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scarlettinaThe Baltimore convention center is mammoth. It straddles two city blocks and goes up two stories. I enter the building and find it ... empty ... on the side closest to my hotel. I cross the length of the building, following signs that say simply, "Money Show." I realize that I'm headed in the right direction when I see a bunch of men and women in business-casual attire dragging wheelied briefcases behind them. It's weird having this numismatic radar; it's like having that fan radar you develop after going to SF conventions for a while. You just know what your tribe looks like. When did this community become a tribe of mine? (Business casual? Wheelied briefcases?) I still haven't figured it out.
I go down an escalator to registration and survey the crowd. Age is mostly 40-plus, far more men than women. No one, and I mean no one, is wearing tee shirts. Men are dressed mostly in button-down shirts or polos, slacks or shorts. There are almost no blue jeans here. The women are mostly dressed either in weirdly frilly clothes or dressed down to a level that suggests the idea of positive self-image fled years ago. My personal presentation lies somewhere in the middle. I look younger than most of the women here (thanks for the genes, Ma!). At registration, I get a badge with my name handwritten upon it, and a four-color, professionally published program book measuring about 4.5" x 10". The economy with which the thing is put together is impressive.
I head into the bourse, a combination dealer's room, exhibit hall, trade show floor and club midway. It seems to be the size of a football field; there's no other way to describe how freaking huge is it. I have no idea which way to turn. Partly this sensation comes from genuine ignorance about how things are arranged, and part comes out of the pure excitement of being there. My first instinct was to try to find something familiar so I can get a little anchored and more easily get my bearings. I found myself at the ANA booth, where I purchased a World Mints Passport (on which more in a moment), and asked for directions to The Elongated Collectors (TEC) booth (that's the smashed penny club).
I found the TEC booth mainly because as I walked down the aisle I was sent toward, I heard someone call my name. It was NW, one of my oldest friends in the community. She leaped out of her seat in the booth and enveloped me in a huge hug. I suddenly felt much better. We caught up a bit, then left the booth in someone else's hands while we headed toward the World Mints midway. On the way, we ran into John Wilson, a former president of the ANA; he's the guy who signed me up as an ANA member years ago and he remembered me. Eventually, we disentangled ourselves and got over to the World Mints aisles. My mission: To fill out my World Mints Passport.
The World Mints Passport is a great idea. You pay $12 and get this four-color booklet that includes an introduction, a trivia quiz, and then a page each about the national mints from each of 15 countries. Stapled into the middle of the booklet is a plastic folder with pockets for coins. The idea is that you stop at each mint booth on the midway, they stamp your passport, and provide you with a coin from their country. It's the coolest souvenir, and it allowed me to talk to folks from all over the world. It also allowed me to see beautiful coinage I'd never seen before. New Zealand has kiwi birds on some of their coins; the coin they gave me has a beautiful Maori design on it. Some South African coins have elephants on them; the one I received shows a bird of paradise flower. Canada is issuing a series of quarters in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics; my quarter has a skate boarder on it. The Chinese coin I received displays a pair of irises.
As I finished up my tour, I heard someone paged--the man who taught the seminar I attended in Colorado Springs several years ago. I headed over to the booth he'd been directed to and we caught up a little. He scolded me (in a good-natured way) for not staying in touch, then invited me to attend the Token and Medal Society Meeting and Seminar with him a little later. As he had an appointment before the meeting, I stopped for lunch, then headed up to meet him there. The seminar turned out to be a half-hour presentation about the history of Baltimore as seen through tokens and medals. The slide show was good, but the presenter was a little dry and didn't share the depth of information I might have hoped for. It was all about the pretty pictures, which was fine in the end. After a very brief Q&A and the presentation of a thank-you medal from the president to the presenter, the meeting adjourned. There was no real meeting per se, which surprised me.
I headed back down to the bourse to stroll through the exhibit area. The exhibits are all assembled by ANA members and are competitively judged; visitors can also vote for a People's Choice Award. Picking a favorite was hard. There were so many I liked, and the subjects ranged widely:
--"A Century of Progress": Centered around the coins, tokens and (sterling silver and crystal) souvenirs of the Century of Progress International Exhibition held in Chicago in 1933-34
--"Bison Nickname: Buffalo": Coins, tokens and postcards featuring bison
--"American Political Convention Tickets": Featured beautiful intaglio-engraved tickets from decades ago until today
--"Off the Beaten Numismatic Path": Asked (and answered) the question, "What happens when you get tired of collecting coins?" Answer: Move to collecting tokens, medals, and ephemera. Some wonderful stuff in this exhibit.
--"Engraved Coins as Judeo-Christian or Neo-Pagan Amulets": A collection of coins engraved with arcane symbols and lots of Hebrew lettering. The descriptions were knowledgeable and respectful. The exhibit included source books and ritual items including a gorgeous athame.
