End and a beginning

Sad news appeared on the agenda of the American Numismatic Association’s telephone board meeting yesterday.

It revealed that the Colorado Wyoming Numismatic Association ceased to operate June 14, 2014.

The CWNA website says the organization was founded in 1952, which was part of a period from the end of World War II in 1945 to around 1970 that coin clubs sprouted all over the country.

Its demise has come 62 years after it was founded.

Annual dues were just $5, so no one can say that the organization priced people out of its membership.

The good news in the bad news is that fund balances held by the CWNA will be transferred to the control of the ANA.

Initial funds will pay for two scholarships for adults to attend the annual ANA Summer Seminar, which occurs for a couple of weeks starting in late June every year.

Each of these two scholarships is worth $1,075.

Eligibility is restricted to hobbyists who live in the two states.

Another $17,060.36 will go to the ANA Adult Summer Seminar Scholarship Fund when a certificate of deposit matures early next year.

These funds, obviously, will sponsor additional individuals to attend the Summer Seminar.

While it is unfortunate to see an organization with such a long history fold, it is gratifying that some good will still come from its end.

Summer Seminar is a fantastic opportunity for collectors to kick their hobby up a notch, both from the point of view of acquiring more knowledge, but also from the aspect of the many new acquaintances and friendships that form among Summer Seminar participants.

The social element of our hobby is often overlooked.

It is better and probably more accurate to call these personal interactions at Summer Seminar the creation of a mutual support network.

Collectors who have friends in the hobby are more likely to make better decisions in the long run and to have a higher level of enthusiasm for it.

Recipients of the scholarships from CWNA monies will in effect become the seeds of the future of numismatics in the two states.

After they are planted, we will see how they grow. Let us hope that what comes next will be better than what has now ended.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2014 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."