You will have to read this to find out.

I went to the Long Beach Coin Show in September 2006, and while I was outside waiting for the doors to open, I noticed something different about the mix of people standing around. There were numerous very attractive women also milling about waiting to get in. I thought to myself, what?s going on? Is coin collecting becoming a sexy hobby, where appealing women want to hang around the professional dealers and amateur collectors? Where the superstar dealers have their groupies, just wanting to get a glimpse of their latest acquisition? What kind of dream was this? Where sexy models are showing off the latest mint-issued proof sets? Sort of like a car show. The major mints will have spectacular displays showing off their new issues, with celebrities signing autographs and attracting the crowds. Maybe Farrah Fawcett or Raquel Welsh will be here!! (Now I am really dating myself.)

Then 10 a.m. comes, and it is time to go in. The anticipation really has the crowd pumped up. When I get to the guy at the escalator, he asks, ?Which show are you going to?? Confused, I show him my visitor pass for the coin show, and he says, ?Your show is to the left.? I say, ?Where are all those other people going (i.e., the young women)?? He says, ?There is also a beauty, make-up and jewelry show, and that one is to the right.?

I should have known better. After wandering around the coin show for a few hours, my question has been definitively answered. Coin collecting is NOT a sexy hobby. Instead of models and celebrities, I saw a lot of old timers like myself. One guy had long grey hair and a scraggly beard down to his belly button, and looked like he had just come down from his gold mine in the mountains. I didn?t ask at the ticket counter, but I think these shows must be age restricted to men over 50, based on the look of most participants. Next time I go to a coin show I am going to wear my tee shirt that reads ?OLD GUYS RULE.?

A few weeks later, while perusing ebay, I was shocked, appalled and disgusted at what I saw (well?not really disgusted). What lay right before my eyes and caused me to do a DOUBLE take was a spectacular and glorious PAIR (of Carson City Morgan Silver Dollars in GSA holders, of course). If you missed it, check out ebay number 220032544578. Wow!! Maybe I was wrong?maybe coin collecting IS a sexy hobby after all. I wonder if this dealer also has dimes to sell?

My apologies to anyone I have offended by this journal, including women, coin dealers, Carson City Morgan Silver Dollar collectors, dime collectors, groupies, Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welsh, old guys in general, guys with grey hair, guys with beards down to their belly buttons, and, of course, gold miners.