Time to go to Whitman’s Baltimore Expo

Are you going to Baltimore today or perhaps on the weekend?

The Whitman Coin & Collectibles Show is under way.

Even in this age of the Internet, it is one of the must-attend events on the numismatic hobby’s annual show circuit.

Baltimore becomes the center of the commercial segment of numismatics each time a show convenes.

Coin dealers from businesses of all sizes attend.

Results in Baltimore tend to influence how hobby participants view the state of the hobby.

If commercial results are good, then the hobby is healthy.

If they are less than good, then the hobby is in a condition that can vary from so-so to bleak.

What will be said about this show’s results next week?

If you can go to Baltimore, you can be the first to find out.

Results of the Stack’s Bowers Auction will also be analyzed.

Auction sessions have already begun.

The final ones won’t wrap online until Nov. 14.

Another appealing aspect about Baltimore is the mood it puts you in.

I think it is the good seafood that helps this along.

I truly enjoy the crabcakes when I am able to attend.

They are not something that one finds in central Wisconsin.

But having the opportunity to treat myself to them occasionally puts me in a mind to see everything in a more positive light.

I know the nation’s coin dealers have favorite foods and restaurants there as well.

It is part of the process that cannot be replaced by the Internet.

Face-to-face deals also cannot be replaced by the Internet.

It is important from time to time to see individuals on a personal level.

It is the trust that builds in this way that allows so many other deals to be done online.

Baltimore is a good place to make those face-to-face connections.

At root, much of numismatics is still a highly personal endeavor.

The Baltimore Expo environment fosters the personal touch.

Check the website for Expo details at http://expo.whitman.com.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog for the third time in 2017 . He is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."

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