Aug 12, 2013 | ANA, coins, news, shows
The American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money begins tomorrow, August 13 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Rosemont is a suburb of Chicago and not far from O’Hare Airport.
As with any World’s Fair of Money, there will be quite a few announcements. Some may appear here others will be tweeted as they come in.
Terry Hanlon, newly elected president of the Professional Numismatists Guild
PNG’s Board of Directors are Mitchell A. Battino of Hudson Rare Coins, Princeton, New Jersey; PNG Immediate Past President Jeffrey Bernberg of Rare Coin Company of America, Willowbrook, Illinois; John Maben of John Maben Rare Coins, Sarasota, Florida; James A. Simek of Numisgraphic Enterprises, Westchester, Illinois; and Richard A. Weaver of Delaware Valley Rare Coin, Broomhall, Pennsylvania.
Congratulations to all!
Professional Coin Grading Service announced that they are teaming with eBay to expand the eBay U.S. and Canada Coins Catalog feature. When the new catalog from PCGS goes online this fall it will immediately grow from the current 8,500 products to more than 41,000.
The renewed U.S. and Canada coins catalog will allow for more detailed descriptions of specific coin attributes, as well as further differentiation for the collecting community. These detailed descriptions, item specifics and high resolution images in the catalog will allow novice and experienced sellers alike to more accurately identify the coin they are selling on eBay.
An expanded catalog should help provide education to collectors buying and selling on eBay. Anything that makes that marketplace safer os good for the hobby.
Although the ribbon cutting is on Tuesday, my schedule will not allow me to get away until Wednesday night. Stay tuned for more news.
Aug 9, 2013 | ANA, commentary, technology
Earlier this week I read an article by Patrick Heller how the aging collector population would affect the supply and demand for numismatic items. One point Heller makes is that as collectors pass on and leave significant collections to heirs, he finds “that most heirs do not share the same passion for the holdings as the coin collector who died.”
Heller further notes, “In more than a few instances, those selling the collections have much less numismatic knowledge than the collector who died to be able to liquidate the treasures for the best price.”
Although it was not the premiss of Heller’s article, what really has to be addressed is how to increase the number of collectors and provide help to non-collectors who find themselves in the position to have to deal with a collection left behind by a deceased loved one. Of course there are two books that will explain what those selling collections as part of an estate, but sometimes they need more help.
For those interested in collecting, there needs to be an outlet to find information and be able to participate in the community. Information has to be engaging and the collector should be encouraged to collect what they like and like what they collect.
There are so many ways to collect numismatic items that it will be difficult to list them in one place. One way to start is to try to engage the collector where they are. Today, that means finding them on the Internet.
The future of every hobby, business, and nearly every aspect of life will be online.
Some might suggest that you cannot do everything online. While that may be true, the online world helps open the doors to the off line experience.
I am not suggesting that numismatics should look at the Internet as one large online supermarket or auction house. The Internet can be the gateway to knowledge. It can explain to the family that inherited grandpa’s collection how to handle it without getting ripped off. It can explain that transportation tokens may be the ultimate local collectibles and finding them can be even more challenging than finding coins. It can explain what are the positives and negatives to collecting modern non-circulating legal tender coins. It can open the door to collecting foreign coins and currency from the country your parents or grandparents came from.
The Internet can also explain that your State Quarter collection may not be as valuable as you though, including those purchased on that alleged “special sale” on television. However, that extra tree on the Minnesota quarter may be worth just a bit more than 25-cents!
“Buy the Book before the coin” is a popular mantra repeated in the hobby. But which book? If you look at the catalogs of coin books from all publishers, there are so many books how do you know which one to buy. Some people even recommend reading auction catalogs. While many auction catalogs are really sales pitches, catalogs for special sales have some wonderful information, great images, and even pointer to other references.
There needs to be a central repository for numismatic information from a trusted source that is not trying to sell you on their version of numismatics.
This is where the American Numismatic Association comes in the picture.
