The COVID-19 Pandemic: Repercussions for Our Hobby

Our coin collecting hobby, as with America and the world, in many respects continues to largely spin its wheels, so to speak, as it has been for the better part of six months now, in August, as the words that follow are being set forth. The pandemic has raised cane where conventions, shows and club meetings are concerned. Marketplaces seem to be surviving with a reasonable measure of buoyancy – primarily attributable to the fact that publications, mail order, the internet, auctions and personal relationships built up over the years still work in spite of the relative absence of face-to-face activities.

Having returned from my last numismatic outing on Feb. 29 – this is Leap Year, you’ll recall – as March unfolded, cancellations of conventions, shows and club meetings started cascading through our coin hobby community. Along with most others, I was optimistically holding out anticipation that the pandemic would soon pass, that in June I’d be off to the IPMS in Kansas City, in July to the RCNA in Halifax and in August to the ANA in Pittsburgh. With those outing objectives having since