Each year, the Florida United Numismatists kick off a new year of coin shows by welcoming collectors from near and far to the FUN Convention in Orlando, Florida. This year marked the 65th annual FUN Convention, and more than 1,500 dealers and exhibitors, and more than 10,000 visitors took in the four-day event in January. Among the attendees were members of the COINage team and panel of contributors, including advertising executive Tracy Alvarez, executive editor Scott Travers, and news editor Josh McMorrow-Hernandez. Shown here are a few photos taken during the FUN Convention. Also, if you missed the winter FUN Convention, don’t fret, the Summer FUN Show is slated for July 9-11, 2020. For more information about the FUN Convention, visit www. funtopics.com.
There’s a lot of things dealers can do to draw visitors to their booths and tables, and for some that include incorporating some extensive decorations like tropical theme, like Steve Cairns, pictured here with COINage’s Tracy Alvarez, and his team of Honor Coin & Stamp chose to do during the FUN Convention.
During one of her early ‘Meet & Greet’ tours of the bourse floor, COINage’s Tracy Alvarez caught up with long-time advertiser Robert Paul of Bob Paul Rare Coins, located in Philadelphia, Penn., (www.bobpaulrarecoins.com).
Another must-visit booth on the bourse floor was that of Jack H. Beymer Rare Coins (www.beymerzcoins.com). Before the FUN Convention became wildly busy, COINage’s Tracy spent some time catching up with long-time advertiser Mr. Beymer, pictured here with Tracy and his team.
If you’ve ever attended the FUN Convention, it’s a good bet that you’ve seen many people and may have been helped by someone in a brilliant orange jacket. These are the members of the host organization, Florida United Numismatists (www.funtopics.com). Here, Tracy Alvarez chats with Randy Campbell, director of education for the FUN Convention and a board member of the Florida United Numismatists group.
While a lot of business is done at the FUN Convention, there’s also a nice balance of fun to be had. COINage’s Tracy Alvarez and Scott Travers, pictured in the middle back, enjoyed a wonderful evening of dinner and conversation with various contributors and advertisers, including from left, Robert Fligel, James Passin, Alvarez and Travers, Maurice Rosen, and Forrest Freedman.
An incredibly popular aspect of every FUN Convention is the series of seminars. Pictured here is PCGS (www.pcgs.com) President Brett Charville, who was one of the speakers.