Over the last year, the ANA has been working to enter the 21st century to offer more services online. Even though it may appear that the ANA is barely out of the 20th century in technology, employees at the ANA headquarters have done yeomen work with what they have. But the work is only beginning.
Building online services is not easy when your product is not easily defined. Those of us in the information industry call it the “Big Data” problem because data is the driver, there is a lot of it, and managing it is not as easy as it seems. Data can be ordered in more ways than an inventory of coins or a catalog of auctions.
When looking at the problem, data tends to grow and that growth has to be managed whereas a dealer’s inventory can be in flux and auction data is static and controllable.
These problems not only makes what the ANA is trying to do to be that information leader very difficult, but doing it in a compelling manner that makes that could help attract new collectors makes the job even tougher.
Next week at the World’s Fair of Money, the ANA Board of Governors will hear about the selection of a new contractor to help take the next steps in conquering big numismatic data. They will also hear from impassioned members of the Technology Committee who only wants this contractor to succeed and do so in a way to allow the ANA to provide premier online services—a model for other non-profit hobby organizations.
Creating these online services will not happen overnight. In fact, it may take a year or longer to see significant advancements. That is the nature of building these services essentially from scratch. But it is worth the wait.
In the end, there will be resources for members and the public that will promote the hobby in a way that only the ANA can do. Hopefully, it will convince those who let their membership expire to return to the ANA, strengthen the bond between ANA members and clubs, and lure collectors who are interested to join us.
As an ANA member and a member of the Technology Committee, I hope you will support the ANA’s efforts because if the demographics cannot be skewed a little younger, we may be looking at a bleaker future for the hobby.
About the pictures… when I talk about technology I tend to think about the time I started and the Control Data Corp. Cyber 18/30 that was significant in my college days. We used to call her “LC” for Little Cyber. It helps remind me of where computing has come, especially that my iPhone is millions of times more powerful than LC!
Of course if I’m taking a walk down memory lane, I have to include the Poly 88, the first computer I ever programmed!
Jul 13, 2013 | advice, ANA, technology
On Friday, I received a notice to renew my American Numismatic Association membership by the end of this month. Even though a few people wrote to me after the election saying that they would not renew their membership, I believe that the ANA is still a good organization worth of the support of every numismatist regardless of age, experience, and collecting interest. My only question is whether to change to the basic level to save trees.
Members renewing at the Basic level can read The Numismatist online or via my computer or the iPad app. I stopped using the iPad app for a while after having problems. The app was updated and seems to be working fine now. I think I would prefer to read it on my iPad than the paper version. It is more portable. However, if the program could be converted to work with Apple’s Newsstand, the ANA may be able to find a new revenue stream by selling individual issues.
After the election I received a lot of complaints about the the ANA and how it operates. In many cases, I agree with the assessments but I also see where there are changes coming and all of the changes are for the better!
First and foremost, the ANA is being dragged into the technology of the 21st century. In a move started by former Executive Director Jeff Shevlin, the ANA has engaged Amos Digita, the technology arm of Amos Press, the publisher of Coin World. Anyone who has seen the positive evolution of the Coin World website and has read Coin World Next online can see examples of their work. Working with Amos Digital is a very positive step for the ANA.
Between Amos Digital, the commitment of the ANA staff involved, and the Technology Committee (which I am a member) the future to better the ANA’s technology is looking very good!
Technology alone is not going to make the ANA a better organization but the technology will provide a platform to make the ANA more responsive to its members. Technology can help with virtual clubs, education, and to bring the information out to the members. Technology can enhance shows and deliver some of the content to the members who may not be able to attend the shows.
However, technology is only an enhancer—a tool to make the ANA better for you. The problem is that those of us who are putting the tool together may not know what will make the ANA a better organization for you. What do you want to see from the ANA? How can the technology be used to make your experiences better?
Although I have some ideas, I am a systems guy. I put together systems to do what my customers want. And even though I know what I want as a member, it is only my opinion.
