ANA summer "camp".

DesertLizard

Has anyone gone to the camp/school in Colorado Springs? Please tell us what it was like. I like the idea but spending 7 days doing nothing but coins is a bit much. How much is class time vs. free time? Also how is the food?

FrattLaw

I'm considering it as well. Any past attendees think it's worth it?

Michael

Johnscoin

I've been to the ANA Summer Seminar 5 years as a YN. It is an awesome experience and I can guarantee that you won't get tired of coins. There are a lot of great people there, the food is good, it's a college cafeteria catered by the Mariott and it has a nice selection every meal. You have about an hour and a half for lunch and you're off after 4 pm or so each day. So, you'd have all night for free time, or you can go on one of the trips that are planned by the ANA. These are to Cripple Creek (if you are a gambler), Pike's Peak (wonderful view), maybe a Rockies game, and several other places. It's a great week and you are guaranteed to meet some great people. And you can learn a ton about coins in your given class and outside of class...
Hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to PM me!
John

Bear

Everytime I hear the word summer camp, all I can think of is the 20 mile hikes with full pack

and manuvers. My camp was not near as nice as the ANA camp.

MastaHanky

And one time, at coin camp, I stuck...

This camp looks like it's intended for YNs only? Is this correct?

(Edit: Never mind, I answered my own question.)

This actually looks kind of fun. I may be interested in doing that this year. Is anybody here planning on going?

I think if I did go, I'd just drive. It's about 10 hours from here...done it once before, not too bad...

kranky

I've been there the last two years. Basic grading the first year, advanced grading last year.

There are evening activities as Johnscoin said. They also have evening mini-classes. Outside of the organized activities I wasn't aware of a lot to do in Colorado Springs, but that didn't faze me since I hung out and talked coins in the evenings, and I wasn't really looking for stuff to do. The ANA Museum (with some of the Harry Bass collection) and the ANA Library were two places I spent time - it's only a block away.

There are some prominent people there who volunteer their time to teach the classes. Our own coinguy1 (Mark) was there last year. The grading classes have PCGS, NGC, and ANACS graders among the teachers. Rick Snow, David Lange, Doug Winter, James Wiles, Stephen Carr and Doug Bird are other "names" that I remember having taught last summer.

I liked the food but then again I'm not a picky eater. The cafeteria had a salad bar, deli sandwiches made to order, soups, a grill, a pizza bar and two or three snazzier entries (for dinner). Breakfast had all the options you'd expect - cold cereal, oatmeal, eggs/bacon/sausage, omelets, fruit. The meals are all-you-can-eat. The best part of the meals was being able to sit and talk with different people in a relaxed atmosphere.

There are various accommodations available. The college dorm is where most people stay, and I heard it's quite nice. I stayed at the fleabag EconoLodge a block away (not recommended). There are a couple Bed & Breakfast places that are nearby, but they fill up fast.

The YN auction was another thing I enjoyed. They have a volunteer auctioneer (a real one) and all the lots are donated. All proceeds go to YN scholarships. If you go, bring something to donate to the auction. IIRC, the lots sold anywhere from $10 up to $800 or more, so there's a wide range of stuff there. The YNs staff the tables to collect the donated lots, write the catalog, print it, handle the lot viewing, collect the money and issue receipts - the whole deal, crammed into their spare time between classes in just a few days. Cameron Kiefer headed up the YN auction last summer the week I was there and he and the others do an excellent job and work their butts off in lieu of sleep.

If there is a class you are interested in, I would recommend it highly. I don't get much of a chance to go to shows all the time or hang with other collectors, so for me it was a great time and I learned more than I thought possible about grading.

I know board members Trime and danglen were also there last year.

Steve27

Bear, I think you've mistaken summer camp with army basic training.

danglen

I have been at Summer camp for two week sessions for the past two years and Gail Baker (ANA's Director of Education) snagged me at the FUN Show and signed me up for two more weeks this year.

