No better time?
April is going to be a busy month. I have a local coin club banquet to attend next week. In three weeks I will be at the 75th anniversary convention of the Central States Numismatic Society.
Other staffers here will be in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont next week for the Chicago International Coin Fair.
There is good reason why this time of year is called the heart of the collecting season. It is also probably why National Coin Week, April 20-26, is held this time of year.
It is simply a busy time for all of us in numismatics.
Besides the convention schedule, the heart of this particular collecting season has been defined by the discovery of a buried hoard of gold coins in California, the possible sale or confiscation of the 1974-D aluminum cent that the hobby recently became aware of.
Most collectors are likely rooting for the sale of the aluminum cent. I know I wrote of how I would feel to witness such an historical event, but the wheels of justice turn slowly and we could be left hanging without conclusion for a long time.
Remember the legal path taken by the owners of the 1933 gold $20s. That proved to be neither quick nor satisfying for collectors, but it surely was something that was the focus of our interest.
The sellout of the gold baseball coins last Friday is another example of what happens from time to time when it seems the entire field is intensely focused on one thing.
Come July our attention will be scattered all over the place as collector season gives way to summer vacation season.
It may be physically exhausting for collectors and dealers alike to keep up with numismatic events this time of year, but it is also rewarding. That’s what keeps us going and it is the reason why I look at my April calendar and smile.
We might be in the heart of the numismatic season, but it is equally true that my heart is in it as well.
I’ll bet yours is, too.
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."
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