NN Charges into Digital Age in 2014

Ever since Numismatic News was born more than 60 years ago in a small town in rural Wisconsin, Krause Publications has been at the leading edge of hobby publishing.

Numismatic News connected coin collectors in every nook and cranny of the United States. The Standard Catalog of World Coins created a common language for all the coins in the world. KP’s CDs and eBooks brought those catalogs to numismatists’ desktops and tablets.

The way in which coin and paper money collectors consume information and interact with one another is constantly evolving, and we at KP are ready to take our legacy into the next generation, evolving to meet your needs and the needs of future numismatists. We are excited to introduce a number of changes to the KP lineup in 2014 that improve and complement our existing products.

First and foremost is Numismatic NewsExpress, a monthly digital publication launching in January. Why are we sending you an issue of Numismatic News digitally, on a monthly basis, and calling it “Express”? Because news happens fast, and in today’s digital publishing marketplace, we can deliver that news faster digitally than we can via the postal system. Your issue of Numismatic NewsExpress will provide up-to-the-minute numismatic news updates, price guides, and buy/sell information from leading dealers – delivered straight to your Inbox.

Many of you know we recently conducted a comprehensive research study of your information needs, technology capabilities and reading preferences. The proliferation of not just desktop and laptop computers, but tablets and smartphones, makes digital publications accessible to – and ideal for – the majority of our readership now. Our readers want news and updated pricing sooner. And collectors outside the U.S., no longer burdened by lengthy and expensive delivery, can more actively engage more knowledgeably with American dealers and collectors, faster.

Numismatic News Express will be published once per month in lieu of the print version of Numismatic News that week, and will be delivered to all Numismatic News subscribers who have provided us with an email address. If you are a subscriber and want to make sure you receive your issue of Numismatic NewsExpress regularly, please email us at ListDept@fwmedia.com and include the postal address where you receive your printed edition so we can link your subscriptions.

Numismatic NewsExpress is just one of many investments KP is making toward a more digital-centric future in 2014. Central to the effort is the relaunch of NumisMaster.com this spring. NumisMaster 2.0 will be a significant upgrade over the existing site, offering:

• An unmatched, comprehensive offering of U.S. coin pricing, world coin pricing, U.S. paper money values and world paper money values. Pricing will be updated on a daily basis reflecting market activity and precious metals prices.

• A new edition to the KP pricing lineup: wholesale U.S. coin pricing. This pricing will be available both online, on the revamped NumisMaster, as well as in more traditional print formats.

• The most comprehensive numismatics events calendar online.

• An overall improved user experience.

NumisMaster will be the only destination online to offer all of this valuable information updated on a daily basis. Exclusive information you can’t find anywere else. We are especially eager to add wholesale U.S. pricing to the mix, giving coin dealers access to critical information for their day-to-day work.

Other 2014 digital initiatives from KP include:

• An expansion of online education course offerings, following the success of this fall’s Coin Collecting 101.

• Expanded digital versions of pricing references like the Standard Catalog of World Coins books and U.S. Coin Digest.

• Online video programming originating from KP’s Iola, Wis., offices.

Coin and paper money collecting is always changing. Media and publishing are always changing. The world is always changing! Krause Publications and Numismatic News will continue to change, too. We hope you enjoy the changes we have in store for 2014.

Scott Tappa is publisher of Krause Publications’ numismatics group and Numismatic News. He may be reached at scott.tappa@fwmedia.com.