Turn out the lights, the party is over for me

Editor's note: We are still experiencing problems with the sales figures boxes. We are working on the problem.

It is my sad duty to report that this will be my last Mint Statistics column.
My days in the numismatic realm of F&W Publications are at an end, I?m afraid.

Please, hold the applause. That?s just a little joke to lighten the mood.

Anyway, I am leaving to take an editorial position in the log homes division of F&W. Before I joined the numismatic division here, I was an editor with another log home magazine that was headquartered in Appleton, Wis.

The publication moved to Virginia a few years ago. I decided I didn?t want to move, so I began working here at F&W for a hobby publication that does its best to promote the values and aims of the industry.

I?ve enjoyed my time in numismatics and have learned a lot about the industry. Prior to coming here, I knew next to nothing about the hobby. With the help of readers like you and the knowledgeable numismatic staff here, I can now converse at least somewhat intelligently about the topic.

A lot has happened in the numismatic world since I started work here in December of 2004, from the astounding discovery of 10 1933 double eagles to the fast-selling Marine and Ben Franklin commemoratives.

The numismatic market has been red-hot in that time. Coins that fetched thousands of dollars previously at auction are now selling for millions of dollars.
But the best part of my job has been meeting the people who?ve made this hobby what it is. I met American Numismatic Association president Bill Horton at a show in St. Louis, where I also talked to John and Nancy Wilson, two of the nicest people you will ever meet. While there, I was also introduced to Wendall Wolka, whose expertise in the field is remarkable.

Over the phone, I?ve talked with such numismatic heavyweights as Ken Bressett, the longtime editor of the Red Book, and Q. David Bowers.
One of my favorite interviews, however, was with the author of Lost Gold of the Republic, the story of the S.S. Republic shipwreck and the recovery of its amazing treasure.

Working here has even given me a chance to get in touch with family I haven?t talked to in a while. A relative from my dad?s side of the family wrote me about a week after I started asking if I was indeed the same Peter Lindblad he was related to.

It also stirred up memories of my grandfather on my mother?s side. He died when I was still in junior high and I hadn?t thought of him in a while, but I remembered that he collected coins and stamps while he was alive. I think he would have gotten a kick out of my working for Numismatic News.

So, as I bid you all adieu, I say, ?Thanks for the memories.?

And to the officials from the U.S. Mint who I?ve worked with in my short tenure here, I say, ?Thanks.?

They?ve bent over backwards to accommodate the many requests we make in a given week and I appreciate all the help they?ve given me.

As for the boxes this week, take note that the proof one-ounce gold Eagle has gone off sale.

Soon, another state quarter will be released, this one being Colorado.

Whenever I receive one in change, I?m sure I?ll remember my days at Numismatic News with fondness.