Can I keep up the pace?

If I want to feel out of shape or old, all I need to do is attend an American Numismatic Association convention for a week. There is so much to do and days don’t begin and end during regular business hours. But then something happens that makes it all worthwhile and I push back the fatigue and keep putting one foot in front of another.

I’ve just had the pleasure of attending the Numismatic News Numismatic Ambassador breakfast. The event is for current holders of the Numismatic Ambassador Award and to induct the newest members.

This year I gave award plaques to Mark Anderson, Scott and Lisa Loos and Larry Shepherd.

Mark is from Brooklyn, N.Y., and has been an active paper money collector and has served the Society of Paper Money Collectors as both president and long-time treasurer.

Scott and Lisa are a husband and wife team from North Bend, Wash., and they have a list of hobby credits that stretch from the Pacific Northwest to national organizations.

Larry Shepherd has been executive director of the American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs, Colo., since 2008 and he has helped return the organization to an even keel.

Congratulations to them all. The honors are well deserved.

As I write this I am yawning a bit as I did not return from the Austrian Mint dinner until about 10:30 last night and my alarm seemed to ring awfully early this morning. The dinner guests were treated to a short program by high school students who were participating in a Joffrey Ballet program. I wish I still possessed their youth and energy.

It made me think about the YN voting issue that the ANA board of governors will be addressing at tomorrow’s meeting. Then the organization’s new bylaws will likely be adopted. Whether YN’s vote can vote at age 13 or must wait until they are 18 is the only issue that has cropped up in the review process. I don’t know how it will turn out. The vote is likely to be close. One thing I do know. YN’s certainly have the energy and interest to keep up with the issues. The way I feel today, perhaps even more than I do.