As a member of the ANA Technology Committee I want your opinion. What do you want from this tool? How can the ANA use these tools to make your experience as a member the ANA better? I am handing you a blank sheet of virtual paper (the comment section, below). Let me and my fellow Tech Committee members know how we can use this tool to better serve the membership.
Medal image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Jul 3, 2013 | ANA, video
A short time ago, the American Numismatic Association announced who will serve the association on the 2013-2015 Board of Governors. Current ANA President Tom Hallenbeck announced the following:
President: Walt Ostromecki (unopposed)
Vice-President: Jeff Garrett (unopposed)
Governors:
Gary Adkins (3,220 votes)
Scott T. Rottinghaus (2,859)
Dr. Ralph W. Ross (2,797)
Mike Ellis (2,782)
Greg Lyon (2,723)
Jeff Swindling (2,591)
Laura Sperber (2,569)
The rest of the votes were as follows:
Tom Mulvaney (2,389)
William D. Hyder (2,095)
Oded Paz (1,916)
Scott Barman (1,891)
Steve D’Ippolito (1,862)
Jeff Wuller (1,786)
Richard Jozefiak (1,543)
To everyone that supported my candidacy I want to give you a heartfelt THANK YOU. While I did not win this election, I will continue to work for the ANA to bring it technologically into the 21st century.
Congratulations to the 2013-2015 ANA Board of Governors.
Video of the announcement:
Jun 29, 2013 | ANA, news
On Friday, the American Numismatic Association announced that President Tom Hallenbeck will announce the results of the 2013 ANA elections online on July 3, 2013 at 4:30 P.M. Mountain Time (6:30 P.M. on the east coast). The broadcast will be over YouTube on the ANA’s YouTube channel. Walt Ostromecki, who ran for president unopposed, Jeff Garrett, who was unopposed for vice president, and the 14 members running for the remaining seven seats on the Board of Governors will participate by telephone.
For me, this will be interesting since the time is during my commute. Those who have not had the privilege of being in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area during rush hour wonders why it is called “rush hour” since it looks like nobody is rushing and it lasts a lot more than an hour. We laugh cynically at all the reports that consistently rank this area’s traffic amongst the worst in the nation even topping Los Angeles. Even though it appears that many people will take the opportunity to go on vacation, the day before a holiday always raises the traffic levels. With it being the day before Independence Day, it should make traffic more fun!
If I cannot leave my office early, I will be on the telephone from my car—hands-free as it is the law in Maryland and the District of Columbia—probably sitting in Beltway traffic. I will probably have my favorite beverage with two additional shots while driving and on the phone. This will make the commute very interesting!
For those who missed the announcement, the following is the press release issued by the ANA:
ANA Board of Governor election results to be broadcast online
President Tom Hallenbeck will announce 2013-15 board during live broadcast
American Numismatic Association President Tom Hallenbeck will announce the winners of the 2013-15 Board of Governors election during a live online broadcast at 4:30 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Wednesday, July 3, 2013.
The broadcast will be available at Money.org/Elections and on the ANA’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/AmericanNumismatic.
A press release announcing the newly elected board members will be issued to the ANA membership and the media immediately following the broadcast. Results will be posted on Money.org as well as on the ANA’s Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts.
The election was conducted by Survey & Ballot Systems Inc., headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. For the first time ever, ANA members were given the option of voting online or with a traditional mail-in ballot.
The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 28,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of education and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or go to www.money.org.
Jun 5, 2013 | ANA, commentary, legal
I know I have not been writing a lot as of late. Those of us in the Washington, D.C. area know the problems that sequestration has caused on government agencies. It might take another month before we regain a rhythm that will allow me to plan my time better. I have a nice To-Do list of stories I want to post including four book reviews and a few iPhone apps that are interesting.
I also do not want to use this blog as a campaign vehicle because that would be boring for you to read and for me to write. But when something as big as the most recent news comes out and I am asked for a comment, I have no choice but to use this blog to answer the many email inquiries once so we can get on with life.
