October Show Travel: Near and Far, Big and Small

Coin shows in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh commanded my interest and participation in October. Both were driving destinations, with Milwaukee being but about two hours away, while that to Pittsburgh found me pounding the road in the range of 12 to 13 hours spread over two days in both directions. They also both provided enjoyable and interesting experiences, not to mention rewarding, where my personal collecting interests and interactions were concerned.

The drive down to Milwaukee got underway at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, the first Sunday of the month, with Joel Edler and Bob Wilhite having driven down from Iola to meet up with me at home and transfer to the Audi. Just over two hours later, having driven 148 miles, we pulled into the parking lot at the American Serb Memorial Hall on Oklahoma’s south side, where the Milwaukee Numismatic Society’s annual fall show has been quartered for some years now.

Having registered and purchased the requisite raffle tickets, within minutes I was inside the three-aisle bourse, not unexpectedly observing ample evidence of vibrant activity about the floor. While I added very little to the business tenor of the day over the next two hours, my brief visits and exchanges were most enjoyable. Along the way I that I’ve ever encountered, as is always the case, it being the blue covered 1993, 20th edition.