FUN opens door to 2010

My attention is shifting more and more to 2010. The issue of Numismatic News for the Florida United Numismatists convention in January goes to press next week.

Cindy Wibker, who sells the bourse tables, says that FUN is within a whisker of being able to claim another record bourse table count. The numbers have risen each year in the 16 years or so that Cindy has been responsible. That is an enviable record. FUN is an enviable convention.

Because FUN is the first major numismatic event of the year, opening on Jan. 7, I tend to try to discern trends by what happens there.

To put the table count in a positive light, I have to say that not losing anything after the beating the American economy has taken is a good sign.

On the other hand, the fact that the table count has not yet exceeded the 2009 number says that show growth has paused. That could be construed as a negative.

The third interpretation of course is not to read too much into what could be an innocuous little fact.

Orlando is a great destination because it gets many of us out of northern climes during the coldest time of the year. That is a positive no matter what the rest of the economy looks like.

The best part of the convention for me is the opportunity to talk to people face to face. All of the e-mails and online posts in the world can’t make up for personal interaction. That will give me a good start to 2010 no matter what.