Bluesman Jimmy Reed had a fairly big hit with "Bright Lights, Big City" back thirty years or so, and it would have made a fitting piece of theme music for this year’s ANA Convention which was held in mid-town Manhattan, just a stone’s throw away from the infamous Times Square. Bright lights were definitely aglow in the big city as David Boitnott and I drove into town for a day of numismatic treasure hunting.

After following the ongoing debate about this year’s ANA convention in the trade press, I wasn’t sure what to expect from NYC’s first ANA Convention since 1986. Was the large metropolitan area going to embrace the show and turn out in record numbers? Or would fears of the "big city" keep collectors away and turn the convention floor into a ghost bourse?

As it turned out, I think most would agree that the show was a notable success. The bourse floor was quite busy, and many of the dealers that I talked to mentioned how well they were doing -- and this with two days of Convention still to come! The show featured the usual roster of numismatic luminaries --ANA President-elect Anthony Swiatek, ANA Vice President-elect Scott Travers, U.S. Mint Director Philip Deihl, and artist J.S. Boggs were among those that I saw -- and offered an impressive variety of dealers, educational seminars, and club meetings.

One of the highlights of the day for me involved a Numismatic Theater presentation featuring Mr. Deihl. I was impressed by his presence, his knowledge of the issues swirling about in our hobby, and his compassion for the plight of today’s U.S. Mint customers. He began his talk by announcing that the Treasury Department had reported to Congress that it did not have any objections to the 10-year commemorative quarter program that it had been asked to study, and said he expected quick action in Congress to get an authorizing bill in place for President Clinton’s signature in the Fall. He expected that the first coins would be made available in either 1999 or 2000.

After his opening comments, Deihl spent 45 minutes answering questions from the audience. He did not side step a single question, and was very open to hearing what audience members had on their minds. I left the session with nothing but good feelings for the Director, and wondered how many of those who have publicly bashed him really understand his position.

Talking to ANA staffers at the Association’s booth, I learned that the official Convention medals in bronze and silver were hot items and had sold out by the time I inquired about them on Friday -- I was able to get the official convention badge with ribbon, however, but they were also starting to be in short supply. On the other end of the spectrum, however, were the sales of the Mint Passport souvenir. These "passports" could be purchased for a small fee at the ANA booth (I believe around $10), and then filled with a free coin from each of the Mints who had a booth in the convention. A quick check of the "Mint Mile" as it is called, found mint representatives from Canada, France, the U.K., Mexico, Thailand, Australia, Andorra, South Africa, the U.S. and several others. In the past, these passports were strong sellers. Maybe the novelty of them is wearing off, or maybe this was not a "collector’s" convention, as much as an "investor’s." 

One of the things that lead me to ponder this possibility was the difference I noticed in the two-floor bourse. Unlike other ANA Conventions that I have attended, this year’s lacked the lower-end coins and collectibles that often were the center of activity for YNs and collectors on more modest budgets. I suppose the limited number of dealer tables available, coupled with the unusually high cost of the tables, combined to squeeze out some of the smaller dealers who focus on "average" collectors. Lots of high-end coins were available, however, including a complete set of four Stellas at Stacks! I passed on the set, figuring that David Boitnott was the gold collector amongst the two of us and I didn’t want him to be disappointed. Turns out, he passed on the set also! Go figure.

I met Halbert at the Convention, and discovered that he was part of the team of judges for the educational exhibits. He mentioned that the number of exhibits was lower than at previous Conventions, and that some of the exhibit categories didn’t have a single entry. After looking through all of the exhibits, both David and I agreed that there were few that were better than average, and many that lacked one or more of the basic elements of a good exhibit. Such criteria as a clear title, and good background information (either historical or numismatic) were often ignored by exhibitors. The exhibits displayed at our most recent RCC shows would not have been out of place. 

As much as I enjoyed the show, my biggest excitement came after David and I left the Convention and headed to meet a collector that I have corresponded with in Queens Village. Howard Turner is the man’s name, and he is a pioneering collector in the area of National Commemorative Medals produced by the U.S. Mint. (As some of you may know, I have been researching this series of medals for a book I am writing about them.) Mr. Turner is in his mid-70’s, and has been looking to sell his nearly complete set of medals for the last year or so. To make a long story short, I purchased Mr. Turner’s collection, along with some of his research material, and have thus taken a huge jump forward in my publication efforts. I’ll share more about the collection and the series in upcoming issues of the newsletter. 

In summary, I’m glad I made the trip to NYC and the ANA Convention. I saw some coins in person that I’m not likely to see very often (the NGC table had a number of exquisite rarities including an 1804 dollar!), I had fun talking with a bunch of coin and medals dealers, and I got to experience the energy that only a large convention can generate. All in all, a pretty fair return on a few hours in the car and a couple of nights at the Days Inn.

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