Fire up the grill

We have arrived at the unofficial start to summer. Memorial Day weekend is upon us.

We here at Krause Publications will even be able to start our weekends at 3 o’clock this afternoon.

Naturally, we are all grateful and enthusiastic.

But no matter what time your weekend begins, I imagine that like me numismatics will be a long way from your thoughts.

Perhaps you will fire up the grill and enjoy some brats as we do here in Wisconsin, or grill something else more suited to your tastes.

I ate my first brat of the season May 10 at a community brat fry to raise money for a good cause. What sticks in my mind besides the mustard, which is the only thing I put on brats, is that one person paid us with Presidential dollars and felt he owed us an explanation as to what they were, how he got them and why they were real money.

That particular transaction was like looking at myself in the mirror. I might spend some Presidential dollars, but usually I leave them as tips at the Crystal Cafe where they understand the odd ways of numismatists and I do not have to explain what they are.

I have strained my brain enough on this pre-holiday blog.

Just remember a lot of great things happen in numismatics between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so while it is nice to get away from the hobby for a holiday weekend, don’t you dare put it on the shelf until autumn.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2013 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."