Hello everyone, Some of yall might have realized that I haven't been very active lately. That's mainly because about 2 months ago I was accepted for a program called Witter U. The program was put together by Seth Chandler and his team of employees and interns. It took place over the last week in San Francisco, CA. It was intended for YN's ages 13-21 and was attended by young numismatists from all over the country. Luckily I was accepted and got to go to San Francisco. It was truly incredible. Not only did I get to meet the team of instructors (Steve Feltner, David McCarthy, Devin Hipp, Jim Stoutjesydk, John Brush, and Kevin Kaufmann). But I also got to spend a week with my best friends from the internet (some of them I have known since I began collecting almost 6 years ago!). We were given what was basically an ANA Grading seminar with the PCGS grading set plus some super nice coins owned by the instructors. We started out doing individual grading and then got into groups and did competitions. I feel like I learned a lot and really sharpened my grading skills (I started with about 50% accuracy, by the last competition it was around 70%) I also got the chance to have a 2-hour internship with Seth in the shop. We sorted morgan dollars, talked about our numismatic experience, and Seth showed me some of his most expensive coins (Pan Pac, Prooflike 1803 Heagle, 27-D $20 MS66+, etc). It was a cool experience and I had a lot of fun. At the end of the course, we had a graduation ceremony. We got diplomas and each student recieved a custom PCGS Witter U slab with a morgan dollar. I got super lucky and my dollar happened to be a beautifully toned, flashy 1881-S Morgan! And in addition to these gifts, PCGS also gave us a free 1 year Gold membership and 4 free coin submission vouchers! The whole experience was great and I learned a lot. I am also super motivated to work on my collection and start flipping coins for profit. I am so happy I was part of this ordeal and that I got to spend it with my close friends. Thank you to Seth and all the people who donated and worked to make Witter U a reality!
That's cool ! I'm glad you had a good time . I wish I was younger. I would like a program like that here .
Congratulations! That Morgan’s a stunner, and the custom holder is cool. I’ll bet you got to lay hands on some truly amazing material. Are you planning on going into the business, @YoloBagels?
That is very cool. I had heard a bunch about it, looked into it but too far. Here’s hoping it’s not a one time thing because I really felt left out. Cool
ANA Summer seminar is open to people of all ages 12 and up! I just wish they weren't closed for covid Thank you, then again I got super lucky with the toning. I have bought and sold coins in the past but never fully got into it. Lately I have been going all in and if I do well enough (I believe I will) I will definitely dive in long term. I am the Mexican guy in the third row behind the guy with the white hat. I can't say for sure if it's a one time thing, but it was hinted to several times that they might do it again in the coming years!
That is a really cool experience for you and thanks for sharing. I wish I not only had that sort of opportunity as a kid, but even now as an adult I think it would be an awesome experience. Good for you for taking the initiative and pushing our hobby forward! And nice Morgan, by the way!
2 persons with white hats....so, behind which white hat? If in the 3rd row, and a Hispanic appearance, could it not be the fellow with glasses?
Wow. Good for you, and the others. Didn't even know this existed. You know, some days I do some pretty childish things...wonder if I could apply? Steve
How fun!! I wish they'd have stuff like this for us older folks! I'd say you learn as much as you can, while you can, and one day you may be grading/selling for an outfit like PCGS and catering to those of us here on Coin Talk!