But enough about The Future, especially now that it's old news. Let's look at some REALLY old news. An article in the latest COINage magazine discussed the early history of Coin World, the weekly newspaper which debuted in 1960. So I dug into my library and pulled out two early issues.

The first is a sample issue distributed prior to the official first issue to drum up interest among potential subscribers and advertisers. "Vol. 1, Whole No. 0" had a publication date of March 1960. The other item is the official Vol 1. No. 1 issue of April 21, 1960.

It was fun to read through the issues knowing how much the hobby had grown and changed in the last fifty years. But look who I found pictured in the issue - our own regular columnist Dick Johnson, who was the founding editor of the publication when yours truly was still in diapers.

As COIN World approaches its 50-year anniversary, I wonder if a celebration or special issue is in the works.