When one catches a cold, life becomes miserable as we slog through our daily routines. Add the bad weather to the cold symptoms and getting out of bed becomes a chore. So after the dog climbed into bed to wake me up, I went to the computer to check my email to see a note from the American Numismatic Association announcing two courses will be taught at the Whitman Baltimore Coin and Currency Show in February.
While everyone points to the FUN Show as the beginning of the numismatic year, I look to Baltimore. After all, the Baltimore Convention Center is a little more than a one hour drive. And since Whitman took over the show, there have been many improvements that make it more enjoyable. One of the improvements was the inviting of the ANA School of Numismatics to teach courses on site. I love walking the floor looking for bargains and coins to fill the holes in my collection. I have also met a number of great people who are regulars in Baltimore. I look forward to seeing them again.
For this show, the ANA will present Understanding Die Varieties and Coin Collecting 101. Both classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Baltimore Convention Center. For more information see the ANA School of Numismatics website for more information.
Last year, I recommended the Coin Collecting 101 to a new collector based on the description of the course. He enjoyed the course so much that he became an ANA member at the show. This morning, he said that he will be coming back to the show from suburban Philadelphia so he can take the Understanding Die Varieties course. Since this friend is also in information security, and those of us in this business tend to be skeptics by nature, I think this is high praise.
If nothing else, if you are in the area, you need to drop by the Baltimore Convention Center. It will be worth the trip.