I'm thinking about joining the ANA for the main purpose of being able to submit coins directly to NGC. I understand there is a fee associated with submitting coins to them (depending on the coin type, value, and specific service offered), but I think I recall reading somewhere that new members get a few free submissions. Can anyone verify this? How many free submissions? I would think for a scant $46 the membership would more than pay for itself. What do you all think?
Eh. Call me old fashioned, but I like to hold onto tangible paper when I read. Pdf files in my inbox don't really cut it. Either way, it sounds like you guys are recommending I join? What of my question regarding submissions?
Oh, even better: I happen to live in Colorado Springs, where the ANA is headquartered. I've heard of the classes they offer every summer. Is there a fee on top of membership to attend these classes? How much do they generally run? I wouldn't have to factor in room and board; I'd just drive home every night
Actually, once you become an ANA member and register as an ANA Associate member with NGC, NCS and/or PMG, then you may submit coins to NGC and NCS, as well as notes to PMG. You must register with each service to gain rights to submit coins or notes to these agencies and they will send you a submission kit and welcome package with your ANA associate member account info. I am not sure of the free submission offer you mention. I got a free one-year ANA membership from a TeleTrade/ANA promotion back in December 2009, so my membership didn't come with any free submission coupons. However, there may be published specials from time to time once you are a member of NGC, NCS or PMG (NOTE that the 'Elite' and 'Premium' NGC membership levels automatically come with 5 free submission coupons). Not sure if ANA does any annual free submissions offers with NGC, NCS or PMG as they are separate and ANA is not offering the product services those agencies perform. The ANA Library, Hertz rental car discount, Dell Computers discount and HugeWood Insurance offers are some of the most widely praised features in addition to the downloadable PDF version or printed hard copy of the monthly published, The Numismatist. ANA Membership
I'm afraid so. With early registration and Life Member discount ($50) one session is about $500 or so. (Don't quote me on that.) If you don't go to the banquet the final night you can deduct another $45. (I just got home from the banquet. I really enjoy going to that every year.) Don't look at Summer Seminar as "how much does it cost?" Rather, look at it as an investment in your numismatic education that will pay for itself many, many times over. You are lucky to live nearby. I know people who travel from all over the country and all over the world to attend. Saturday night I am going to a Sky Sox game (AAA baseball for those not from Colorado Springs) with a guy who came to Summer Seminar from Australia. This is his third time attending Summer Seminar. Three years ago I took him to his first baseball game ever - he had never even seen baseball on TV. He loved it so much he wrote about the experience in an Australian currency magazine. Summer Seminar is a great experience. Not only do you learn a LOT, you also get to meet interesting people who share your passion of numismatics. Where else can you talk at length about a coin and not have people look at you funny? Almost forgot - - - there are several Summer Seminar scholorships available. Look into that. (mac, if you are not a member of Colorado Springs Coin Club yet shoot me another PM.)
I also am an ANA member. The Numismatist is a great publication, and I find reading it on line is much easier than I thought it would be. Agree on the NGC submission advice from Krispy. You can get full details about submitting coins on their web site. I have used their library services. Very efficient and for the cost of postage both ways I was able to study several long out of print books. ANA membership is recommended. Try it , you'll like it.
What exactly is a direct submission privilege...something I too would be interested in doing however I am not sure how often I would be able to take advantage of what they have to offer.
"directly" submit your coin to NGC or NCS or note to PMG, without having to take it to a dealer with submission privledges or join each of those services as a paying member of NGC, NCS and/or PMG. You don't need to be a member of any of those three if you are an ANA member, but you must register as and Associate ANA Member with each of those services, get a submission kit and send in your coins/notes for grading.
The best ANA membership benefit in my opinion is the collection insurance discount offered through Hugh Wood Inc. The premium I pay to insure my collection is about half of what I could find anywhere else. For me, that discount alone paid for my annual dues in the first month.
I'll be curious to read any arguments _against_ membership that may get posted... Not because I'm necessarily against it myself, but so far the balance of opinion has been overwhelmingly for.
here's one against: if you let your membership dues fall behind, and later on down the road you wish to re-up, you have to pay all the missed back years to keep your original member number. if that isn't something you care about you can simply start a new member account and go from there, but some long time members who have noted falling behind were surprized to learn they needed to pay several years worth of membership dues to retain an old member number to resume under that account. Just some food for thought.
Krispy, you have to pay the missing years if you want your membership to read "Member since 1980" or whatever year, but not if you want your old number back. However they did add a prefix letter "K" to my old number. Haven't asked about that, but they gave me my number from the mid 1980s (that was actually the 3rd time I had joined and lapsed, but didn't even think of the number then I just joined for 2 years. Like I said in another thread, I didn't even want to consider how much the back dues would have been....too much Jim
Thanks for clarifying. I didn't want to speak about who I'd heard this about and I'm glad I didn't since I misspoke the situation, but thanks for chiming in.
Join the ANA for the right reasons. Direct submissions to NGC just doesn't cut it. Listen to Hobo and Krispy.....
I didn't rejoin just to get my number back. I rejoined because the Numismatist and the availability of their library with many esoteric books and journals is worth the membership several times over. Also the insurance discount, and other perks, make it a great deal. I had just forgotten how much I used to enjoy it. Only Bowers' Rare Coin Review had more interest in it at the time. I would love to complete my set of those magazines ...... Someday Jim