Contemplation of Justice by James Earle Fraser, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, DC
The amended complaint is shocking and salacious. For those not familiar with the law and read that Shepherd is accusing the ANA of being a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO; 18 U.S.C. Chapter 96), it makes it look like the ANA is being compared to any number of organized crime figures you might have read about in the newspapers. Even though the RICO statutes were written to fight organized crime, using it is a common tactic by plaintiff lawyers to scare the defendants they are suing.
In order for a RICO charge to be accepted by the court, Shepherd and his lawyers will have to prove that a person as a member of an enterprise or the enterprise itself has committed to of 35 different crimes (18 U.S.C. § 1961). The crimes that Shepherd is alleging that the ANA has committed are racketeering, theft, and fraud.
Racketeering sounds like an ominous charge. Racketeering is a crime when two or more people conspire to fraudulently solve a problem. Shepherd alleges that a few employees of the ANA and members of the Board of Governors made up stories about Shepherd in order to find a way to relieve him of his duties for cause so they can invalidate his contract. The stories are salacious in nature and constitute Shepherd’s accusation of defamation that allows him to attach others to the case to show that there were more than two people involved.
The theft charge is from the guilty plea by former collections manager Wyatt Yeager. In January 2012, Yeager plead guilty to stealing items from the ANA Money Museum worth nearly $1 million. Yeager was sentenced to 27 months in a federal prison, two years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay restitution to the ANA.
With the theft charges already verified by a criminal court, Shepherd has to prove that the ANA committed fraud and at least two of the co-defendants conspired to fraudulently have him dismissed to resolve whatever issues the co-defendants perceived hurt the ANA. That would prove the case under RICO and hold the co-defendants and the ANA liable for Shepherd’s dismissal.
If you decide to read the pleading please remember that it is one side of the story. While the accusations are salacious and disturbing, we have not heard from the ANA or the co-defendants. This is a stark contrast to how they handled Shepherd’s dismissal when they could not stop talking. However, the ANA has a new general counsel who may be a little more cautious than the previous general counsel. The previous general counsel, Ron Sirna, is a co-defendant on this lawsuit.
Shepherd’s charges against the ANA and the co-defendants are disturbing. In fact, the nature of the salacious accusations is disturbing. If there is any truth in these accusations, those involved must be disciplined. Employees involved should be required to undergo remediation to keep their jobs or be dismissed if their action crossed the legal line.
According to the ANA Code of Ethics, members are required to “To base all of my dealings on the highest plane of justice, fairness and morality, and to refrain from making false statements as to the condition of a coin or as to any other matter.” Any member found to have be part of the racketeering that Shepherd’s lawsuit alleges, should be subject to an ethics review.
I was recently reminded of a quote from Inferno, the first part of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Devine Comedy: “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” Therefore, members of the Board of Governors who did not “report any knowledge of waste, fraud, corruption or impropriety relating to the Association to all other Board members immediately upon learning thereof” (Code of Ethics, Section 12) should also be subject to an ethics review.
Shepherd is also not absolved from his part. While he may have a legitimate case, his timing is suspect. Why did he wait until the beginning of the election to amend his complaint laced with descriptions of salacious accusations at this time? Shepherd has to remember that while he makes accusations, it takes two to tango, which means that he may have had a part in acts that the pleading describes. It is also possible that Shepherd and his attorneys picked only examples that are in his favor. Until the ANA answers the charges levied by Shepherd we are left wondering what was left out?
The bottom line is that it is time to clean house. ANA members must elect a Board of Governors that will act more like a Board of Directors. People who will be professional, open, and work for the benefit of the ANA. The Board of Governors must treat the association like the $6 million business it is and set up programs for the professional office to support the association for the benefit of the members and not the benefit of the staff. While there may be a few people with issues, as described in Shepherd’s pleading, those few people are making the situation difficult for those who are doing a wonderful job.
