This year’s annual ANA World’s Fair of Money is perhaps one of the most memorable coin shows I have ever attended. Every show is special in its own way but this one was the first one in which I was a Money Talks presenter.

The annual ANA World’s Fair of Money is a wonderful opportunity for advanced and novice collectors alike to locate those hard to find coins for their collections. For some it is a rare opportunity to roam a large bourse floor filled with dealers from across the country selling every type and category of coins. Literally, there is something there for everyone and more importantly every budget. I ended up buying a PCGS MS-62 1859 Indian Head Cent for my type collection. I also bought a new 10x loupe and a Kennedy half-dollar Christmas tree ornament from the United States Mint. (I kindly ask the collecting purists out there to not throw their shoes at me for that one, lol).

The annual ANA World’s Fair of Money is a wonderful opportunity to view million-dollar coins you would not otherwise see. Among the many coins I saw was an 1804 silver dollar, an 1854-S half-eagle, and two 1913 Liberty Head nickels. The thrill of viewing these coins never gets old. What kind of made me sad about the 1854-S half eagle is that the new owner cracked it out of its original NGC holder to a PCGS holder. The kicker in all this was that the grade remained the same. I don't know why but I was disappointed to hear this, at any rate on with the blog.

I usually take my wife with me to these shows. When I point out the million-dollar coins she has a hard time believing they are worth that much. This is when I impress her with my vast numismatic knowledge (YEAH RIGHT). For instance, I had the pleasure of telling her the 1854-S half-eagle is only one of four known. More often than not she responds with the single word, “WOW.” (Wife impressed; hubby points earned, ya gotta love it)!

The annual ANA World’s Fair of Money is a wonderful opportunity to learn new things. My wife and I always enjoy viewing the competitive displays. This year as a bonus for submitting a people’s choice ballot each submitter received a 2019 copper-nickel proof set! I enthusiastically told the guy who gave me my ballot that this was a pretty good deal! He agreed! At every show I ever attended I have gladly cast my ballot for the people’s choice display. However, never before have I gotten something for doing what I am always glad to do.

Now I must sadly confess that my first Money Talks presentation is the one in which I was the presenter. What a wonderful experience it is to share what I have learned in numismatics with others. Now I see that this is something I want to do again …and something I will have to attend as a member of the audience. For being a presenter, I was given a certificate by the ANA and a medal from the Chicago Coin Club with my name engraved on it. There is much more I want to say about this experience but it will have to wait for a future post. Stay tuned, its coming.

The annual ANA World’s Fair of Money is a wonderful opportunity to get reacquainted with old friends …and to meet new ones. To me this is one of the best aspects of being involved with this hobby. There is nothing like hanging with like-minded enthusiasts to talk nothing but coins for hours on end. No one in my close circle of family and friends collects coins and to tell the truth it gets kind of lonely. This is why a local coin club is so important to connect with others of like mind.

When we arrived at the show, we met up with a dealer friend of mine and another collector who is a common friend to us both. (Actually, these two guys were friends before I met them). BTW this is the dealer who found me the 1859 Indian Head Cent I bought at the show. Since our common friend is a local resident, he took us out for an original Chicago deep dish pizza. None of those fake wannabe deep dish pizza places, but the real deal. You know, there is nothing like talking coins over a genuine deep dish pizza!

Our second day at the show was the day of my Money Talks presentation. At the presentation I met with a collector friend I know from Houston. It is always refreshing and enjoyable to see people you don’t often see and very good to have him in my audience. Also, in my audience cheering me on was a couple from my local coin club. Because of my proximity to Chicago my club chartered a bus to the show, many of which I also saw roaming the bourse floor.

Many of my numismatic friends are sight unseen and people I only know because I regularly blog at the ANA and NGC. Thus, you can imagine the thrill I felt when preparing for my presentation that a blogger from the ANA boards walked up to me and introduced himself! How nice it was to have him in the audience also! Now no longer sight unseen, I feel like we connected and have forged a beginning to a new friendship.

Exhausted from just two days at the show we drove home after having had a very good time at the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money! Gary