Thoughts of California banish winter

Coin collecting is an indoor pursuit. It is an ideal activity this time of year for those of us who live in northern climes.

However, even coin collecting cannot hold off entirely that winter-induced northern malady: cabin fever.

The name describes well what the affliction is.

We simply get tired of being cooped up inside and can’t wait to get outside and be active again.

There are antidotes other than warmer weather, but cross country skiing is not my cup of tea.

I might still be cooped up inside as the next cold front passes, but my mind is free to contemplate a trip I will be making to northern California in September.

The details are at last sufficient to mention them.

The Second Annual California Numismatic Seminar will be held Sept. 26 at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.

Clifford Mishler, retired CEO of Krause Publications, and I have been invited to participate in an open forum where we can recount our experiences of the evolution of the hobby both personally and professionally from our roles with Numismatic News and other hobby titles.

It should be great fun. We began to think about how we will approach this at our lunch on Monday at the Crystal Cafe.

Michael S. “Stan” Turrini is coordinating the seminar.

There will be other speakers in attendance who will participate in the more structured educational settings, though specifics have yet to be worked out.

Paul R. Johnson, the executive secretary of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association, has agreed to make a presentation as has Ed Fulwider, a retired senior die setter from the San Francisco Mint.

There also will be another presentation from an as yet undetermined speaker.

It should be an interesting day.

Certainly Clifford and I will do our best to draw from our individual and joint experiences in numismatics.

My participation in this event has been a long time in gestation.

It has been at least a half dozen years since Stan began suggesting that I travel out to his neck of the woods to participate in some club-related event.

I am delighted that this time all the obstacles of schedules, travel budgets and the like have been cleared away to make it possible.

That the very idea of this trip helps to keep cabin fever away in February is an added bonus.