If I am privileged to receive enough votes to be elected to the Board of Governors, I renew the promise I made previously that the first motion I will make will be to hire an executive management firm that has a verifiable background in helping non-profit organizations to review the entire ANA management structure. This stuff has to stop so that we can get on with the business of building our collections with all of the advantages the ANA can provide us, the members.
Image from Photographs from the Supreme Court’s Collection.
May 30, 2013 | ANA
By now, those who are eligible to vote for the American Numismatic Association Board of Governors have either received their paper ballot or the information with instructions how to vote electronically. Please remember that all ballots are due back to the auditor by June 30, 2013.
For previous elections, I made it a point to learn about the candidates and provided readers with my endorsements and why I endorsed those candidates. Since I am on the ballot, I will not endorse any other candidate this year. I ask that my readers consider my candidacy and those who commit to growing the ANA through honesty, integrity, and a heavy dose to technology in order to attract collectors under 50-years old. Those potential members are the association’s future.
Last night, I posted a letter to ANA members on my election website, vote4scott.info. Please read it and if you have any question, drop me a note. I will be more than happy to discuss any of your concerns.
Thank you!
May 19, 2013 | ANA
Those who attended the candidates forum or watched the forum on the web or on YouTube, saw an interesting mix of candidates and a clear set of issues that will have to be addressed by the American Numismatic Association regardless of who is elected to the Board of Governors.
If you did not see it and have about three hours to spare, here is the video from YouTube. It will start 17 minutes into the recording and there is 35 seconds of “pre-production” audio before Barbara Gregory starts the session.
One of the issues that should concern ANA members is that current members of the Board of Governors admitted to violating the ANA By-laws by their statements. One of the issues that were brought up was that there was a five or seven hour closed meeting. The time differs depending on who is asked. To defend the board, current Governor Mike Ellis said that the meeting was to “Bring the day to day operations of the ANA up to speed.” Later, Vice President and Presidential candidate Walt Ostromecki said, that the board was talking about the impression it was giving and “how we as a board can mesh.” While Ostromecki called this a personnel discussion, the Board of governors are not ANA personnel. They are elected officials whose interaction is the business of the ANA community.
ANA Secretary David Sklow asked if the new candidates have read the ANA By-Laws. Not only have I read the by-laws, I made references to them during the meeting. What Mr. Sklow should have asked is why was a 5-7 hour meeting that did not involve “personnel, including the hiring, compensation, and termination thereof; contractual and litigation matters; awards,” as per Article 5 Section 7, following the by-laws?
Mr. Ostromecki called these personnel matters. However, the soon-to-be president did not characterize the discussion as “such deliberations that the Board members, after due consideration, decide merit confidentiality.” If he did, the Board is required in the same section to produce a discussion and vote about going into closed session.
I want to open the Board to the entire ANA. I want the Board to be accountable to the ANA. The Board should set the policy and not manage the ANA. Day-to-day management is what the Executive Director is supposed to do. I do not want to see this board that either wants to micromanage around the Executive Director or order the Executive Director to implement policy a certain way. If we do that, Kim Kiick will have as much success as the previous Executive Directors. This is not something I want to see.
Even if the current Board members have differing views than those responsible for the current problems, they did not call a point of order to show where there were violations in of the by-laws. Either they violated the by-laws willfully or did so by not attempting to enforce the by-laws. In either case, they cannot be trusted to run the organization properly.
Governor Greg Lyon said in his closing statement that those of us who criticize the current Board do not know the whole story. The problem is that the Board has been so secretive that it is impossible to know the whole story. This is the crux of the problems.
When you vote for the next Board of Governors, vote for candidates who will not hold five-to-seven hour private meetings unless absolutely necessary. Vote for candidates who will not hide behind rules, lawyers, and what looks like an agenda beyond the good of the ANA. Vote for candidates who will commit to broadcasting all meetings that do not have to be private so that all members can participate,.
I will be open and honest with the ANA members and the Board. I will not try to micromanage the office in Colorado Springs. In fact, if Kim Kiick came to the board to ask for assistance, I would be more than happen to ensure she had our full support. However, the Board should never usurp her authority with the staff.
