Get ready for National Coin Week

National Coin Week is coming. It will run April 19-25.

The theme selected for it by the American Numismatic Association is “Building Tomorrows: Inspiration and Innovation at World’s Fairs.”

This year is the 100th anniversary of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition that was held in San Francisco in 1915.

This international gathering was inspired by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914.

I salute the coin clubs and collector volunteers who go out each year and raise the profile of numismatics among the general public.

Whether it is staging programs at local libraries, or putting in special exhibits at banks or other secure places, these volunteers are doing work of benefit to all collectors.

By attracting more collectors, we will all have a better future.

ANA is spicing things up a bit with two special activities.

Both are contests and both have a top prize of a 1915-S Pan-Pac half dollar.

An online video activity begins April 6 to test participants’ knowledge of world’s fairs and numismatics. On that date, clues will begin to be posted on NationalCoinWeek.org and on the ANA’s YouTube channel.

The clues will appear every Monday and Friday until April 20.

Answers can be submitted at www.money.org after the last clue is released.

Those who are as smart as a whip and have perfect scores will be entered into the prize drawing to select the top prize winner.

The second ANA activity will be its 7th annual Club Trivia Challenge.

Member clubs are to answer 20 questions about world’s fairs and expositions and those that earn the highest scores qualify for a prize and are entered in a prize drawing

The ANA says registered clubs also will receive a promotional package with buttons, bookmarks and educational materials.

Clubs can register by emailing the club's name to ncw@money.org.

In addition to the Pan-Pac top prizes, there are second place awards of 2015-dated proof tenth-ounce gold American Eagles.

Third prize for each competition is both a silver proof set and a clad proof set dated 2015.

That’s not all.

The ANA promises more prizes, but does not specify except to say that some of these will be U.S. mint sets.

Lest you think Young Numismatists have been forgotten, there is a coin design contest for them. Submission deadline is May 15.

Every participant is promised a prize in addition to the top prizes of 1892 World’s Columbian Exposition commemorative half dollars.

Two of these coins will be given away.

One goes to the top submission for the 12 years and under age group and the other for the 13-17 years age group.

Sound interesting?

Get going.

Go to NationalCoinWeek.org for the rules.

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."