It's hard to believe it's 2004. I don't know about you, but this is one of my least favorite times of the year. I live in a portion of the country where we're constantly digging out of the snow and scraping our windshields every time we need to go somewhere. And, though I've never really liked the cold temperatures, the older I get, the more toll they seem to take. I'm rather envious of those who live in the balmier climes.

Conversely, I have neighbors and friends who love this season. They believe the cold is invigorating, and they love to ski and build snowmen and have snowball battles. We have acquaintances who belong to the polar bear clubs. They gather to travel to Lake Erie and take a dip in January and February. I think they're nuts! But seasonal tastes apparently run the gamut like collector's tastes in our hobby. Everyone's preferences differ slightly. Whatever your tastes, or whatever your climate, I hope your new year is safe and happy and prosperous.

Our recent WINS Auction was a tremendous success. Elsewhere in this newsletter there should be some definitive stats as analyzed by our Auctioneer. But the one thing that stands out to me is the number of donated lots we received. At a glance, proceeds to the WINS Treasury should be more than several hundred dollars. That's truly amazing! A hearty Thank You to all who donated lots, and to Joe Garbarini and Jason Craton for the donated participation prizes. And thanks as well to all who bid and listed lots for a very successful Christmas Auction. I hope it's the start of a tradition.

As JD White mentioned on the lists, it would be nice to have an auction program which allows for automation and concealed, maximum bidding. If anyone knows of such a program that's either inexpensive or free to use, please advise the Auctioneer, JD White.

One of our members recently discussed with a Board Officer the possibility of WINS sponsoring some young-numismatist programs. These programs are the type which you sometimes find in grade schools and scout groups. The concept entails donating coins and other collector materials to these groups of young coin collectors in an effort to further their education and acquisitions in their areas of interest.

Five of the seven Board Officers briefly discussed the possibilities, and the general consensus was that projects of this nature may be a bit too ambitious for our club at this juncture; and, we may want to develop some guidelines or rules before WINS would sponsor such programs. But, as we grow, it's something we should keep in mind. I'm mentioning this because we also concluded that some of our members may desire to help individually. If any member is interested in assisting a YN program or an individual YN, please contact Secretary Dave Noble for additional information.

How about those precious metals!! Silver and Gold spots have really surprised me. Now I realize that several of our astute members predicted incredible increases. And even though I believed that increases were inevitable, I just didn't think they'd rise that quickly and hold that strongly. It's certainly helping the numismatic hobby. Hopefully the bull market will continue for another few years. By the time you read this, Joe Garbarini's Silver Contest and Doug Prather's Gold Contest will have concluded. Thanks to both of them for sponsoring their events and offering the bullion prizes. And thanks to all who made those contests interesting by venturing guesses.

Speaking of contests . Don't forget about the Club Token contest, the notice of which is found at the following link Contest. The contest runs for about another week and a half, until Saturday, January 10, 2004, 9:00 PM MST. The deadline was extended several weeks ago to allow a dozen or so new members to enter if they cared to do so. The extension also permitted those members who are helping other members in design layouts to have adequate time for the assistance they're rendering.

The design competition will provide us with the obverse and reverse for our Club Token. It's also hoped that the obverse design, or some combination of submitted designs, will provide us with a permanent WINS Logo. There are two grand prizes and small participation awards. Please consider joining in on the fun!

Best Regards,
Ralph J. Huntzinger