The Greatest Show on Earth!

In the last few weeks, everyone in my company has been making plans for the upcoming ”World's Fair of Money“ that will be conducted in Chicago next month. The show is put on by the American Numismatic Association (ANA). The organization has been holding the annual convention since the early part of the last century. It is by far the most important rare coin convention held each year. Dealers and world mints from around the world attend to display their wares. Over 10,000 collectors are expected to attend the Chicago edition of this important convention. There will also be thousands of rare coins and currency sold at auction over a ten day period. This year’s sales will probably exceed $50,000,000. There will be something for everyone!

The summer convention is also an important educational opportunity for collectors. Several seminars and numismatic talks are planned. I will be giving a talk “How to Accurately Value U.S. Coinage” on Monday of the convention. It will be a two hour version of the class I gave at the ANA summer seminar. Many national collector clubs also hold their annual meetings during the ANA. There will be meetings for everything from Bust Half Dollars collectors to Conder Token collectors. You can check the convention program for times and places of the lectures and meetings.

Collectors will also be able to see one of the largest exhibit areas ever offered at a rare coin convention. Dozens of collectors will have competitive displays of rare coins and currency. This part of the convention is very educational and highly recommended. It’s a great opportunity to see passionate collecting at its best.

The summer ANA show is also an important opportunity for rare coin fellowship. Many clubs and numismatic organizations hold breakfast or dinner meetings. These events are a great place to meet others with similar interests. On Monday night the Professional Numismatist Guild will holds its annual awards banquet. They are usually held at a fantastic location and are well attended. Tuesday night the ANA will host a kick-off party for the show at the Shedd Aquarium. Later in the week, the ANA will also host an awards banquet. Coin dealers and collectors like great food and Chicago is sure to please!

The main reason the ANA is the “Greatest Show on Earth” is the incredible bourse. There will be hundreds of millions of dollars in rare coins and currency for sale. Everything including tokens, medals, currency, US coins, world coins, ancient coins and numismatic books will be offered for sale. The bourse floor this year is planned to be the largest ever measuring over 200,000 square feet. The average WalMart is around 100,000 square feet. Many dealers save special material for the ANA convention and some of the largest numismatic transactions of the year take place at these shows. There will probably be several seven figure deals trade hands.

My own personal experience with ANA conventions goes back to 1974. I lived in Florida at the time and because of the close proximity, I was able to attend the 1974 Miami ANA show. A local dealer, Ed French, allowed me to tag along for the ride. It was truly an eye opening experience for a 16 year old from Tampa, Florida. I still remember seeing the legendary dealer, Abe Kosoff, standing in a white summer suit, with two show cases holding one coin each. One held a 1907 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle, the other a Gem Syracuse Decadrachm. I think my budget for the show was $50. I somehow managed to make it last all week! My experience at the 1974 ANA show had a tremendous impact on my decision to be a rare coins dealer. I loved the excitement and I have not missed an ANA show since. This year’s show will be my 38th in a row.

The internet has had a profound impact on numismatics. Collectors around the world can conduct business and study rare coins on their computers. These are all positive, but there is nothing like attending a major rare coin convention. They are inspirational and exciting. Make plans to attend this year’s show if at all possible. Complete information about the show can be found at www.money.org.

Abe Kosoff is no longer around, but there will be plenty of other legends to meet in person!

Jeff Garrett bio