I agree with all the other comments except for the food. College cafeteria food and me don't really agree ( I majored in cooking in school), but just about everybody else thought it was good. On a positive note, I did lose a few pounds while I was out there. A few of the names I can add to Kranky's list are JP Martin, Bill Fivaz, Bob Campbell, all the guys from the Gallery Mint (who actually set up a fully functioning mint in their mini-seminar and let you make errors), Ken Bressett (Editor of the Redbook), Tom Mulvaney ( widely recognized coin photographer) and many other lesser luminaries, who still have forgotten more about numismatics than I know.

The time spent in class is very worthwhile, although if you have been out of school for a few decades as I have it takes some adjustment, but the evening bull sessions out in the courtyard by the dorms were worth the price of admission by themselves. Just having a chance to get to know these guys one-on-one is incredible. Last year I took Advanced Grading the first week of classes. During the break between the first and second weeks there is a coin show in Colorado Springs. With my newly acquired skills, I went to the show and cherrypicked enough Morgans to almost pay for my two weeks of school.

A few months after the first session I attended I had a question on a Buffalo nickel I couldn't get answered. I called Bill Fivaz, thinking he might not know me from Adam. Not only did he know who I was, he treated me like a long lost friend, and gave me an authoritative answer to my question in a flash. You can't get that kind of a resource from a book.

For those of you thinking of going, I would highly recommend you sign up quickly, as many of the more popular courses fill up fast. In the past couple of years, I have asked them to break down the total cost in monthly installments on my credit card, so by the time I get out there, everything is paid for and I hardly felt the pinch. The staff is great and more than willing to work things out with you.

I look forward to meeting several board members out there this summer

pontiacinf

Id gladly go in a heart beat, but Ive never gone anywhere without a tv, I know that sounds weird, its just me.

so I guess I will never expieriance the wonders of ana camp

kranky

Bill,

You do not have to go without a TV. You can make your own arrangements for accommodations at any place you want. There are plenty of chain motels/hotels (Comfort Suites, Best Western, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Ramada, and others) in Colorado Springs and you'd only have a short commute to the college. Even if you stayed at the far end of town, it wouldn't take more than 20 minutes. I know there are other attendees who choose to stay off-campus.

danglen

Kranky,
I stayed in the new dorms last year and there was a tv in every pod. If you stay at Loomis, there is a large rec room that has a tv as well (plus a couple of pool tables).

kieferscoins

There are even TV's in the main lounge outside of the cafeteria. I have sat there many times watching news and sports before and after a meal. You can even change the channel because most of the time no one else is watching.

The seminar is great and I have gone the last four years in a row. It is not only for YN's and 3/4 of the students are adults. The classes are great and you can learn so much. Being here on the boards for a few hours each day is great, but doing a whole week at the seminar is so much better. The people you meet, the classes, all the coins you look at, the coin show held on the weekend between the seminar and all the excursions you can go on. If you fly in, the ANA has free shuttles every half hour for both weeks, both coming and going to the seminar. I have worked at the "airport detail" for the last 2 years and really enjoy it. It is nice to see how much people appreciate being met at an airport with the sign "ANA." (although a few people think you are there to pick up Ana which is themselves. You don't even have to worry about a cab. If you are even thinking about it, do it! You will never regret it.

The YN auction is conducted each week, and like Kranky said there is alot of effort put into it. In 5 days, the YN's collect donations, write up a catalogue and host an auction. It is alot of fun and there are some bargains to be found (although some coins go fo more than their value because of the cause). Example: In the first week, a man donated 2 "counterfeit" CA gold coins from the 1850's. OPne coin we put in the first week and the other in the second weeks auction. I talked with a guy from the summer seminar who attended and bought the second weeks coin for $12 thinking it was counterfeit. He sent it to ICG and they slabbed it as MS-65 which afterwards, he sold it to Kagin for a $2,000 profit. True story. Whoever bought the first weeks coin may have a real coin his hands and not a "counterfeit".

Cameron Kiefer

danglen

I knew I should have gone to $12.50 on that CA gold piece!!!!

kieferscoins

Did you look at that CA gold coin? It was even marked counterfeit on the plastic holder. I thought it was a bad coin also. Most dealers and the really knowledgable skipped by it becasue of that reason. It pays to look at every lot I guess.

Cameron Kiefer

airplanenut

My scholarship application is in...

PICK ME!!! PICK ME!!!

I even wrote about going as my essay for my French midterm today