When I first entered the bourse of the World's Fair of Money taking place in Philadelphia, all I could say was, "wow." As this was my first ANA convention, I was amazed just at the vast size of the bourse. To compare in size, the bourse of the largest show I had been to up to that point was about 100 tables. In this article, I am going to tell you about some of the highlights for me from attending the 2012 World's Fair of Money.

I first arrived at the World's Fair of Money on the last day of the ANA/PNG Pre-Show to set up my exhibit. Just going through the vast rows of tables of dealers preparing for the next week of buying and selling made me amazed. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post,  I had attended the "Creating a Winning Numismatic Exhibit" course at the 2012 ANA Summer Seminar to prepare for this convention. I had thought about how good the exhibits would be but once I got there, the reality of the competition really set in. All of the exhibitors prepared excellent exhibits and it would be really tough to get an award. After setting up my exhibit and helping my mom with hers, we left for the day.

The next few days were the start of the best part of the convention. I was up at the convention center right for the opening ceremonies. After ANA President Tom Hallenbeck, along with some other important dignitaries conducted their official duties, the bourse was opened for the day to a packed crowd of eager numismatists. Once I got through into the bourse, my first stop was to go see the Royal Canadian Mint, who had a limited-edition set that was made just for the convention. With the fact that the Canadian one cent coin (the penny) was being taken out of circulation, it would be a very sought-after set. The staff from the mint had met me at many other events and were happy to see me. After that, I went to the ANA Area to take part in the YN Treasure Trivia. The Treasure Trivia is a "trivia scavenger hunt" through the bourse, talking to participating dealers to get the answers to numismatic questions. As I went through, the dealers gave me an opportunity to guess before they helped me get the answer.  I could say that I did pretty well, finishing with 28 correct answers out of 29 questions. 

All through the convention,  I got to go through the bourse and buy a few new items for my collection. Meeting with many dealers, I bought many different items including a few items that were "close to home" for me. Some of the highlights included an 1890 Morgan dollar in (AU-55),  an 1883 U.S. 5-cent coin (No Cents: F-12), a few ancient coins and a whole bunch of other small items. The dealers are really good with all of the kids that they see on the floor, often giving them special deals or giving them a low-priced coin for free.

This convention had excellent programs for the YNs to take part in. Including the Treasure Trivia event, YNs could take part in the activities run by the staff at the Kids Zone, attend educational sessions and learn how to exhibit. The best part was the YN Breakfast and Auction held on the Saturday of the convention. During the auction, young numismatists get to bid on a wide variety of coins and paper money using dollars earned from being active in the hobby. This year, the auction had a lot of excellent items such as Morgan Dollars, mint sets and 1800s foreign coins. Brad Karloff (the auctioneer for the event), along with Rod Gillis (ANA Numismatic Educator) run the program, ensuring that everyone had fun and got a lot of items during the auction. It was a great time and I am already  preparing for a trip in the future.
  

In conclusion, the World's Fair of Money was an awesome event. I would encourage any of you who are reading to consider attending. There is something for everyone, including the educational presentations, the bourse, the exhibits and the fellowship with other numismatists. I am already preparing for a trip to the 2014 event being held in Chicago. 

The writer with ANA Governor and Summer Seminar instructor Mike Ellis

A view of the bourse

There was buying and selling everywhere on the floor.

A drawing for a spot in the Cash Cube.

ANA President Tom Hallenbeck and Executive Director Jeff Shevlin accept the 2nd last Canadian One Cent piece for the Edward Rochette Money Museum from Royal Canadian Mint Chairman James Love.

A view of the bourse from above.

The writer being presented the Derek Pobjoy Award for Best Exhibit of Modern World Commemorative Coins from ANA Vice President Walter Ostromecki.

The preperation for the start of the YN Auction. 

2009 YN of the Year Cole Schenewerk contemplating his next move at the YN Auction.