The Board should work for an open and accessible ANA. The Board should invest in the technology it takes to bring the organization into the 21st century. And the Board should be the ambassador leaders for the entire numismatic community on the clear light of day and not behind closed door. In fact, I will work with the Board to use teleconferencing service that will allow members to dial in and listen to the meeting. This service will be able to ask questions during the meeting.
After this forum, I am more committed to my proposed first motion to hire an executive management firm that has a verifiable background in helping non-profit organizations to review the entire ANA management structure. You can read more about it in in this blog post.
Please consider supporting those of us who will work to change the ANA for the better, to make it more open to the members, and for candidates who want to bring more to the members rather than play the petty politics that have plagued the ANA in recent history. On June 1, I will publish my recommendation for the Board of Governors based on why I think they would work for the benefit of you, the members of the ANA.
May 14, 2013 | ANA, coins, shows
Saturday in New Orleans started with my sleeping late and checking out of my hotel. After I left my bags with the concierge and picked up a cup of coffee, I walked over to the convention center.
The weather was better than Friday in that it was sunny with a little humidity. If I had hair it would have been a different problem. But it was just cool enough to be comfortable as I walked over in my sports coat that I wore for the candidates forum.
Panorama of the 2013 National Money Show bourse floor at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans
I did a little looking around the floor and spoke with a few dealers. I did take the opportunity to stop by the booth of Miller’s Mint. I see Harry and Joan Miller at a number of larger shows and will see them next month in Baltimore. I did buy a few smaller items from them before the candidates forum. I will take a look at a few more items they have when I see them next month.
On my way to the candidates forum I saw people I recognized from visiting coin shows in the Mid-Atlantic region. Of course I handed them campaign material and went to the forum.
There was a good crowd at the candidates forum that included Executive Director Kim Kiick, Past President Barry Stuppler, retiring Board members Cliff Mishler and Wendell Wolka, and recently fired Executive Director Jeff Shevlin and his wife.
Just prior to the candidates forum, Jake Sherlock tweeted that the forum would be streamed live on YouTube. I wish they would have announce it sooner so that we could have ensured a larger crowd, but there seems to have been a few people watching with interest. There were two questions from the Interwebs. If we can do more of this, broadcast Board meetings, add classes, and Money Talks lectures, this would be a fantastic step forward.
One cool thing about having the Internet interaction was that during the forum, I tweeted:
Jake Sherlock, the ever diligent watcher of the Twitterverse responded:
Can you imagine if the Board can help better organize the use of technology, the ANA can reach more people and expand its education role not only for members but the public.
The candidates forum last more than three hours, longer than the scheduled two hours. A few of us had to do our summations early so that we could go to the airport to catch flights home.
What the Candidates Forum looked like from my perspective.
After rushing out of the convention center, I quickly walked back to the hotel, collected my bags from the concierge, and caught a cab for the airport. Going through security screening is always fun, especially when your hip is made of titanium. That hip replacement guarantees that I will be patted down every time I go to an airport.
On my way to the gate I found a shop to buy coffee and headed to the gate. After typing notes on my iPad, I looked over and found Wendell Wolka waiting to board the same flight to Atlanta, where we would transfer to separate flights to head home.
After landing at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and fetching my car, I arrived home at 1:00 PM with a rousing welcome from my two puggles Boomer and Tessa. Of course my wife was happy to see me!
In the next few days, I will talk about something I found and the candidates forum. For now, it is time to get some rest!
May 10, 2013 | ANA, auction, coins, currency, shows
It was a rainy day in the Crescent City but that only mattered when I tried to leave my hotel to go to the convention center. Thanks to Michael Weir, the Director of First Impression at the Hilton Garden Inn, a group of three show attendees including myself, were able to get to the convention center without being rained on. Mr. Weir gave us door-to-door service dropping us off under an overhang.
Before I continue, let me give the New Orleans visitors bureau fodder by recommending the city for your next vacation. No matter when I have come here, the people of New Orleans have been accommodating, courteous, and fun. And when you are away from home, having fun is the most important part of a visit!
