The Joys of Collecting column from the Nov. 28, 2016, Weekly issue of Coin World:

Although in this era of virtual reality and the Internet the world is at my fingertips on a computer screen in my office, I enjoy going to coin shows now and again.

Among my favorites are the three Whitman Coin Expos held at the Baltimore Convention Center in November, March and June.

I have a vested interest in these, in a way, as Christine Karstedt and I facilitated the purchase of these shows from Gordon Berg and Ed Kuzmar a decade or so ago. The purchaser was Whitman Publishing, with which I have enjoyed being connected for many years.

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Do you know that Whitman has published over 300 new numismatic titles in the past 15 years? And to the hobby’s benefit.

I was at the most recent Expo from Nov. 2 to 4. Mary Burleson, president of Whitman, told me the bourse occupying three large halls in the convention center was completely sold out.

The Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction was a success, with particular strength in tokens, medals and early American coins. The Colonial Coin Collectors Club, or C4, had its annual meeting, which was a success as well.

On Nov. 4 the Smithsonian Institution hosted an invitational luncheon with David K. Allison representing the National Numismatic Collection.

Anyone compiling a Who’s Who in American Numismatics could have taken a lot of notes! Among the luminaries were Deputy Mint Director Rhett Jeppson, executive director of the American Numismatic Association Kim Kiick, and a host of leading dealers and collectors who belong to the Friends of the Smithsonian Institution.

I sat between my dealer friend Julian Leidman and ANA President Jeff Garrett, my co-author of a forthcoming Whitman book on the National Numismatic Collection.

I must not forget to mention that the Smithsonian provided “exhibits” of three items: two $10,000 small-size gold certificates and the unique Judd-1917 1907 Saint-Gaudens $20 pattern of double thickness and with the diameter of a $10 coin.

Let me conclude by saying that you should check out the Smithsonian collection on the Internet or, better yet, visit in person. You will have a memorable experience!