If I build it, will you come?

Starting my first full day yesterday at the American Numismatic Association convention by assembling all of the pieces of the Krause Publications’ floor displays is an accomplishment. It was made all the more challenging by my attire. I was dressed in a suit.

Add in friendly passers-by who want to have a quick word while I am standing on a chair and my need to rush off to the ribbon cutting at 9:45 a.m. and you can see what George Cuhaj and I were facing yesterday morning gearing up for the official opening of the ANA convention here in Philadelphia.

Of course, I would trade this experience for anything.

Hmm.

I intended to type I “wouldn’t” trade this experience for anything.

Perhaps my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

Subtlety is not an attribute of most conventions of this kind. They are big, busy and noisy and it usually is impossible for me to do everything during the week that I had hoped to.

Whether it is building a booth or covering a board meeting, jumping into the convention swirl and seeing where the current takes me is all part of the experience.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."