Welcome to the latest Whitman Coins and Collectibles Show. These events have been a tradition for a long time, and their popularity continues to grow. In fact, these are among the hottest tickets on the show circuit. Thanks for being a part of it!

Draw a circle of 200 miles, or 300 miles, or 500 miles, around Baltimore, and you encompass the heart of collecting activity in America. Certainly at the 500 mile limit, which reaches into the Midwest, North far beyond Boston, and a good distance South, we probably get 60% or more of the active collectors of coins, tokens, medals, and paper money.

Add to that the attraction of Baltimore as a convention city-with great hotels, fine restaurants, nice shopping at the nearby Inner Harbor complex, and the user-friendly Convention Center.

Stack’s three-day convention sale started on Monday and drew enthusiastic participation from all over. Lots of excitement! As I write these words I haven’t heard anything except positive comments about numismatics.

When the show opens on Thursday, I welcome you and your customers to what is surely going to be another nice event. No market is immune from the current economy, but certainly the numismatic market has done far better than most.

In fact, auction and sale results have been very strong in certain areas, and records continue to be set.

The Mint, with its new Ultra High Relief “double eagle” attracting a lot of attention and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing offering more collector-oriented items then ever before, plus the new “territory” quarters, all add up for public interest.

Although no figures are available, it would seem that more than just a few citizens who buy the new Saint-Gaudens gold coins will want to find out what an old double eagle looks like. Without realizing it, they will become numismatists. If and when all of these new Lincoln “pennies” with commemorative reverses are common in pocket change, this will be a great benefit to the hobby as well.

Returning to tradition, there is indeed something comfortable about owning an attractive large copper cent of 1793, or a silver “Owl” from ancient times in Athens, a piece of obsolete paper money issued in New Jersey in 1837, or a token depicting George Washington, from dies by Robert Lovett, Jr. Numismatic books offer comfort as well, perhaps the very best expenditure anyone can make.