Start with a bang

This week is a busy one in the Numismatic News office. Just as things speed up in the summertime instead of slowing down, the week just before Christmas is the one where our annual Florida United Numismatists convention special issue is put together.

Instead of being able to focus on the holidays, the staff must focus on putting together one of the largest issues of the year. I hope readers will enjoy it when they see it.

Always kept in mind is how the paper will look sitting on the table at the Krause Publications booth in Orlando come the actual opening of the show. We all want to be proud of it.

Corporate budget season also provides a background of frantic activity when most people would like to ease off a little bit to enjoy the holidays.

Regardless of what goes on here in Iola, I hope you will have some time in the remaining days of 2007 to relax a little, enjoy interaction with family and friends and re-energize for the coming of 2008.

The new year does not come in slowly. The FUN convention assures that it will come in with a bang or a bust. There is scarcely any middle ground. The FUN issue itself start Numismatic News off with a bang.

Occurring simultaneously with the FUN show Jan. 10-13 will be the New York International Numismatic Convention. Europeans will be in Gotham to buy up everything that is round and shiny with their strong euros. I don’t blame them. Make hay while the sun shines as the saying goes.

The question for 2008 is how far can momentum carry us? Paper money is hot. World coins are hot. Coins of the U.S. have become a bit more selective. That is to be expected. Prices have gotten very rich indeed for classic issues.