YN exhibit award endowed; exhibitors need to register for Atlanta
The award given to Young Numismatists who competitively exhibit United States coins, patterns or colonial pieces at the American Numismatic Association (ANA) conventions has been endowed.
ANA Governor Kay Edgerton Lenker donated $3,500 to support the annual exhibit prize award at the Association’s World’s Fair of Money.
“I wanted to honor two men in my life who were long-time mentors for juniors – Stuart T. Edgerton and John E. Lenker,” Lenker says. “My first husband (Edgerton) and I began collecting when we both working in Washington, D.C., and John had been a collector for a long time, joining the ANA in 1934. This exhibit category needed funding, and I thought this was a good way to remember Stuart’s and John’s contributions to the hobby and the ANA.”
Three other competitive exhibit categories for Young Numismatists (age 22 and younger) that need endowment funding include Class Y2, for displays of coins from any foreign country; Class Y3, for exhibits of United States and foreign paper money and paper numismatica; and Class Y5, for displays of medals and tokens of all countries.
The ANA has seven competitive exhibit categories for Young Numismatists and presents the Charles H. Wolfe Sr. Memorial Award for YN Best-in-Show Exhibit. YN exhibitors also compete with collectors of all ages for awards in 24 categories, and can be named the “World Champion Numismatic Exhibitor” and winner of the Howland Wood Memorial Award for Best-in-Show Exhibit. In addition all exhibitors have the opportunity to win the Thos. H. Law Award for First-Time Exhibitors, the Rodger E. Hershey Memorial People’s Choice Exhibit Award and the Derek Pobjoy Award for Best Exhibit of Modern World Commemorative Coins.
The ANA currently is seeking competitive and non-competitive numismatic exhibits for its World’s Fair of Money in Atlanta, Georgia, August 8-12.
Radford Stearns, exhibit chairman for the show, says, “The rewards of exhibiting can be very satisfying. When you prepare a display, you have the satisfaction of learning more about the items you love and sharing your knowledge with others. You might even stimulate interest in your collecting specialty, which could increase demand and the value of your material.”
Stearns acknowledges some collectors are hesitant to exhibit at an ANA convention. “Many feel that their coins aren’t good enough,” he says, explaining that in the ANA’s competitive exhibit categories, rarity and value constitute only 10 percent of the total possible score.
Other collectors are concerned that they do not have enough coins to exhibit, but Stearns counters, “Some of the most effective displays I have seen feature only one or two coins or medals. What’s important is how well you tell the story behind the items.” Security also is of concern for would-be exhibitors, but Stearns says, “No material has ever been stolen from an exhibitor’s case during an ANA show. The bourse floor and exhibit area have round-the-clock security.”
He does, however, caution exhibitors to be extremely careful when transporting material to and from the show. “If your coins are worth a great deal, you can arrange for an armored car to pick them up at your bank and deliver them to the convention.”
Stearns offers the following tips for preparing an attractive, prize-winning display:
- • Select a theme for an exhibit and convey it to the viewer through the title and introduction.
- • Develop an attractive color scheme to show off material to its best advantage. (For example, gold and silver coins look very nice against a black, velvet background, while dark, copper coins do not.)
- • Label each item clearly.
- • Avoid a cluttered appearance.
- • Accessorize displays with maps, flags, photographs or other artifacts.
- • Talk with fellow collectors and other exhibitors about your display. Learn from their experience.
Exhibit applications for the World’s Fair of Money 2001 in Atlanta must be received by June 11.
To request an application and guidelines, contact the ANA Convention Department, 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279; telephone 719/632-2646; fax 719/634-4085; e-mail anacvn@money.org.
Originally Release Date: April 20, 2001
ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9872
Email: pr@money.org