Scouts crowd California program
The Numismatic Association of Southern California, in conjunction with the sponsorship of the American Numismatic Association, hosted its ninth annual Scout Coin Collecting Merit Badge Workshop on Aug. 25 at…
The Numismatic Association of Southern California, in conjunction with the sponsorship of the American Numismatic Association, hosted its ninth annual Scout Coin Collecting Merit Badge Workshop on Aug. 25 at the Golden State Coin Show in Arcadia, Calif.
Fifty-four scouts (both boys and girls) from eleven districts in southern California participated in the event. The workshop was facilitated by BSA Western Los Angeles Council Executive, certified merit badge counselor, and ANA past president Walt Ostromecki; Orange County Council Executive and Scoutmaster Albertus Hoogeveen; and Greater Los Angeles Area Council Scoutmaster and merit badge counselor Marc Mussman.
NASC President Mike Kittle said, “NASC is committed to reaching out to and attracting new collectors into the coin hobby. Our yearly show scout workshops are one of the best avenues we have at attracting and connecting both next generation youth and adults with and into the numismatic hobby. Our 2018 outreach and education program added a special golden touch to our coin show.”
Following the merit badge workshop, scouts were treated to a special hands-on penny search. GSCS Show Chairman Don Berry emptied out a couple of large bags full of circulated miscellaneous Lincoln cents on two eight-foot tables. NASC provided each scout with a set of three Whitman Lincoln cent Bluebook albums dating from 1909 to 2000.
Scouts were shown by Berry how to properly insert the cents into the albums before embarking on a Lincoln cent search adventure for dates and mintmarks to fill the coin folder holes. And then the excitement and fun of the hunt began as roughly two dozen scouts descended on the two huge piles of coins with magnifying glasses in hand. It was rumored that a 1914-D was added to the mix of approximately 7,500 cents.
NASC and the ANA also both provided each attending scout and scout leader with free one-year online memberships to The California Numismatist and ANA’s The Numismatist. Seventy-two memberships were donated.
“This courtesy is designed to further and bolster interest in the coin collecting hobby and foster growth and promote the value of membership in coin clubs and organizations,” said Berry.
In the evening, NASC held its annual awards and show dealer appreciation catered barbecue dinner in the kitchen area at the back of the bourse room. Thirty-seven dealers, current and past NASC officers, and guests attended. NASC vice president John Duff took on the dual role of emcee and award presenter.
The Richard P. Goodson Award, NASC’s highest distinction for dedicated service over many years to the association, went to a shocked and surprised Berry.
Speaker of the Year honors were bestowed upon Gregg Bercovitz, and Outstanding 2017-2018 club newsletter awards were presented to: 1st Place, Hemet Coin Club, Jim Phillips editor; 2nd Place, Verdugo Hills Coin Club, Bob Thompson editor; and 3rd Place, Bay Cities Coin Club, Bernie Malis editor.
ANA Past President Ostromecki recognized The California Numismatist editor Greg Burns as the ANA’s 1st Place winner for Regional Numismatic Publication – for the 12th time out of the last 13 years. He then presented the ANA’s third-place certificate award for outstanding local coin club newsletter to the Hemet Coin Club editor Jim Phillips.
One NASC member, Dr. Sol Taylor, a NASC past president, was honored for 50 years of membership.
The annual NASC member club Nona G. Moore Benefit Gold drawing with 25 gold coin prizes took place on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 26. Eighteen of the 21 member coin clubs sold a record $4,560 worth of tickets and retained half that sales amount for their individual treasuries. NASC made a profit of $753 from the sale and will be returning the profit proceeds to the 18 clubs.
“Overall, most dealers were very satisfied with sales during the NASC’s first expanded three-day show. The ANACS table, which is a great public and hobby collector draw feature, did an exceptional volume of business on both Saturday and Sunday,” said Mike Kittle.
Plans for the 2019 NASC Golden State Coin Show, which will again include a Scout Coin Collecting Merit Badge Workshop, ANACS onsite grading, hands-on Kid’s Zone and more, is scheduled for Aug. 22-24, 2019, at the Arcadia Masonic Lodge, 50 E Duarte Road., Arcadia, Calif. Bourse information can be obtained from Berry at: dberry@pressedsales.com
Additional information about the NASC and its various educational outreach activities and programs can be viewed on the organization’s website: www.nasc.net.
This article was originally printed in Numismatic News. >> Subscribe today.
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