Summer arrives

The Memorial Day weekend is upon us. Those of us at Krause Publications will be able to go home at 3 p.m. today to get an early jump on activities. That, of course, is much appreciated.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer. Collectors likely will be trading their indoor numismatic pursuits for something more physically active for the next three months.

It has been my experience in the last 35 years that commercial activity usually takes a breather when summer arrives and collectors go into nice weather mode.

However, that is not always the case. Activity in the precious metals market in recent years determines whether dealers want to take a summer vacation or not.

In 2011 dealers basically didn’t have a summer break because bullion activity was so hot that they wanted to tend to business.

Some did go away anyway. I recall one comment I gathered at the American Numismatic Association convention in Rosemont in 2011. The dealer happily reported that he had gone away the prior week and he returned to find his inventory had become that much more valuable.

With reports like that, it was perhaps no coincidence that the record closing price of gold was reached not too many days later.

What will this year bring?

I am hoping for a few lazy days of rest for everybody, but that kind of makes me look like I am rooting for gold to go down.

I guess I will be diplomatic and say I hope everyone who is active in the numismatic field will have the summer that they most wish for.

Time to put the “Gone fishin’” sign on the door.

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