About once a year or so, I review some of the interesting information available on the WINS Web Site. The review provides a little insight to our newest members about some of the features offered on the web site, and it affords a brief reminder to our longer-term members about some of the useful items that may have been overlooked.

This link: JOIN, takes you to the membership application page. Please consider forwarding it to a friend who may enjoy the benefits of WINS membership.

Did you know that you can review almost seven years of WINS Auctions on our web site? Take a look sometime. You might be surprised at the variety of items that have been offered over the years, and the hammer prices they have garnered. You should also review the auction rules when you get a chance. The rules are regularly updated to help the auction run smoothly and efficiently. Please prepare for the upcoming Christmas Auction. It's usually our biggest auction of the year, and it's the only WINS auction that allows you to list other collectibles along with numismatic items. You may also want to consider donating an item to the auction. Proceeds from donated items are our primary source of income. These donations pay for such things as our Talk and Trade Lists, our web site, and the maintenance of our operations computer.

Here you'll find over seven years of archived WINS Newsletters available for your review. The newsletters have been published by five different editors over the years, and they contain a wide variety of information for your reading pleasure. Some of the multitude of topics include editorials, bios of WINS members, numismatic trivia, featured coins, informative articles written by our members, IT updates and Treasurer's Reports. You'll find a review of our newsletters interesting and enjoyable. Please consider contributing an article of interest, or a brief bio, or a coin photo to the newsletter.

The WINS Library page is a trip worth your while. It contains links to dozens of articles, most of which have been written by our own members. The articles encompass numerous and varied topics, including U.S. Coins, world coins, ancient coins, error coins, collecting basics and research information. You'll likely be surprised at the depth and breadth of the knowledge of our members.

The Announcements page is the place to go for quick updates and, sometimes, for emergency information. If you ever believe the WINS lists are down, this is the page to check the status. This page also contains the latest updates for the values of gold and silver at a glance. It's an easy way to stay up to date.

The Links page provides links to the web sites of many of our members, as well as links to information and reference material in virtually every realm of numismatics. Some of the places you can visit via our Links page include national hobby organizations, professional and lobby organizations, state and regional coin clubs, specialty coin clubs, world mints, hobby price guides, grading services, and numismatic newspapers and magazines. It's a great resource reference source ... take a look.

The General Information page contains photos of and contact information for the current members of your Board of Directors. It also has links to the previous leadership personnel. On this page you can find the official WINS mailing address and the email address to our Paypal account. You'll also see a breakdown of our membership stats, including the numbers of active members on our Talk List and Trade List, and a listing of the sixty-one different countries representing WINS worldwide. Here you can locate information on the use of the WINS Logo and other WINS' properties, a link to previous contests with interesting pictures, and a link to our Memorial page dedicated to deceased WINS members. I encourage you to visit the link for our WINS Flyer. The flyer can be printed and passed out at club meetings and coin shows to help prospective members learn about joining our WINS Club. Please consider disseminating some of these flyers at your local meetings and shows.

The WINS Members Collecting Interests page is arguably the neatest page on the WINS web site. It contains opt-in listings submitted by our members. The listings provide a brief description of the members' numismatic interests as well as a small photo of the member. By visiting this page, you get to know your fellow members a bit better and you can put a face with the name of those with whom you're conversing and trading. A review of this page is enjoyable and informative. If you haven't already provided a listing and a photo for this page, please consider doing so soon.

This quick overview of the WINS Web Site has touched on its highlights. Do yourself a favor and visit your club's web site every so often. You'll be glad you did.