Coins and Disneyland – what fun

After three years in a row in suburban Chicago, many hobbyists are looking forward to attending an American Numismatic Association convention in Anaheim, Calif., this summer.

The World’s Fair of Money is slated for Aug. 9-13 at a convention center across the street from Disneyland.

Will that mean more people will attend the convention as a family adventure?

The collector can go to the bourse floor, at least for a time, while the rest of the family plans its days having fun at a theme park that has been there since 1955.

That is conceptually how we think of this event historically, but we won’t know if this sort of thing is still true until after the attendance figures are counted.

An additional attraction at ANA conventions is what used to be called a pre-show.

The Professional Numismatists Guild and the ANA are jointly sponsoring the PNG/ANA Numismatic Trade Show Aug. 6-8, which are the Saturday to Monday before the ANA convention, which begins on Tuesday.

One of the major appeals to going to a major coin show is to get first crack at new stock in the hands of the nation’s dealers. This helps boost interest in the trade show.

But with Disneyland so close by, there could be an added incentive for the collector in the family to go to the trade show and leave Disneyland attendance to the weekdays.

After all, why shouldn’t the collector in the family enjoy the park as well?

While there is never a day at Disneyland without crowds, they should be at least a bit thinner without the pressure of weekenders present.

In effect, hobbyists should plan a day or two to play hooky from the ANA convention during the week by going to the trade show on the weekend.

Whatever you choose to do, advance planning is a good idea.

An incentive is provided by the trade show.

Signing up for it online earns free admission. If you just show up at the door, it will cost $10 good for three days.

Pre-registration is available at www.PNGdealers.com/events.

Reserving a hotel room ahead of time is also a good idea.

PNG notes that a limited number of discounted hotel rates are available in conjunction with both the trade show and the ANA convention at the Hilton Anaheim and the Fairfield Inn Anaheim Resort.

For the contact information, visit: www.WorldsFairofMoney.com and then go to the “Book your hotel room now” icon.

For Disneyland, advance booking can be done at: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/

Buzz blogger Dave Harper has twice won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."

• Like this blog? Read more by subscribing to Numismatic News