--"The Story and Examples of Military Challenge Coins": Thought of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gaelfarce when I saw this, as he introduced me to these (conceptually) shortly after we met. This was a beautiful collection of brightly enameled coins.
--"Egyptian Theme Casino Chips and Tokens from the Luxor-Las Vegas, Nevada": I enjoyed this exhibit with its Egyptian theme. Fun to see gaming chips presented with serious, scholarly attention.
In the end, I chose the "Bison Nickname: Buffalo" for my People's Choice vote, though it was tough. But this one offered in-depth, scholarly information presented in a clear, accessible and fun way.
During my crawl through the exhibits, someone--from across the aisle--said, "You must bescarlettina; only you would spend so much time reading each exhibit." I looked up to discover TEC's vice president, OP, a jovial Israeli man whom I'd never met in person before. I still don't know how he recognized me. We chatted for about 20 minutes--club gossip, mostly--then parted company.
I headed back to the TEC booth where I met one of the legends of penny smashing, Ray Dillard, an engraver/roller who's been involved in numismatics for longer than I've been alive. Shortly afterward, another club member steered me toward my first venture into the dealer aisles. I knew I was in trouble when he took me to a token dealer who had a box full of antique elongated coins. My prize of the day was a 1910 B.P.O.E. elongated cent: beautifully engraved, perfectly centered on the coin, with a gorgeous brown patina. A couple of dealers that I know stopped by while I considered my purchase, and it's possible that my acquaintance with these folks persuaded the dealer I was buying from to knock the price down considerably (which was good--this thing is a treasure; I got a deal). After spending far too much time at this table, it was time for me to head out of the show.
The day concluded with dinner withsetsyoustraight, stunning as ever, who picked me up in her purple Saturn and took me to a marvelous restaurant in the Fells Point neighborhood called Pazo. We shared tapas and drinks and gabbed like crazy. The ambience of the place was wonderful and all the food very, very good. I highly recommend it. We were together until about 9 PM--far too short a visit. I feel as though missing her is one of the prices I pay for living in Seattle. We live much too far away from each other. I missed her the moment she walked out the door.
Tomorrow, it's all smashed coins all the time. Can't wait! And now? Bed.
I go down an escalator to registration and survey the crowd. Age is mostly 40-plus, far more men than women. No one, and I mean no one, is wearing tee shirts. Men are dressed mostly in button-down shirts or polos, slacks or shorts. There are almost no blue jeans here. The women are mostly dressed either in weirdly frilly clothes or dressed down to a level that suggests the idea of positive self-image fled years ago. My personal presentation lies somewhere in the middle. I look younger than most of the women here (thanks for the genes, Ma!). At registration, I get a badge with my name handwritten upon it, and a four-color, professionally published program book measuring about 4.5" x 10". The economy with which the thing is put together is impressive.
I head into the bourse, a combination dealer's room, exhibit hall, trade show floor and club midway. It seems to be the size of a football field; there's no other way to describe how freaking huge is it. I have no idea which way to turn. Partly this sensation comes from genuine ignorance about how things are arranged, and part comes out of the pure excitement of being there. My first instinct was to try to find something familiar so I can get a little anchored and more easily get my bearings. I found myself at the ANA booth, where I purchased a World Mints Passport (on which more in a moment), and asked for directions to The Elongated Collectors (TEC) booth (that's the smashed penny club).
I found the TEC booth mainly because as I walked down the aisle I was sent toward, I heard someone call my name. It was NW, one of my oldest friends in the community. She leaped out of her seat in the booth and enveloped me in a huge hug. I suddenly felt much better. We caught up a bit, then left the booth in someone else's hands while we headed toward the World Mints midway. On the way, we ran into John Wilson, a former president of the ANA; he's the guy who signed me up as an ANA member years ago and he remembered me. Eventually, we disentangled ourselves and got over to the World Mints aisles. My mission: To fill out my World Mints Passport.
The World Mints Passport is a great idea. You pay $12 and get this four-color booklet that includes an introduction, a trivia quiz, and then a page each about the national mints from each of 15 countries. Stapled into the middle of the booklet is a plastic folder with pockets for coins. The idea is that you stop at each mint booth on the midway, they stamp your passport, and provide you with a coin from their country. It's the coolest souvenir, and it allowed me to talk to folks from all over the world. It also allowed me to see beautiful coinage I'd never seen before. New Zealand has kiwi birds on some of their coins; the coin they gave me has a beautiful Maori design on it. Some South African coins have elephants on them; the one I received shows a bird of paradise flower. Canada is issuing a series of quarters in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics; my quarter has a skate boarder on it. The Chinese coin I received displays a pair of irises.
