Coins We Love: Furthering the Hobby
If you’ve been around the numismatic hobby long enough, you know there aren’t a lot of options for education professionally or as a dedicated collector. However, one of the best and longest-running opportunities for all collectors has now been running for over 50 years and two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to participate. The ANA’s Summer Seminar (Coin Camp as we affectionately call it) just concluded and it was an absolutely wonderful week.
While it wasn’t on my coin dealing Bingo card to instruct this year, I was asked to be a last minute substitute to lead a class. So I put on my ANA Governor hat and jumped in to see what would happen. Originally, I was planning on attending and taking a class for the week as Wes was planning on attending for the first time (overly-concerned parent party of one). But I have to admit that leading the class may have taught me more than I ever expected. I ended up leading an Introduction to Coin Grading Class with my friend Matt Trookman who is an incredibly sharp-eyed young dealer from the Colorado Springs area (and a former DLRC intern). While it was our first time teaming up to produce a class agenda and syllabus, we got busy and had an absolute blast with our class of ten students. The most challenging part about teaching this class was putting into words what we’re thinking about when viewing coins and communicating that to the class in a way they’d understand. In the end, our four days of intense class lectures along with seeing tons of coins really transformed the grading eyes of the students so they can now go back to their professional settings (or coin clubs!) and utilize these skills. Overall, it was such a thoroughly fulfilling opportunity to give back to an organization that had done so much for me and so many other young collectors that I think we’re going to have to do it again!
For those of you who have never heard of this strange concept of Coin Camp, the event is held on the campus of Colorado College where the ANA Money Museum sits. College apartment housing is available (minus the comforts of Air Conditioning) and the young collectors (YNs) 13-18 live in a dorm-like setting with several well-qualified counselors (trust me, I know these people or my son wouldn’t have been there!). The classes last for about 7-8 hours per day and the meals and events going on between class sessions are sure to pique the interest of collectors of all types. In addition, the YNs put on a charity auction to raise money for scholarships for future Young Numismatists who wish to attend the following year. These auction events are always one of the highlights of the week as the items, while numismatic in nature, range from rolls of silver quarters to numismatic wall décor (don’t ask my wife!) to wildly eclectic items like the driver’s license of a collector who served as a juror in the Lindbergh baby trial. It’s really a wide variety of donations that makes this event tick and it’s an absolute blast to see the young people to put on such a unique sale.
For some reason, I was asked to join my friend Jim Stoutjesdyk (from Heritage) and Keith Moon (the NGC Lead Finalizer, not the drummer) to speak with the young people the evening after the auction about future careers or interests in numismatics. While Jim and Keith are well-qualified, (I felt like a fun decorative item), it was so enjoyable. About 30 teenagers were crowded into the poorly lit living room where they asked a fantastic range of questions. After 90 minutes we were escorted out (we were past curfew!), but it is always encouraging and uplifting to see what great hands our hobby is in for the future.
This is just a brief synopsis of the excitement from the week as there are simply too many highlights to mention. A week away from the office but with a schedule as jam-packed as this, it certainly wasn’t a week of vacation. For those of you who are interested in attending, I’m happy to guide you to the information for next year as I can’t recommend it highly enough. To be asked to teach among such leaders in the hobby from PCGS, NGC, and nearly every major coin company really is humbling. And as I walked away it’s hard not to be energized for not only the future of the hobby, but also for growth in what DLRC can do. It’s true I can’t wait for next year, but for now I’m just thrilled to be able to jump back into the world of numismatics here in Virginia Beach!
Until next time, please enjoy these highlights from this week’s Auctions and a selection of other wonderful Coins We Love!
Numismatically Yours,
John Brush and Your Friends at DLRC
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