I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and took some time off to relax and give thanks for what they have. I also hope that you would consider helping someone else who does not have the means to help themselves. It could be something as small as a donation to a food bank to a donation of your time to a shelter. Whatever you do, giving can be more satisfying as receiving.

My last entry was about my going to the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention. I was to attend on Friday but circumstances prevented me from arriving in the morning. I was able to spend most of the afternoon walking around checking out the coins and visiting with people. This was Whitman’s third time running the show and it looks like they are really refining the way the show is being presented. A notable refinement was the placement of the Bowers and Merena table along the wall in Hall C was a very good idea. It allowed for more room to let potential bidders to view auction lots and interact with the Bowers and Merena staff.

Along that idea, Whitman placed their own booth in the same area between the Bowers tables and the exhibit from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing making it a good area to visit. BEP brought its “Billion Dollar Exhibit” with currency from past and present. BEP also had sheets of the new $5 Federal Reserve Notes to see the new designs. It was the first time the new notes were on display for the public. Although I am not a currency collector, I like how the BEP does their exhibit and makes their people available to ask questions. The US Mint should learn from the BEP how to put together an exhibit. After all, the Mint has one of the most extensive collections of US coins outside of the Smithsonian Institute. They should use shows like Baltimore to show off the collection.

As always, I enjoyed myself and purchased a few neat items. I will discuss my experiences in a few posts over the next week-or-so along with images of my purchases. What’s a good story without pictures, other than a fish story!

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