When writers throw a bash

Ernest Hemingway made certain watering holes in Key West, Fla., and Havana, Cuba famous. They are landmarks. They are part of literary history.

Numismatic writers have no such famous locations. They have to make do with just one night a year. It is the culmination of an annual award-selection process. That process is now under way.

It is time for numismatic editors and writers to gather up the material they have created in the past year and submit the best of it to the Numismatic Literary Guild to be judged in its annual competition.

Deadline for submission is June 15 and the work must have been produced in the year starting May 1, 2014 and ending April 30, 2015.

To be judged are many kinds of material ranging from auction catalogs, books and club bulletins to individual news articles, blogs, videos and whole issues of newspapers and magazines.

It is a daunting judging challenge, but it has worked smoothly for many years thanks to the organizational talents of Scott Travers with the aid of Maurice Rosen as well as Sal and Arlene Germano’s willingness to receive and handle all the shipments.

I will also thank the many judges collectively and anonymously who volunteer their time. They are unknown during the process to prevent lobbying by the many potential award recipients.

All of the winners are recognized at the NLG Bash Aug. 13 during the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill.

Good food and humor are integral parts of the evening. Skits and comedy bits are staged. Sometimes they are even staged well.

Heritage has been very generous with NLG to literally keep the food on the tables of all attendees. The firm doesn’t have to do it, but it does and if any NLG member wants to skip a pricey meal, Thursday’s Bash is an ideal substitute. The funds are better spent anyway the next day on the bourse floor, or in bidding in the auction sessions.

Take a look at the award winners from last year at the NLG website. You will be amazed by the sheer numbers. There are so many awards you might even discover that you are eligible for one. There is a much better chance of that than finding out that you are related to Ernest Hemingway.

The full set of contest rules and instructions are also on the NLG site at:

http://www.nlgonline.org/

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2014 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."