Where does one obtain a Ph.D in numismatics...
CappedBustDimes
Posts: 218
Is this an honorary degree of some sort.
<< <i>Dr. Donald H. Kagin, Chief Numismatist for the S.S. Republic's numismatic collection is the nation's only Ph.D. in Numismatics. >>
Kagin's
<< <i>Dr. Donald H. Kagin, Chief Numismatist for the S.S. Republic's numismatic collection is the nation's only Ph.D. in Numismatics. >>
Kagin's
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Happy Rock Wrens
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Well, if you're gonna have delusions, may as well go for the really satisfying ones. - Marcus Cole
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it. I prefer you said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand to post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
<< <i>Well I am getting my PhD and I love and collect coins does that count
no, that makes you the most woeful of all collectors: a grad-student numis with no money to spend on coins
Who teaches it?
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
<< <i>Isn't Kagin the only one?
Who teaches it? >>
Cummins at PeakockCoins and Topline put on quarterly seminars for coin doctors.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
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roadrunner
<< <i> Numismatist Donald H. Kagin has unique credentials as a numismatic authority. He earned the first Bachelor of Arts degree in Numismatics granted by Northwestern University, simultaneously earning another B.A. in history. Graduate and post-graduate studies at Northwestern, Drake University, John Hopkins University, the American Numismatic Society Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Union Graduate School earned Don the first Doctorate in Numismatics ever granted in the United States. >>
A number of institutions are listed as places of study that provided background for his Doctorate, but no institution is listed as actually granting the Doctorate credential. This is an unusual practice since normally the degree granting institution would be listed and left at that, like how his Bachelors degree was mentioned. Since there is a list of institutions given for leading up to his Dictorate, it's possible that the degree granting institution is the last one in the list, if it's in the list at all. The last one seems to be an online school: Union Graduate School.
<< <i>I know Larry Lee did is Ph.D. dissertation on Numismatic post-graduate education Dissertation link does that qualify? >>
It would be nice if there was an abstract on that page. I might consider getting a copy if it covers Kagin's doctorate, on which I think little information is available.
Is Kagin's dissertation available?
<< <i>Back of a Cheerios box??
I was thinking at the : Phive & Dime
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Frank Zappa in a song said he didn't know what to do with his life and then he mailed in a matchbook cover.
You pays your money, you gets your degree - just like a real school.
While researching the Renaissance of American Coinage books, I also explored the possibility of using them as the dissertation for a PhD. Several major colleges/universities recognized the originality and value of the research, and were willing to work with me; however, the balance of the degree program was standard archeology or history. The amount of time, credit hour cost and campus residency requirements were beyond my means. The doctorate would not have been in numismatics.
One faculty candidate we interviewed at a recent conference tried to pull that. He had a Doctorate in Business, which is not the same as a Ph.D.
Eric
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
For example, while I did my dissertation in Image Processing and Analysis, my PhD was awarded "by the faculty in Computer and Systems Engineering", so I think it's most accurate to describe it as a PhD in Computer and Systems Engineering. Assuming his degree is legitimate, I'd have to believe it was a numismatic topic under the direction of the faculty of some traditional department like history or archeology.
If Kagin has such a PhD, I would like to know what university he attended, what his coursework was, who was on his committee, the title of his dissertation, and the year the degree was granted. If he wrote a dissertation, it will not be hard to get a copy of it on-line for a fee.
I do
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Kagin, Donald H., 1978. Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States. Doctoral Dissertation. Union Institute and University.
Here is the abstract:
The following is the most comprehensive study of its type incorporating the monetary background and analysis of the issuances of all United States private gold coins and patterns. Several scholarly works of the last sixty-five years have been published on private gold coinage. A few examine the political, historical, and economic developments which created a regional need for private gold issues. Others provide specific details regarding the production of individual coiners while most are content to provide a broad overview of an entire private gold coin-producing region. However, no comprehensive history of American private gold coins, currency, ingots or patterns exists to date. Moreover none of the previous works on this subject suggest that the private gold coins were a peculiar symptom of an overall national problem; that is, the shortage of a stable currency of real and enduring value in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of trade, something not provided by the Federal Government. Indeed, any comprehensive examination of this question must necessarily ask what were the economic and political factors present in the United States which not only necessitated the issue of private gold coins but also allowed those coins to circulate at various places over a period of thirty years.
<< <i>Ladies and Gentlemen, I have located Kagin's dissertation!
Kagin, Donald H., 1978. Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States. Doctoral Dissertation. Union Institute and University.
Here is the abstract:
The following is the most comprehensive study of its type incorporating the monetary background and analysis of the issuances of all United States private gold coins and patterns. Several scholarly works of the last sixty-five years have been published on private gold coinage. A few examine the political, historical, and economic developments which created a regional need for private gold issues. Others provide specific details regarding the production of individual coiners while most are content to provide a broad overview of an entire private gold coin-producing region. However, no comprehensive history of American private gold coins, currency, ingots or patterns exists to date. Moreover none of the previous works on this subject suggest that the private gold coins were a peculiar symptom of an overall national problem; that is, the shortage of a stable currency of real and enduring value in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of trade, something not provided by the Federal Government. Indeed, any comprehensive examination of this question must necessarily ask what were the economic and political factors present in the United States which not only necessitated the issue of private gold coins but also allowed those coins to circulate at various places over a period of thirty years. >>
Thanks for finding this sumnom.
