Snow and hobby events pile up

Yesterday it was our turn to be surprised here in Wisconsin with by a heavy wet snow that brought down trees and power lines.

The snow serves as a reminder that we poor humans cannot control everything and sometimes we just have to roll with the punches, or play the cards we are dealt – just to use two metaphors.

That’s life. It is also life in numismatics.

We’ve seen examples of this in recent weeks.

The rapid sellout Oct. 27 of the Mint’s 25th anniversary silver Eagle set highlighted the possibility that we won’t get what we want despite our best efforts. Collector comments to me, not all of them published, emphasized that sheer determination to buy the set was sometimes not rewarded, and other collectors got through the Mint’s order channels quickly and easily.

Obviously, somebody had to succeed. 100,000 sets were purchased. But there was a random element to it. That can be very frustrating for individuals who like to see hard work and playing the game by the rules rewarded.

A few weeks before that, members of the American Numismatic Association were puzzled and frustrated by the departure of another executive director just after it seemed the organization had reached a happy place. Events proved beyond the control of the average member.

Who will want to step forward to lead America’s largest collector organization? We will wait months for the answer.

Yet I know there is a deep reservoir of good will toward the U.S. Mint that will help sustain it in the eyes of the hobby. We will go back and buy new issues.

The ANA will continue to be an organization whose purpose it is to further the cause of numismatics and to help its members be better collectors.

Power will be restored here. Fallen trees and branches are removed. Snow gets cleared away or melts.

And as for me, I had a difficult time getting out of the Krause parking lot yesterday and even getting the car into my garage, but once I reached home I found that the power was on. I felt like I had won the lottery.