I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed attending and exhibiting at the Paper Money Fair held in Valkenburg, Netherlands over 5-7 April 2013. This was the first time I had ever been to the "Maastricht" show, and it was a great experience. The highlight was meeting in person many of The Banknote Book's contributors and subscribers, such as Frank van Tiel shown at right in the photo above.

I was in awe of the wide assortment of notes on display, from very rare older items to modern notes available in bulk from many wholesale dealers. Never before have I seen so many straps and bricks of notes! I was also taken with the general sense of comradery rather than competition that prevailed among the dealers assembled from the far reaches ot the globe.

My only regret was that I was unable to spend much time visiting with other exhibitors and pouring over their offerings because I had to be at my own table extolling the virtues of The Banknote Book. I did manage to buy a few new additions to my collection, but the best things I brought home were memories of meeting old friends and making new ones in this great hobby of ours.