The American Numismatic Association (ANA) sponsors an annual summer convention that is unmatched by any other North American coin show for its sheer size and scope. Although I will be covering the show in greater depth as it approaches, I did want to remind everyone that the ANA World's Fair of Money begins July 30 and runs until August 3, 2008. This year's location, Baltimore, Maryland, is within easy reach of the eastern third of the U.S., and therefore promises to be one of the biggest shows in recent memory. More than a thousand coin dealers attend this show, along with the majority of the leading world Mints. Attending the World's Fair of Money is like visiting hundreds upon hundreds of coin shops in a single weekend, and the many world Mints, including our own beloved U.S. Mint, set up beautiful displays and often give away cool swag.

By far, my favorite event at last year's World's Fair was the U.S. Mint Collectors Forum. These periodic forums, usually hosted by U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy personally, are the average coin collector's chance to hobnob with the Powers That Be when it comes to making our nation's coinage. Have a gripe about the way the Mint does things? Tell Ed Moy personally! Would you like Read more...

I have just returned from a wonderful 10-day trip to Nova Scotia and the Canadian outback, and as a dedicated numismatist, I couldn't help but observe the way that the Canadian populace dealt with their money, particularly their coins. Canada has pretty much the same denominations that the U.S. has: Cents (that don't buy much, and which nobody picks up off the ground just like in the U.S.,) Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, Dollars (called "Loonies" because the standard design depicts the bird called a Loon,) and Two-Dollar bi-metallic coins (called "Toonies," apparently named in honor of the One Dollar coin of which Canadians are very fond.) The various Canadian coins are all the same sizes as their U.S. counterparts although they are made of very different metals.

The Canadian Penny has been made from copper-plated steel since 2000. The circulating Canadian Nickel, Dime, and Quarter are all currently made from nickel-plated steel, although the Dime was made of pure nickel from 1968 to 2000. Like the U.S., Canada has a Read more...