"Our clubs are unable to get their members to commit to attend the show and are canceling their FUN-sponsored club buses. We believe this is a good indicator that the public is not yet comfortable attending a convention.

"If you booked a hotel reservation through FUN's official housing bureau your reservation will automatically be cancelled.

"FUN deeply regrets disappointing many people, but we look forward to better days ahead and a hugely successful show in January 2021. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate these unprecedented situations."

"Due to current social distancing guidelines we are unable to host coin shows. With current news trending toward reopening of the economy soon we will be monitoring guidelines set out by the Florida Department of Health and plan accordingly.

"August 1st is our next scheduled show and it looks like we could potentially be open again but please keep an eye out for email updates from us as the situation is ever changing.

"STAY HEALTHY AND STAY SAFE "

"I have been behind more than my share of major convention bourse tables (ANA, FUN, Long Beach and Baltimore shows) and I cannot recall ever being within 6 feet of an adjoining bourse table holder. On either side or behind. So wider spacing of bourse tables does not appear to be a problem - unless the city or county dictates otherwise in which case the ANA will have to physically demonstrate otherwise to the governing authority.

Much more problematic is the usual 2 to 3 foot spacing between a bourse seller and an interested buyer on either side of the narrow bourse table. No amount of bourse spacing can resolve that issue."

"During the last several months of being home we have reinvented our business. We are now almost exclusively selling direct to collectors. The quality and selection of our offering has grown nearly tenfold. The response has been gratifying and I want to thank everyone who has participated.

"The future of coin conventions is still uncertain. We're not sure if the ANA show will occur. We expect the internet to dominate the coin business for the remainder of 2020. Once we feel things are safe for our staff and their family members we will resume attendance at some shows. Even then I suspect we will start to trim our schedule. Having been home for the last three months I have learned a lot, it's time to evolve and that's what we're doing. "

"NHS nurse David Lowe has made the 'weirdly relevant' find of a 670-year-old coin — minted when the 'Black Death' bubonic plague had struck.

"The amateur metal detectorist stumbled across the 14th-century half groat while searching a farmer's field in Rothbury, Northumberland.

"Mr Lowe, 55, said: 'This nice little coin popped up. To find it, 670 years later during another pandemic, is weirdly relevant. What was happening then is happening now.'"

"Last week as I stopped by my local sushi restaurant to pick up a to-go order, I felt awed by the science fiction nature of the plastic wall the restaurateurs had built to separate us. The waitress opened a transparent pass-through, like the cupboard where you put your sample in the bathroom at the lab, to set down the bagged food. After she closed it, I picked up the bag on my side. Both of us were masked, and the stakes seemed high: It felt like "2001: A Space Odyssey" meets spider roll. As I sat in my car, stunned by the experience, I thought, "I wish I'd taken a picture."

"We're living through history. Just as we pore over photographs and narratives of people in the past, those in the future will be curious about what we're doing right now, sheltered at home or on the front lines. We may have a responsibility to document our experiences, even if just for our own descendants.

"For a larger audience, who better to collect and curate such stories than the folks who have been doing it all along, the historical societies across the nation? Here's a look at a few that are working to preserve today's anecdotal evidence for tomorrow."