Got my Coin World Today. What a messy lawsuite with the ANA and ex-employees. Between reading about that soap opera, and the possibility of my contact information being put in a directory for all to see, there is no way I would ever get involved with that organization.
The apple does not fall far from the tree. 1. So, if I see you use the wrong fork, I should stop dating your sister? 2. The ANA is not going to put your home address in a directory. (As far as I know most people get numismatic material to a P.O. box -- mine goes to a UPS Store.) Most of us feel the same way about the release of privacy information. Still, the idea of letting collectors meet each other has merit. As an officer in the MSNS, I was scanning the membership list before a mailing, and I saw that one of the major writers lives around the corner from me. That was a pleasant surprise. So, the motivation is fine, but we all agree that putting home addresses and telephone numbers into an uncontrolled publication is not the best way to do that. Like much else, this has been blown out of proportion. 3. As far as the "soap opera" goes, if you read Ward's Automotive News, or Crane's Detroit Business, you would never buy a car. "The news is always the same. It just happens to different people." 4. The MSNS went through a pretty nasty "Saturday Night Massacre" a couple of years ago. It even made the coin weeklies. I had no idea what happened. I did not see the stories. People around me at MSNS speak in innuendos and half sentences about things they all know about that I do not. You what? It has no effect whatsoever on the price I pay for a coin. The Mich-Matist carries articles and ad. The convention has an Educational Forum. The other collectors I know still sit around and admire each other's newest purchases. The psychodrama changes nothing. 5. The ANA is the library, which lends to members for the cost of shipping and insurance. The ANA is the Numismatist. The ANA is collection insurance. The ANA is two conventions a year. The ANA is the summer seminar. The ANA is the correspondence courses in numismatics. If you want to improve your knowledge, you will join the ANA.
Also I read in Coin World that many thought the convention was a bust. Even David Bowers was quoted that he felt it was "slow". I am sure those were kind words when your average dealer was probably screaming. I am lucky enough to have the F.U.N. show in Florida where I can see, sell, and buy pretty much everything over 400 tables. Making a trip to Frisco or even Denver would not be in my best interest (transportation costs, etc.), so I wait for the shows here in my state. I have been thinking about joining the ANA, but the latest news I heard BEFORE this article hitting the streets really concerned me...so I held off. Identity theft and personal records floating about is a real concern...especially if thieves have the addrersses of coin collectors. What do thieves like? Items that are small and worth a bunch!
I will never have anything to do with that disorganized, brother in-law outfit. And anyone who needs more than one fork to eat supper ain't dating anyone in my family.
