One of the more intriguing events at this year's 2008 ANA World's Fair of Money was the charity auction to award lunch with Jim Halperin, important numismatic authority, published author, and chairman of Heritage Auctions. The lunch with Halperin was inspired by the charity auction held each year to award a lunch with legendary businessman Warren Buffet. Scott Travers suggested the idea to Halperin as a way to raise some money for the American Numismatic Association (ANA.) Halperin was no stranger to the charity lunch idea, having been the high-bidder for Buffet's lunches in 2000 and 2001, so he decided to play along with the fun.
The bidding, while starting out fun, quickly became serious, with bidders topping $10,000 and then $11,000, finally settling on $12,650 (including buyer's premium) for the privilege of dining with Halperin. Pictured with Halperin (center) are the winners, Laura Sperber and Anthony Terranova, who pooled their money for the effort.