ANA'S PHILADELPHIA SHOW IS SIMPLY THE BEST

The American Numismatic Association's (ANA) World's Fair of Money 2000 in Philadelphia was outstanding in every respect.

Nearly 21,000 people came through the doors of the Pennsylvania Convention Center between August 9 and 13, with the ANA recycling registration badges to provide the thousands of new visitors each day with access to the sold-out bourse. A record-number of new members (353) signed up at the convention, and the ANA sold out of its World Mints Passports, which offered convention attendees the opportunity to get coins from 22 mints at the show.

Dealers were busy throughout the convention, as people stood in line to buy and sell coins, paper money, tokens and medals. ANA authenticator Brian Silliman says he saw more than a half dozen 1907 high-relief Saint-Gaudens $20 gold pieces brought in for authentication.

An extensive newspaper, television and radio advertising and publicity campaign, orchestrated by the ANA and Minkus & Dunne Communications of Chicago, drew tremendous attention throughout the media. News stories appeared on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS and WB network television stations, and numerous feature stories were published in The Philadelphia Inquirer and transmitted by the Associated Press.

Much of the news attention was focused on the "Ship of Gold," the first public display in Philadelphia of California Gold Rush sunken treasure from the 1857 wreck of the S.S. Central America. Valued at $20 million, the Ship of Gold educational exhibit was presented by the California Gold Marketing Group. (The exhibit also will be available for public viewing at the ANA's National Money Show in Salt Lake City, March 8-10, 2001.)

To promote the convention, three, 1914-D Lincoln cents, donated by Ken Hallenbeck Coin Gallery, were placed into circulation in the Philadelphia area, with rewards of $100 each offered for their return to the convention. In addition a set of 1900-dated coins (1 cent to $1), donated by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) was put into circulation to get people to look at the money in their pockets and come to the show. As prizes for free drawings, NGC also donated two "Century Sets," consisting of coins (cent through dollar) from 1900. In a drawing on Sunday, August 13, James T. Rolesinski of Miami, Florida, received one set. Coins from the other set were given away at the Abe Kosoff/ Professional Numismatists Guild Young Numismatists Awards Breakfast on Saturday, August 12.

Mary Halsall from the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) appeared on WPVI-TV on the opening day of the convention, discussing the BEP's $1 billion exhibit and the convention. She also fielded numerous queries from reporters and the public at the show.

A film crew from the History Channel set up on the bourse during the show, gathering material for a four-hour program on gold expected to air sometime next year.

The U.S. Mint's new director, Jay W. Johnson, helped to open the show after a letter of welcome from President Clinton was read. Throughout the five-day event, Johnson visited with collectors, dealers, visitors and representatives from other world mints.

Convention general chairman William H. Horton Jr. received the Good Fellow Award at the opening ceremonies, and Harry Forman and Stephen Taylor were honored as honorary general chairmen. The show was hosted by Eastern States Numismatic Association and the Red Rose Coin Club, with 10 honorary host clubs: Ben Franklin Coin Club, Currency Club of Chester County, Double Eagle Coin Club, Liberty Bell Coin Club, Main Line Coin Club, Philadelphia Coin Club, Roxborough Coin Club, West Chester Coin Club, William Penn Coin Club and Wilmington Coin Club.

Auctions by Bowers and Merena, which conducted the official ANA sale, realized nearly $6.95 million in the five-session sale. The first discovered specimen of the Sacagawea dollar with a Washington quarter obverse sold for $29,900 to Dwight Manley of the California Gold Marketing Group.

Manley and other members of the California Gold Marketing Group later donated $5,000 to the Association's fund to help YNs attend the ANA Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Manley also donated an 1857-S double eagle recovered from the S.S. Central America to the ANA Money Museum.

The ANA Education Department hosted more than 50 hours of free programming, and gave away more than 650 of the popular "Treasure Trivia Games" to students age 6 to 18. Alex Johnson, 13, of Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, won the first-prize, a Spanish pillar dollar, in the Treasure Trivia drawing. Other prizes awarded include an ancient coin, a New Jersey colonial piece and an early American large cent.

Twenty-nine sponsors and nearly 200 patrons contributed a record $107,700 to support the ANA convention. The six Title Sponsors - Delaware Valley Rare Coin Co.; eBay, Inc.; H.E. Harris & Co.; Heritage Auctions; Krause Publications; and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation - each donated $10,000. Twenty-three Secondary Sponsors each contributed from $1,000 to $9,000, with National Gold Exchange, Main Line Coin and Stamp, Seabury & Smith, Texas Numismatic Investments and Scott Travers Rare Coins contributing the convention marketing.

Walter Fortner won a set of convention medals when his name was drawn at random from the hundreds of members who pre-registered for the show via the ANA's web site, www.money.org.

Arthur M. Kagin received the ANA's highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service, at the convention banquet on Saturday evening, where Russell Rulau and Krause Publications received the ANA's Lifetime Achievement Award; Thomas D. Rogers Sr. received the Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture; and Q. David Bowers received the Burnett Anderson Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing. Also at the banquet, Robert L. Hendershott, Edward C. Rochette, Russell Rulau and the late Oscar H. Dodson were inducted into the ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame.

At the banquet, Governor John Wilson was formally sworn in as ANA's new vice president, and Barry Stuppler was formally sworn into office as a member of the ANA Board of Governors.

Lawrence Sekulich received the Howland Wood Memorial Award for Best-in-Show Exhibit for "Arethusa: A Numismatic Muse." The Rodger E. Hershey Memorial People's Choice Exhibit Award was given to Raymond M. Waltz for "United States Stamps and Currency of the Same Design." Eric Li Cheung received the Charles H. Wolfe Sr. Award for YN Best-in-Show Exhibit for "Vermont's Copper Coinage of the Confederation Period."