It seems that he received his degree from this Union Institute and University homepage. According to Wikipedia, The Union Institute has had many names and in 1978 (listed as the date for Kagin's dissertation) it was called The University Without Walls:
1964: The Union for Research and Experimentation in Higher Education
1971: The University Without Walls
1989: The Union Institute
2001: Union Institute & University
According to Wikipedia, before 2001, this institution was only a distance-learning institution. Google indexed the the tui.edu homepage with the following text: "distance-learning, learner-centered university offering BA, BS, MA, M.Ed., MFA, and Ph.D. degrees."
In case you're interested, the front page reads:
"A project demonstrating excellence submitted in partial fulfillment of a doctor of philosophy in numismatics."
It's dated August 15, 1978.
All I know is that they are just as scarce as finding a Blake & Co. bar at a private garage sale.
roadrunner
Personally I think there's a market for it and if set up properly, could be the type of course that could attract students from around the world.
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Clearly this PhD is somewhat different from, say, my PhD in economics. That said, Kagin's book is REALLY quite good.
Kagin could have avoided a lot of this suspicion if he had worded his intro on his website more clearly.
<< <i>Kagin could have avoided a lot of this suspicion if he had worded his intro on his website more clearly. >>
It's marketing and salesmanship by omission. While he would have avoided less suspicion, the goal may have been to divert attention from the actual degree granting institution, The University Without Walls distance-learning program, and to highlight more prestigious names such as Northwestern, John Hopkins, the Smithsonian, etc. To some degree this worked and people were mislead to believe he received a PhD from Northwestern.
We can certainly argue about the academic merits of his work and the quality of his research. We may also raise doubts about the intellectual rigor of the program but he did write at least a thesis and he was granted a PhD in numismatics from an accredited institution. Kagin didn't make this stuff up.
<< <i>he was granted a PhD in numismatics from an accredited institution. >>
Do we know if the distance-learning only institution was accredited in 1978? In 2001, they purchased a bricks-and-mortar college, Vermont College, which may have given them accreditation. I wouldn't be so quick to assume the distance learning program was accredited in 1978.
<< <i>Kagin didn't make this stuff up. >>
Kagin may not have made this stuff up, unless names were changed, but people were suspicious of his wording and rightly so.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Zoins, I agree that his presentation was more than unclear, it was misleading. Kagin stated that his coursework at all these other prestigious institutions led to his PhD without indicating that his degree came UWW. It may be that his experiences at other places gave him the knowledge and research experience that led to his thesis but those other institutions do not appear to have had any hand granting his degree.
I would imagine that Kagin had to go to a place like UWW because, as I stated in a previous post to this thread, numismatics is not really an academic discipline in and of itself.
I certainly agree with you that Kagin's work is worthy of a dissertation. I simply copied Kagin's preface from his book.
I think the thing that struck me as on the odd side is the fact that Breen was on the committee that examined the work. However, there also were several other people whose names I did not recognize as numismatists, dealers, or collectors.
Kagin should have just listed his credentials clearly. His judgement here is certainly questionable.
"A project demonstrating excellence submitted in partial fulfillment of a doctor of philosophy in numismatics."
Personally, I think Kagin is justified in claiming a PhD. No conventional school offers a PhD in numismatics, but I expect that his work would surely have qualified as a dissertation in history or some related field at many colleges. The only difference is that in that case Kagin could not claim his PhD was in numismatics; rather he would need to say that his PhD was in history or some other related field.
Yes, I think he wanted a degree in numismatics and that is what he got. Not only that, had he gone through a PhD program in history, he probably would have had to work much, much longer and harder to get the degree.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
I think I will try to get Kagin's thesis through inter-library loan and read more. The first part looks like fun reading. At least fun for people like me.
<< <i>The question of accreditation was raised. Kagin wrote in his preface "This school [Union Graduate School], now in its candidacy for full accreditation from the North Central Association, ..." >>
Just a commentary. From a marketing perspective, institutions often claim the are in candidacy for things they cannot attain or have no intention of attaining. Technically they may have been in candidacy but the probability of actually attaining it and whether it was just filed for marketing purposes is unknown at this point.
<< <i>Personally, I think Kagin is justified in claiming a PhD. No conventional school offers a PhD in numismatics, but I expect that his work would surely have qualified as a dissertation in history or some related field at many colleges. The only difference is that in that case Kagin could not claim his PhD was in numismatics; rather he would need to say that his PhD was in history or some other related field. >>
If Kagin has a PhD in Numismatics from this institution he can certainly say it. But the name of the field is not the only difference. If you were in a university's history or anthropology department, you would have to take classes in areas outside of numismatics which perhaps he did not want to do. It's quite reasonable to not want to take general history and anthropology classes if you're not interested in them.
Given the table of contents of the thesis, I don't think he would have needed to study metallurgy.
Also, could you take down the picture of the kid with the cleft lip?