Coin Chat Radio: FUN Show, Economy & Collecting, ANA Summer Convention

Top of the line-up on this week’s Coin Chat Radio is Bob Van Ryzin’s "What’s In the News."

Ryzin informs us that the US Mint has postponed the release of the Mint Uncirculated Coin Sets to an undetermined date. They were due to be available in mid July, but problems with toning on the new Lincoln cents has created the delay.

Numismatic News Editor Dave Harper talks with Cindy Wibker, FUN Show convention coordinator. FUN is an acronym for Florida United Numismatics, Inc. They held their summer show this past weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida. Wibker was very upbeat about the results of the show and later explains the difference between the summer FUN show and the one held in the winter in Orlando.

"We had a great show! We had about 164 dealer booths on the floor and we had over 3000 public attend over the three days. I believe overall the dealers were very satisfied when they left."

"We try to give this show a different atmosphere than the January FUN show. We tried to make it more of a vacation show, near the beach, bring your family, that type thing."

In a nod to the digital revolution, the two discuss an auction held by Heritage from Dallas, Texas at the convention.

"Heritage was very happy when they left," Wibker stated "They said that a lot of the bidding was done on the Internet, and not a tremendously active participation in-house, in the auction room itself. But overall, their numbers were good. The Heritage auction brought in over 9 million dollars."

Talk turns to how the economy is affecting numismatics.

"When the public comes out…and they’re looking to buy, they’re still spending money, but they’re pretty picky about what they buy. They really take their time, they consider is this a good price? Is this the coin that I want? Is this the right condition for my collection. But they’re still out there, and they’re still buying and they’re still enthusiastic about the hobby," explains Wibker.

Numismatic News intern David Brierly has a short piece about proof coins. He explains a bit of the history of proofs and the minting process used today to create them.

Closing out the program is Online Editor Lisa Bellavin who talks with Editor George Cuhaj about the ANA Summer Seminar recently held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Highlighted by the two was a minting demonstration Cuhaj was a part of that was offered to Summer Seminar participants. (See event pics.)

If you’d like to listen to this or previous episodes, go to Coin Chat Radio.  Sites like Coin Collecting News also host the free Coin Chat Radio player.