Hobby Friendly Legislation Supported by ANA and Whitman

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley today signed legislation that will exempt coin dealers from the requirement to obtain a Maryland trader’s license for the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money® in Baltimore, July 30-Aug. 3.

Whitman Publishing, LLC, along with the ANA and the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, worked together to successfully lobby to change Maryland’s trader’s license law. The resulting legislation removes burdens that numismatic dealers would have otherwise faced this year if they had participated in more than three coin shows in Maryland within a 365-day period.

With four major coin shows planned in Baltimore this year (three by Whitman Baltimore Coin and Collectibles Conventions plus the ANA World’s Fair of Money), dealers would have had to apply for a state trader’s license that would have created ongoing regulatory and taxation burdens. With the new legislation, that requirement now excludes the 2008 Baltimore World’s Fair of Money as it is promoted by the ANA, a non-profit national organization.

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Dallas, TX. The 1804 Silver Dollar highlighting the amazing collection of silver dollars assembled by David Queller and his family reached $3,737,500 at the Official Auction of the Central States Numismatic Society convention held by Heritage Auction Galleries. Combining the rare coin and currency results, total prices realized currently exceed $42.6 million. After adding proceeds from all Post Auction Buys and Final Session auctions, total prices are expected to exceed $44 million.

More than 6,700 bidders participated in the Signature and Platinum Night events, and another 3,000-plus are anticipated to participate in the Final Sessions. The auctions were held in Rosemont, Illinois on April 16-18; Images, descriptions, and prices realized for all lots can be viewed at the Heritage website, HA.com.

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Not many people understand the connection between Edgar Allan Poe and the City of Baltimore, home to the 2008 World’s Fair of Money®. But anyone purchasing a 117th Anniversary ANA Convention medal will own a striking collectible and gain a greater understanding of Poe’s connection to the city where he lived, wrote, died and was buried.

Artist Jamie Franki conducted countless hours of research on Poe, searching for images preserved in portraits, daguerreotypes and drawings – as well as numismatic items that may have celebrated the author and his genius. But for all of his efforts, he found just one low relief, traditional side-view medal of Poe – used as a literary award by the New York Public Library in the late 19th century.

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Dallas, TX. The catalog for the Official Auction of the Central States Numismatic Society convention, being held in Rosemont, Illinois on April 16-18, is now posted by Heritage Auction Galleries on their HA.com website. Both the Signature and Platinum Night catalogs have been posted, as well as a significant Currency Auction.

“Heritage is presenting incredibly strong coin and currency auctions at Central States,” commented Heritage President Greg Rohan, “and the Queller Family Collection of Silver Dollars, 1794-1935 is the star. Only a very select few numismatists are ever lucky enough to actually own the singularly important 1804 dollar, and David Queller added to that his 1794 $1 (AU58 NGC); 1802 $1 (PR65 Cameo PCGS); 1870-S $1 (XF40 NGC); and 1853 $1 Restrike (PR65 NGC). Considering the quality, completeness, rarities, and pedigrees, it is no wonder that this has been called the greatest silver dollar collection ever assembled.”

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Pattern coins and the precious metals markets are the topics of the next two, free Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) “Share the Knowledge” educational seminars.  They will be conducted, respectively, by PNG member-dealers Andy Lustig and Richard Nachbar at the Central States Numismatic Society convention (CSNS) in April and at the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo in May.

A complimentary light lunch will be available for audience members at both PNG seminars.

Lustig of Nyack, New York is a co-founder of The Society of U.S. Pattern Collectors.  He will present "Collecting Pattern Coinage" starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 18, 2008 in room 42 of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, Illinois, the site of the 69th Annual CSNS Convention.

"Patterns are some of the rarest coins struck by the United States Mint.  The series has more than 2,000 different prototypes for American coinage including patterns, die trials and experimental pieces.  This half hour seminar will provide an overview of the series, historical background, collecting strategies and a superb slide show of great rarities," Lustig said.

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Anthony Tumonis of Tucson, Ariz., received the Best-in-Show Exhibit Award for his display, "1940 Arizona Movie Scrip," at the American Numismatic Association’s 2008 National Money Show™ in Phoenix, March 7-9. In recognition of his efforts, Mr. Tumonis received an engraved medal, a certificate, and a 1928 Saint-Gaudens $20 gold piece donated by Robert L. Higgins and Donald Ketterling of Certified Assets Management, Inc.

The first runner-up award was presented to Emmett McDonald of Islip, N.Y., for his exhibit "Weighing Gold Coins in England, circa 1830." John Grost of El Paso, Texas, received the second runner-up award for his exhibit, "Numismatic Souvenirs of the Meeting of Presidents Taft and Diaz, El Paso, Texas, October 16, 1909." McDonald and Grost received certificates for their accomplishments.

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