Visit the Dalton coin convention, for a change
DALTON, Ga., — If you’re a coin collector, it’s time to pull out your Whitman folders and head to Dalton, because the Georgia Numismatic Association is holding its annual coin convention this weekend at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center.
The convention, which began Friday, is the largest currency show in the state and one of the largest in the Southeast, featuring 335 dealers buying and selling currency in coin and paper form.
Greg Ison, president of the Georgia Numismatic Association, said the dealers’ specialties range from ancient coins to Civil War-era, colonial, world paper and coins, and modern U.S. currency.
“We’ve had 800 people today, and we’re trending to have between 1,500 and 2,000 people over the course of the weekend,” he said.
Ison said he was very grateful to the dealers in attendance, and to two special delegations in particular: representatives from the U.S. Mint, making their first appearance at the Georgia convention, and the American Numismatic Association (ANA), which attends just three or four shows a year.
“We’re thrilled to be here,” said Josephine Campbell, retail marketing specialist with the U. S. Mint. “I haven’t met more
generous, welcoming people than the folks here in Dalton.”
The mint’s display featured a sampling of the collector coins it makes available for purchase, including two new releases: a line of First Spouse Gold Coins — 24- karat coins featuring the spouses of the presidents from Washington to Truman ( the Bess Truman coin was unveiled Thursday); and a March of Dimes set featuring a silver dollar proof with the profiles of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Jonas Salk, to be released May 4.
From its museum in Colorado Springs, Colo., the ANA brought coins and paper currency unique to Georgia. They included gold coins from the Dahlonega Mint in Dahlonega, Ga., which operated from 1838-1861. Among the $5 “half-eagle” gold pieces displayed was an 1861 D piece, which owes its $ 65,000 value today to the fact that only 1,597 were made.
Today’s programming features two events targeted at young coin collectors.
One is the Boy Scout merit badge program at 10 a.m., in which upwards of 100 Scouts will complete requirements for the Coin Collecting merit badge.
At 1 p. m, the young numismatists program will feature educational programs and tests of knowledge for which young collectors can win prizes. Richard Jozefiak, ANA district delegate from Alabama, said his main focus as an ambassador of the hobby was to foster interest among young people.
“A lot of kids aren’t focused on the hobby of collecting,” Jozefiak said. “Kids nowadays are focused on electronics, and any education they get in history or economics is usually geared toward some kind of standardized test.
“When I teach kids about the history behind some of these coins, they’ll ask me, ‘ Is this going to be on the test?’ I tell them no, there is no test. This is life learning.”