In Defense of the ANA
KellenCoin
Posts: 1,215 ✭✭✭✭
Hi! I am a 13-year old YN, and a member of the ANA since December 2014. I have noticed that there are a good amount of negative threads towards the ANA, and find them interesting. While I do think that the ANA can improve in many ways (as any organization can), I wanted to provide my opinion on what the ANA is doing right and the advantages to membership.
Library
The library is excellent in many ways. With 128,000 pieces (most of them available for checkout by members), it is an amazing resource. Numismatic books, especially specialty books, tend to be expensive. The library offers a cheap alternative unrivaled by any other organization for learning. The very first book I checked out from the ANA was titled American Numismatic Biographies. At the time, only 100 copies existed in the world. I only paid for the shipping and insurance; about $5.
Museum
While the museum is in Colorado Springs, it is still very useful. The exhibits are informative and entertaining, and the mini-mint in the basement is great for teaching people about the history of minting. Plus, the museum staff is actively photo-cataloging their collection, which is useful for research.
YN Programs
The YN programs are one of the best parts of the ANA. They have encouraged many children to become YNs. If not for the ANA, I would not be in the hobby today. Their YN auctions encourage kids to be active in numismatics. The Money Bus allows students to see coins like the 1913 Liberty nickel, 1804 dollar, and Brasher doubloon. They have resources for teachers in the classroom which brings many kids into the hobby.
Events
The events are major part of the ANA. Summer Seminar is an amazing event, with more information being taught, learned, and shared than almost any other place. It offers amazing collaboration opportunities, and I know very few people who do not see the value in this resource. I have attended three ANA shows, and all of them have boosted my excitement about the hobby. I have met many new people who have kept me in the hobby, and I have learned more there than anywhere else. I have also bought some of the highlights of my collection at these shows.
Magazine
The magazine is also great. Full-color and amazing articles fill the magazine, along with news, prices, etc. Some of the best writers contribute to this magazine. Plus, if you ever want a certain topic to be in the magazine any ANA member can contribute an article. Why not?
I would love to hear your ideas and responses, as well as any other benefits you see.
CCAC Representative of the General Public
Columnist for The Numismatist
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Comments
I congratulate you on a wonderful post about your hobby enjoyment.
I agree that each of the point made make up the best of the hobby, especially for a newcomer.
I also have enjoyed each of the events and services you have mentioned and appreciated them all.
The dark side of the organization is when politics and money take over for the fun and enjoyment. Until you are asked to be a contributor instead of a recipient enjoy all that is available to you.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Thanks for reminding me the good things the ANA does. The nonsense politics sometimes makes it hard to remember.
It's fun to here positive stuff about the ANA. We need more of it.
Grown-ups whine a lot. It's a pity they have such a dismal view of our hobby and those who support it. Keep the fire burning kids.
Great post @KellenCoin! While we try to make the ANA better, it's good to remember the positives.
One of my favorite things about the ANA is the comradery.
That, and the medals:
@KellenCoin ... Great post... well written and timely. It is great to hear from a YN and especially in such a positive manner. Cheers, RickO
KellenCoin - Excellent post. Especially coming from a YN of which this hobby can never get enough.
Thank you for your kind words. I consider myself a contributor, of sorts. When I see something I think can be improved, I do my best to help improve it. BTW, I liked your Bibliomania Origin Story in The Asylum.
CCAC Representative of the General Public
Columnist for The Numismatist
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Politics can overshadow the good things that organizations do. Therefore, I try to go beyond the political side of things and campaign for what I think should be done. I am glad my post was somewhat interesting to you.
CCAC Representative of the General Public
Columnist for The Numismatist
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
I like the social aspect as well. That is a gorgeous medal!
CCAC Representative of the General Public
Columnist for The Numismatist
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Refreshing to see this perspective. I agree that it seems to have become fashionable to judge the organization based on those things that need improving.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
The OP describes some excellent ANA programs. While interesting and of value to some, they are also very old both in character and content.
The three questions to be asked are: How will ANA improve existing programs, and 2) how will ANA become an effective advocate in a era of blatant counterfeiting and ethical misrepresentation. Individuals do not have this capability which their representative organization - the ANA claims this role - must act for their benefit; 3) how will ANA increase and support the hobby beyond its present superficial and inward-facing approach?
Standing in a circle patting each other on the back will not improve or advance the hobby.
GREAT QUESTIONS!
How about some answers from current board members?
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
nice nice post.
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I agree that we are a better hobby WITH the ANA!
