The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is currently accepting submissions for the 2020 Barbara J. Gregory Outstanding Club Publications competition. The contest is open to member clubs that are current with their ANA dues, and do not have an elected or salaried ANA officer as editor or assistant editor. Completed submissions must be received by April 1.

Submissions must include a complete set of 2019 publications or three different e-mailed samples of online publications. Also required are the category of submission (local, regional, specialty or electronic); the editor’s name; and the name, address, phone number and e-mail address of the submitter.

Judging criteria

Entries are judged on general appearance, composition, aptness of illustrations, newsiness and relative interest. The size of the club and the amount of funds expended is not a factor in judging.

Completed electronic entries can be emailed to magazine@money.org. All others should be sent to:

Honors will be presented at the ANA World’s Fair of Money® in Pittsburgh.

To view the submission guide online and to see past winners, visit money.org/outstanding-club-publications. For more information, contact the Publications Department at magazine@money.org.

This year, ANA President Steven K. Ellsworth sponsored the previously named Outstanding Club Publications competition, endowing the program through 2030. In providing these funds, Ellsworth was invited to name the award after a person of his choosing. His pick was ANA Editor-in-Chief Barbara J. Gregory, who has served in this role since 1988. Gregory, who joined The Numismatist staff in 1981 as an editorial assistant, rose to become the first female editor-in-chief in the magazine’s history. In 2015 she surpassed Frank Duffield as the longest-serving ANA editor. “The announcement was a lovely and unexpected surprise. I feel very honored,” said Gregory.

The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its 25,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of instructional and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or visit money.org.

The Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (EPNNES) announces the opening of the application period for the 2020 Newman Grant program. Newman Grants are designed to financially assist numismatic authors and organizations pursuing original research in American numismatics. This is the second year of the program. In 2019, the Newman Grant program supported research projects related to colonial numismatics, U.S. federal coinage, counterfeit detection, and other areas.

Authors, researchers, and numismatic organizations are encouraged to apply for amounts between $1,000 and $5,000. Awards may be applied toward related research costs including but not limited to photography, reproduction of research material and graphic art services, database access fees, and travel. Electronic publications will be preferred as EPNNES wishes to direct funds toward expenses specifically related to numismatic research, rather than the print publication of research. Newman Grant awardees agree to non-exclusive publication of their research on the Newman Numismatic Portal (NewmanPortal.org). EPNNES intends to make approximately half a dozen grants in 2020.

The Newman Grant program is administered for EPNNES by the Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP). Applications may be found on the Newman Numismatic Portal at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/530553?Year=2020 and should be submitted to NNPCurator@wustl.edu. The application deadline is April 1, 2020, with the grant awards to be announced on May 25, 2020, coincident with the late Eric P. Newman’s birthday.

It is the hope of EPNNES that this program will continue the legacy of Eric P. Newman in a way that would reflect his high standards for numismatic research.

by Dennis Tucker, Publisher, Whitman Publishing

For several years when I was a kid, my father and I would plant, nurture, and eventually harvest a big vegetable garden. It was something special he and I shared—my one older brother still living at home didn’t really take to it; my mother helped, but she focused mainly on her flower gardens. It was Dad and I who planned the vegetable garden, plotted its layout on graph paper late each winter or early in the spring, and did most of the work.

Now, umpteen years later, Dad still grows a garden each year. When we catch up by phone or in person, I get an update on how everything is doing—what’s growing well or poorly, what’s been affected by the weather, what’s seeing a good yield.

How do you measure the grassroots health of a hobby (like coin collecting)? I’ve always felt that the number, depth, and quality of books, magazines, and other products that serve a hobby make good measuring sticks. These are better gauges than just looking at auction records and top-end sale prices. It’s exciting that a 1938-S Mercury dime in MS-68 recently sold for $364,250—even non-collectors are intrigued by such an event. But that’s only one numismatic transaction out of tens of thousands that occur every day.

Walk into a Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million—the nation’s two largest bookstores—and you’ll see shelves full of hobby references and storage supplies. Those of us who collect coins, medals, tokens, paper money, and other numismatic treasures have a bumper crop to choose from these days.

