The Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo scheduled for this coming week has been cancelled. The expo was scheduled to take place March 19-21 at the Baltimore Convention Center but due to a Maryland State of Emergency limited large crowds, all bourse (exchange) activities have been cancelled. The State of Emergency in Maryland is due to the continued spreading of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States.
The Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo becomes the first major coin show to be cancelled due to COVID-19. This follows several international shows being cancelled in the past few weeks.
On Thursday, March 12, under a state of emergency declared by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, the Baltimore Convention Center suspended operations and activities in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo, previously scheduled for March 19–21 at the Convention Center, will be closed for all bourse activities including dealer buying and selling, educational programs, and club meetings. The auction of Stack’s Bowers Galleries, the official auction company of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo, will be held on the previously announced dates. Stack’s Bowers Galleries will provide auction location information and other details on their website in the near future.
Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo Press Release
With multiple states now having emergency declarations, it is unlikely the Whitman show will be the last coin show cancelled in 2020.
The news of the cancellation of activities comes after a wave of cancellations and closures across the United States and the world this week. Here in the United States, multiple sports leagues (NBA, NHL, MLS) have cancelled seasons while Major League Baseball (MLB) has postponed the start of their season. Many states in the United States have declared emergencies, limiting the assembly of large groups (usually over 250 people) with millions of people now working from home instead of going to offices. Internationally, Disney has closed all their resorts here in the US and abroad while Formula 1 has announced their season will not begin until at least May. The English Premier League and most of European football (soccer) leagues have postponed or cancelled seasons. The country of Italy, one of the hot spots for COVID-19 is effectively closed with many countries, including the United States, having travel restrictions in place.
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