As I finished up my tour, I heard someone paged--the man who taught the seminar I attended in Colorado Springs several years ago. I headed over to the booth he'd been directed to and we caught up a little. He scolded me (in a good-natured way) for not staying in touch, then invited me to attend the Token and Medal Society Meeting and Seminar with him a little later. As he had an appointment before the meeting, I stopped for lunch, then headed up to meet him there. The seminar turned out to be a half-hour presentation about the history of Baltimore as seen through tokens and medals. The slide show was good, but the presenter was a little dry and didn't share the depth of information I might have hoped for. It was all about the pretty pictures, which was fine in the end. After a very brief Q&A and the presentation of a thank-you medal from the president to the presenter, the meeting adjourned. There was no real meeting per se, which surprised me.
I headed back down to the bourse to stroll through the exhibit area. The exhibits are all assembled by ANA members and are competitively judged; visitors can also vote for a People's Choice Award. Picking a favorite was hard. There were so many I liked, and the subjects ranged widely:
--"A Century of Progress": Centered around the coins, tokens and (sterling silver and crystal) souvenirs of the Century of Progress International Exhibition held in Chicago in 1933-34
--"Bison Nickname: Buffalo": Coins, tokens and postcards featuring bison
--"American Political Convention Tickets": Featured beautiful intaglio-engraved tickets from decades ago until today
--"Off the Beaten Numismatic Path": Asked (and answered) the question, "What happens when you get tired of collecting coins?" Answer: Move to collecting tokens, medals, and ephemera. Some wonderful stuff in this exhibit.
--"Engraved Coins as Judeo-Christian or Neo-Pagan Amulets": A collection of coins engraved with arcane symbols and lots of Hebrew lettering. The descriptions were knowledgeable and respectful. The exhibit included source books and ritual items including a gorgeous athame.
--"The Story and Examples of Military Challenge Coins": Thought of
gaelfarce when I saw this, as he introduced me to these (conceptually) shortly after we met. This was a beautiful collection of brightly enameled coins.--"Egyptian Theme Casino Chips and Tokens from the Luxor-Las Vegas, Nevada": I enjoyed this exhibit with its Egyptian theme. Fun to see gaming chips presented with serious, scholarly attention.
In the end, I chose the "Bison Nickname: Buffalo" for my People's Choice vote, though it was tough. But this one offered in-depth, scholarly information presented in a clear, accessible and fun way.
During my crawl through the exhibits, someone--from across the aisle--said, "You must be
scarlettina; only you would spend so much time reading each exhibit." I looked up to discover TEC's vice president, OP, a jovial Israeli man whom I'd never met in person before. I still don't know how he recognized me. We chatted for about 20 minutes--club gossip, mostly--then parted company.I headed back to the TEC booth where I met one of the legends of penny smashing, Ray Dillard, an engraver/roller who's been involved in numismatics for longer than I've been alive. Shortly afterward, another club member steered me toward my first venture into the dealer aisles. I knew I was in trouble when he took me to a token dealer who had a box full of antique elongated coins. My prize of the day was a 1910 B.P.O.E. elongated cent: beautifully engraved, perfectly centered on the coin, with a gorgeous brown patina. A couple of dealers that I know stopped by while I considered my purchase, and it's possible that my acquaintance with these folks persuaded the dealer I was buying from to knock the price down considerably (which was good--this thing is a treasure; I got a deal). After spending far too much time at this table, it was time for me to head out of the show.
The day concluded with dinner with
setsyoustraight, stunning as ever, who picked me up in her purple Saturn and took me to a marvelous restaurant in the Fells Point neighborhood called Pazo. We shared tapas and drinks and gabbed like crazy. The ambience of the place was wonderful and all the food very, very good. I highly recommend it. We were together until about 9 PM--far too short a visit. I feel as though missing her is one of the prices I pay for living in Seattle. We live much too far away from each other. I missed her the moment she walked out the door.Tomorrow, it's all smashed coins all the time. Can't wait! And now? Bed.
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no subject
Date: Fri, Aug. 1st, 2008 04:41 am (UTC)Mine are from:
* 4th Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment + C Co, 228th Aviation Regiment (my unit while I was stationed in Alaska) - I had my nickname and service dates engraved on it and a hole drilled in it, and used it as a keychain for years.
* The Defense Language Institute (at least I'm pretty sure I have a DLI coin somewhere).
* 341st Military Intelligence Battalion - my National Guard unit.
The only one I can reliably lay hands on at the moment is the 341st MI Bn coin, but I'd be happy to scare up the others if you'd like to see them.
no subject
Date: Fri, Aug. 1st, 2008 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Fri, Aug. 1st, 2008 11:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Fri, Aug. 1st, 2008 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Fri, Aug. 1st, 2008 03:06 pm (UTC)Apparently I might be mistaken for you at times, though: "only you would spend so much time reading each exhibit" sounds awfully familiar....
no subject
Date: Sat, Aug. 2nd, 2008 03:56 am (UTC)