The price of gold rises and falls, hot investments come and go, the United States Mint releases exciting new coins and medals that capture the popular imagination, market bubbles expand and pop. While all this is happening, the underlying health of the hobby—judging from the wealth of related “stuff” that helps collectors assemble, display, and enjoy their collections—is quite strong.

In the coming months you’ll continue to see a diverse library of books from Whitman Publishing in your local bookstores and hobby shops, and online. Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker have ranked the 100 Greatest Modern World Coins in a fascinating new study. Bill Bierly’s In God We Trust goes in-depth in a numismatic and historical exploration of the national motto. The year’s new Red Book, Blue Book, and Mega Red will be on bookshelves before you know it. A bit later in the year, we’ll have the latest volume of the Cherrypickers’ Guide, a new edition of Roger W. Burdette’s Guide Book of Peace Dollars, and many other books. Rumor has it the definitive autobiography of Q. David Bowers is in the offing! Postcard collectors will have a colorful new large-sized reference to enjoy. We’re working on new books in the world-coin arena, and also paper money, exonumia, and American colonials.

That’s not to mention what’s planned and in the works for 2021, 2022, and beyond.

Albums and folders continue to be popular, from the classic blue Whitman folder to handsome leatherette albums. Coin maps, plastic tubes, 2×2-inch holders, display cases, and similar products give many options to the enthusiast. Whitman’s and other companies’ coin, paper currency, and stamp supplies offer excellent ways to showcase your collections.

Numismatics is alive and well. Keep an eye open and an ear to the ground as the hobby continues to grow and change. We’ll get the word out as new books and products become ready for you.

Incredible Collection anchors Day 1 of their historic 2-Day Auction

(Lincroft, NJ—2/27/2020)— Legend Rare Coin Auctions is proud to announce our upcoming Regency Auction 38 will feature the BigMo Collection of Civil War Coins. The current consignment is Part I of the collection, and features 93 exquisite coins. All minted from 1861 to 1865, this group will include every copper and silver coin minted during those years, as well as select gold coins as well. This impressive set, now retired by the collector, had long been the #1 Set on the PCGS Set Registry for this popular Specialty Series, and was the first Civil War Set ever completed there.

Part 1 of The BigMo Collection features over 25 coins that are Top Pop at PCGS, including 14 that are the single finest known for the date and denomination. Company founder Laura Sperber picked up the collection personally, and could not be more excited to offer this once in a lifetime collection to the collecting public. She had the following to say: “The BigMo Collection is truly one of the greatest individual collections I have ever seen assembled in my experience in this industry. The set is fully deserving of its Hall of Fame status, and is the type of set most collectors could only dream of completing. I cannot wait to start showcasing this collection around the country, and am ecstatic that Legend Rare Coin Auctions was offered the opportunity to bring this collection to market.”

Specific Highlights from the BigMo Collection include:

• $1 1861 PCGS PR66 CAC. Pop 1
• G$1 1861 PCGS MS67+ CAC. Pop 1
• 50C 1862-S PCGS MS66 CAC. Pop 1
• 1862 $1 PCGS PR66+ CAC. Pop 1
• 10C 1863-S PCGS MS65+ CAC. Pop 1
• $1 1863 PCGS PR67+ CAM CAC. Pop 1
• 10C 1864-S PCGS MS66 CAC. Pop 1
• $1 1864 PCGS MS65+ CAC. Pop 1
• 25C 1865 PCGS PR67+ DCAM CAC. Pop 1
• 50C 1865 PCGS PR67+ DCAM CAC. Pop 1
• G$1 1865 PCGS MS68+ CAC. Pop 1

Legend Rare Coin Auctions will auction this collection as the first lots sold on Day 1 of its 2-Day Regency Auction 38. Regency Auction 38 will take place in New Orleans, on May 13th and 14th of this year. More details concerning the BigMo collection are available on their website. For any inquiries about lot viewing for this collection, or to consign coins alongside it for Regency 38, they can be reached at 732-935-1168, or via email at info@legendauctions.com.