Coin show includes special exhibits, treasure hunt
Mostly everyone is familiar with the television game show “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire,” but have you heard of “Who Wants to Be A ‘Coin’ Millionaire?”
Dr. Walter A. Ostromecki Jr., past president of the American Numismatic Association, brings the game he created to this weekend’s 46th annual Coeur d’Alene Coin, Stamp, Gem and Collectibles show at the Best Western Coeur d’Alene Inn.
Each participant who answers six questions correctly will receive 1 million lira – an uncirculated Turkish 1 million lira coin that equals about a penny in U.S. currency. Other prizes include other denominations, such as Vietnamese paper money and Sacagawea dollars.
Ostomecki’s goal with the game is to educate and entertain young people about collecting and studying coins. The rules are basically the same as the TV game show except that the questions are based on the state quarters, which since 1999 have become popular collectors’ items.
“Contestants answer questions which get harder in each round,” Ostromecki said. A sample question for round one might be “The New York state quarter has a statue on it. What is the name of that statue?” Ostromecki is no beginner to coin collecting. He started as a child as he watched his mother, an avid coin collector, at the breakfast table looking for “error coins.”
This is the second year Ostromecki will entrtain visitors at the coin club’s annual show, said club president Emil Torp. The club’s goal is “to acquaint every local youngster and their family with the fun hobby of coin collecting and how exciting it can be.”
Torp takes pride in his collection of “straight-from-the-mint” state quarters that have never been touched by human hands. These coins are spared “the oils from human fingers which contribute to the deterioration of the coin,” which makes them more valuable, he explained. This week marks the release of Nevada’s quarter. Nevada was the 36th state admitted into the Union, and the quarter is the 36th state coin to be released by the U.S. Mint.
The show also features a special exhibit from the Silver Valley Mining Association, a nonprofit organization in Wallace, with coins of locally mined silver on display along with historical information on the Silver Valley.
Torp says coin collecting has become a popular hobby and can be financially rewarding. He recalls a local coin club member who bought a roll of pennies in 1955 and used all but one before noticing the coin was strange-looking. It was what is called “a double die” and today is worth as much as $1,400. “You just never know where you might find a treasure,” Torp said.
Speaking of treasures, the show will also feature a treasure hunt where participants can find Indian head pennies, buffalo nickels and more. All visitors age 7-18 will receive a treasure map, checklist and a sack for the found goods.