After stopping to speak with ICTA’s Director Elloise Ullman, I picked up a cup of coffee before walking down to Hall G. Before entering Hall G, I went upstairs to the meeting rooms where I found I missed a talk on so-called dollars because I started to schmooze outside of the hall.
My first stop this morning was to see Steve Roach, the Editor of Coin World. We had a nice conversation where we talked about everything from the upcoming American Numismatic Association Board elections to the production of Coin World Next, their weekly publication that concentrates on one topic.
After a lively conversation with Steve and Tom Mulvaney, who is best known as the instructor of the coin photography class with the ANA Summer Seminar. Tom’s work can be seen all over the numismatic industry. Some day I will be able to take the time off to go to Summer Seminar to take his class.
I wanted to tour the bourse floor but decided to finish touring the exhibits I did not finish. While in the exhibits area I ran into Hollie Weiland, counsel for the ANA. She then introduced me to Beth Papiano. This became an interesting conversation following the criticism I wrote about her. We did talk about what I wrote and why. Hopefully, I will have another opportunity to speak with Beth again and maybe I can understand more about what happened.
Lunch was a little hole-in-the-wall poboy place where I had fried oysters before returning to the convention center to try to do more looking around and meeting people. First, I had to go back to the exhibits and see what I missed. My favorite was the Travancore Chuckram Count Counting Boards. It was an exhibit of these metal boards that were used to count small coins. These are mainly form countries in southwest Asia. There were a lot more involved with this exhibit. Hopefully, I will have a chance to spend time carefully reading the text to learn more. Otherwise, I hope the exhibitor will display it again in Chicago.
At 2 o’clock it was time for the open Board meeting. After a delay because some of the governors were caught in traffic, the meeting proceeded with thunderstorms booming in the background. I do not know if that was a message, but considering the controversies of the past few weeks, there may have been something prophetic about the scene.
But the meeting started with an interesting “ritual.” ANA Past President Barry Stuppler invited his “spiritual advisor” Zar, a Voodoo Priest, to bless, spiritually cleanse, and add good luck to Kim Kiick on her appointment as executive director. Upon the end of the “ceremony,” someone in the crowd commented that this should have been done 10 years ago—referencing the problems with executive directors over the last 10 years.
I will comment about the meeting at another time, but one of the central discussions was the ANA’s web presence and the security of the technical infrastructure. I am glad to hear that the board is taking the move to expand the ANA’s technology seriously. Yes, there was skepticism and references to age-specific issues, it does not appear that the current board will hold back progress. There still needs a few more technologically aware members of the board, which is why I am running for the board.
After the meeting, it was back to the bourse floor to shake a few more hands before going to a reception for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). Rep. Scalise from Lousiana’s first district and succeeded Bobby Jindal after Jindal became governor. Scalise co-sponsored newly introduced H.R. 1849, Collectible Coin Protection Act. This is the same bill that was introduced last year.
Finally, a walk down the hall to the Stacks-Bowers auction to watch the bidding on the various auction lots. Since most of the lots were out of my price range, I watched the action. The few items I could have afforded, I decided not to be a buyer. Some of those coins were hammered at a price higher than I expected. I would have dropped out before the top bids.
After being exhausted from a long day, I availed myself of the dinner service at the auction including the coffee. Meet a few people outside of the auction room came back the hotel. I did call my wife only to listen to one of my neurotic dogs bark at the thunderstorms throughout our conversation.
Tomorrow is the last day of the show and my last day on the floor. The candidate forum will be at 12 noon Central Time. I heard that the ANA arranged to have the two-hour forum broadcast on the Internet. I urge ANA members to watch the forum. If they have a way for you to ask questions, please try to do so! It is your ANA and you have to let the Board of Governors know how you feel.
I will be flying home after the candidates forum and arrive in the Washington, DC area very late. I will have a third-day update sometime on Sunday.
Loading ...