ANA conventions among topics of board meeting

Selecting a city to serve as the host for a major coin convention requires show planners to weigh a lot of factors. ANA staff and officials have worked toward identifying new locations for their annual shows.

Original images courtesy of the American Numismatic Association.

Dates for a number of future editions of the American Numismatic Association National Money Show and World’s Fair of Money were approved by the ANA Board of Governors meeting recently.

The World’s Fair of Money for 2023 is already scheduled for Aug. 8 to 12 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, and will return there three years later for the Aug. 25 to 29, 2026, convention.

Other dates and locations selected for the World’s Fair of Money are:

➤ Aug. 6 to 10, 2024, Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

➤ Aug. 19 to 23, 2025, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Convention Center.

For the National Money Show, the March 14 to 16, 2024, installment will be staged at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The 2023 National Money Show was staged March 2 to 4 in Phoenix, Arizona.

In conjunction with the Phoenix show, the ANA Board discussed the following topics, but took no formal action, according to Deborah Muehleisen, ANA marketing and communications director:

➤ New dues model: The board of governors discussed increasing membership dues in an attempt to bridge the rising costs associated with producing and mailing the ANA journal, The Numismatist. Although advertising rates in the monthly magazine are increased 3% annually, those rate increases have not kept pace with the increased cost of paper and postage.

➤ Multi-year convention locations: Discussion was shared about anchoring the World’s Fair of Money in a major metropolitan location for a minimum of five years. Rationale in favor of anchoring in a major city includes economic and branding advantages, and the thought that direct flights and abundant entertainment options would attract collectors, dealers and mints from around the world.

The cons include alienating segments of the membership, potential local volunteer burnout, union issues, and the limited number of cities and sites interested in hosting the WFOM because of its relatively small size and relatively few rooms required.

➤ Dates of the World’s Fair of Money: Discussion on changing the dates of the World’s Fair of Money from summer to spring or fall. Arguments in favor of changing the show dates include the ability to attract more international dealers and mints to the WFOM, since the current time-frame coincides with their vacation schedule. The board of governors recognized that it would need to work closely with other event organizers to avoid any overlap of dates. Further study was recommended, along with studying the viability of the annual National Money Show, typically held in March.

➤ Bylaws elections changes: Discussion centered on extending board of governor terms from two years to three years. Previous boards have noted that once sworn in they have only two years to get projects completed before a new board comes in and can change the association’s focus and direction. The recommendation would address board continuity. Any change would not go into effect until at least the 2025 to 2027 election cycle.

2023 Phoenix

ANA officials report that the recently completed National Money Show in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Phoenix Convention Center attracted 4,306 attendees to the three-day event.

The attendance included 1,900 nonmember visitors. The show featured 482 dealers at 216 tables.

The ANA Museum Showcase display included a 1933 Indian Head gold $10 eagle, a collection of Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation notes, including a $100 trillion specimen note from 2008; and select items from the recently acquired Baker-Manley Collection of Washington medals. Dwight N. Manley donated this namesake collection to the ANA museum in August 2021.

The Kids Zone offered young collectors a plethora of activities to engage them with coin collecting, including a Treasure Trivia game where 127 budding collectors learned about numismatics and earned prizes as they explored the bourse floor in search of answers to trivia questions. A Young Collectors Corner taught by ANA numismatic educator Sam Gelberd offered basic information about the hobby to a group of 12 young enthusiasts.

The ANA’s Dr. George F. Heath Society, a donor-recognition guild introduced in 2022, held an exclusive meeting the evening of March 2 that was attended by 37 members. This group is devoted to supporting the mission of the ANA and its programming needs, while expanding, educating and inspiring the collecting community. To learn more about the Heath Society or to become a member, visit the link from the ANA website at money.org/heath-society.

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