But, we have some real problems that need to be addressed for the positive future of the hobby. I just want to see how the current board thinks we should proceed to make our hobby even better, and safer. The counterfeit coin problem has possibly disastrous consequences for all of us. This round of counterfeiting is not the first time the hobby has encountered a major problem. Remember the counterfeit gold coins from the 1950-1960's? We need a concerted, united effort within the hobby. Having each segment of the hobby going about things in differing directions will only dilute the effort. We need strong leadership at the head of a singular effort to combat this current attack on our hobby.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
1) Improving existing programs will be one of the harder parts. While creating a new idea is fairly easy to establish and bring up to standard, to bring it above standard is difficult. I know for the YN programs at least I have been actively reporting my suggestions to the YN committee and education department. If you name a specific program, I will try to come up with at least one improvement for it. 2) The ANA code of ethics has helped to some extent, but I believe it could be updated. If the ANA coordinated with the ICTA anti-counterfeiting team, some results could come of that. I wish for a code of ethics that takes the internet into account to a greater extent. 3) I think the ANA could coordinate some more with the Mint. They could also get further involved in the internet and social media. The internet in terms of supporting programs like the NNP which help further the education of the hobby (which is their mission). Their Facebook has some good aspects, but I would like it to be more of a discussion.
While I did not want to really discuss the negatives on this post, I suppose it is worthwhile sharing some of the things I have brainstormed.
CCAC Representative of the General Public
Columnist for The Numismatist
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Those up close and in control can create change. All I can do is be a member and that's of little help.
RE:
"1) Improving existing programs will be one of the harder parts. While creating a new idea is fairly easy to establish and bring up to standard, to bring it above standard is difficult. I know for the YN programs at least I have been actively reporting my suggestions to the YN committee and education department. If you name a specific program, I will try to come up with at least one improvement for it.
"2) The ANA code of ethics has helped to some extent, but I believe it could be updated. If the ANA coordinated with the ICTA anti-counterfeiting team, some results could come of that. I wish for a code of ethics that takes the internet into account to a greater extent.
"3) I think the ANA could coordinate some more with the Mint. They could also get further involved in the internet and social media. The internet in terms of supporting programs like the NNP which help further the education of the hobby (which is their mission). Their Facebook has some good aspects, but I would like it to be more of a discussion."
These are all thoughtful suggestions from Kellen and others, however they do not address the fundamental problems facing the hobby and the ANA.
All of these things and more have been discussed with ANA officers over the past few years. There has been not the slightest hint of understanding or positive change. They are mentioned in this context in hopes of fomenting a healthy, open discussion.
Making suggestions is good. But they must be coordinated and acted on to be of any utility. The ANA has no “standard” for its programs. There is no criteria, other than seat-of-the-pants guesswork, to determine the potential need, effectiveness or relevance of any ANA program whether YN, Summer Seminar, Convention Presentations, Mail-order Materials or Library/Museum. Thus must be done if ANA is to have any chance of sustaining meaningful programs and initiating new, improved ones.
Over that past 20 years, the ANA has uniformly and egregiously ignored its “Code of Ethics” and the ethical basis of its Federal Charter. After active support for the Hobby Protection Act, authentication and uniform standards for terminology and grading during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, ANA has stuck its organizational head in the sand and refused to pursue alleged counterfeiters, HPA violators, coin alterers and others that presently infest the hobby and dissuade potential new hobby members. The ANA executive management, officers and Board have never acted through HPA or any other means, against these perpetrators, nor evidently held any objective investigation.
This is a core failure of ANA – it claims to represent coin collectors, but it does nothing to protect hobbyists from egregious activities beyond the ability of individuals to correct. From the standpoint of practical support, the ANA is almost irrelevant in today’s hobby and business of coin collecting and sales. What other advocacy organization would survive such a situation?
With exception of the Hobby Protection Act, and a few minor submissions of Congressional Testimony, the ANA has done nothing to advocate for the hobby with either the Treasury, Mint, Congress, Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, or Homeland Security (U.S. Secret Service). The ANA has no presence in Washington DC. It is irrelevant to the U. S. Mint so far as coinage programs are concerned. Several years ago, when a small space was available for rent at U.S. Mint headquarters, the ANA was advised of this and did nothing at all – not even inquiring – about use of the space to promote the hobby and shared interests with the Mint.
ANA is in the technological dark ages. Electronic access and information sharing systems are crude, arcane and poorly integrated. The organization should be a leader, yet Kellen’s comment, “They could also get further involved in the internet and social media. The internet in terms of supporting programs like the NNP which help further the education of the hobby (which is their mission). Their Facebook has some good aspects, but I would like it to be more of a discussion,” underlies the absence of planning, coordination and system integration required to compete for time and attention of both hobbyists and potential collectors.
These are probably unpopular comments among ANA advocates, but the remarks are not made to denigrate. Rather, take them as indicators of the need for strong, consistent, forward looking leadership that will not accept the status quo as being the best ANA can do. “Good enough” is not acceptable.
ANA can reinvent (some might say ‘return to’) its once proud leadership role in advocating for and protecting the interests of coin collectors and dealers, or it will continue to fade into irrelevance.