Welcome to the first Whitman Coins & Collectibles Expo to be held in Philadelphia! Expectations are high, and we all hope that this inaugural event will land the Philly show on the numismatic map—to become a regular event. We will all wait and see.

Certainly, there has been a lot of anticipation stirred up, and last month in August at the ANA show quite a few people were looking forward to the event you are attending now.

When it comes to numismatics, Baltimore, the familiar home of three Expos per year, has its share, as I have discussed in the newsletters for that event. However, Philadelphia also has numismatic nostalgia—and in spades. Actually, if nothing else occurred here except the establishment of the Mint, that alone would be sufficient!

The cornerstone for the Mint (pictured here) was on July 31, 1792, with Director David Rittenhouse in attendance, accompanied by Mint officials and others. Legend has it that George Washington was there, but information is sparse. Legend also has it that Washington, who lived just a short walk away (Philadelphia was capital of the United States) was a frequent visitor during the next several years. Again, information is scarce.

Speaking of being scarce, many of the coins, tokens, medals, and paper money we all love are scarce. And that is just fine, as that gives them value. In contrast, I hope that here at the show, pleasures will be common for you!

Oh, yes. About the market. I and dealers with whom I have talked generally agree that the numismatic market has done very well in comparison to just about every other field in which buyers step up to buy expensive things.

It seems that when the buyers are collectors, there is great strength, even new records. The Holmes Collection auction by the Goldbergs was in a word spectacular.

See you tomorrow in this column!