Time runs out

When I was a kid the approach of September meant the end of fun-filled summer days spent in part with numismatics to more formal types of study in school.

It is amazing that after not having set foot as a student in a school for over 35 years that the same old feeling creeps back up on me when it is time to turn the page on the calendar.

For collectors this year, the arrival of September means it is time to hurry up and order the reverse proof one-ounce Buffalo gold coin. Its availability ends Sept. 5.

That specific offer aside, it is time for the collecting season to swing in to high gear.

Will you attend the Long Beach show near the end of the month, or do you have another show in mind to attend.

Or worse, are you not planning to go to shows at all?

That, I think is a mistake.

Now I know there are scheduling issues and affordability issues and alternative methods of buying and selling coins.

But even with all of this being true, I think it is important to find a show or two to attend every year. Human interactions matter. The business relationship that is formed in a face-to-face meeting matters.

You or your family might need help some day that only a coin dealer can provide.

It is best to act accordingly and establish some personal relationships.

August’s annual American Numismatic Association convention was a great opportunity for me to see people I rarely see.

Renewing the bonds of a personal nature makes it far easier during the other 51 weeks a year to trade telephone calls and emails.

The same is true for collectors.

You don’t have to pledge eternal loyalty to one and only one dealer, but getting to know some dealers and how business is conducted over a bourse table is experience that will pay dividends throughout the life of any hobbyist.

So, now go and enjoy the long weekend.

Come back to numismatics refreshed and plan to attend at least one show in the next 12 months that will meet your timing and cost objectives.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2013 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."