I hardly thought about coins at all during the three-day weekend. What with the 4th of July parade, fireworks, corn on the cob and other markers of the summer holiday, I was rather busily engaged in organized relaxing.

However, coming back into the office and looking at the calendar makes me realize that its an easy slide to the annual American Numismatic Association summer convention in Baltimore and then its another easy lope to the autumn collecting season.

As my grandparents always seemed to announce as soon as the last firecracker blew, “Summer’s over.” Sure they were premature, but they were as predictable as a clock. The colder nights of autumn are just about two months away in these parts.

There was good news in my e-mail. The ANA has settled a lawsuit with its former employees and apologized to them at the conclusion of the Summer Seminar last week. The four are John Nebel, Susie Nulty, Larry Lee and Wayne Abraham. It must have been a great July 4 for them.

This is something that the ANA voters who elected the new board last year have been waiting for, but as everyone knows, the workings of the law can be much slower than the wishes of the membership would like.

Kudos to Larry Shepherd, the ANA executive director, Ron Sirna, the ANA legal counsel, and the ANA board for getting it done. Finally.

The suit was first filed July 22, 2005.