Does anyone here belong to the ANS? I'm trying to understand the purpose of the ANS and why one would become a member. The ANA I understand, it is a typical trade organization that performs advocacy for dealers and collectors, hosts an annual convention, provides some educational classes, etc. The ANS seems quite different however. They appear to have a staff of numismatic researchers, and the membership dues basically pay for this staff to do their research. But there maybe more to it than I see.
for starters, you get their magazine. The latest issue had an article on Giovanni Dattari and his fabled collection of Alexandrian coins; which I thought was interesting. from their website- Member Benefits: Subscription to the award-winning ANS Magazine, with its array of fascinating articles from the world of numismatics Discount on ANS publications Invitations to special events and lectures by renowned numismatists and scholars Free access to the ANS collection and to America’s premiere numismatic library Includes a subscription to the American Journal of Numismatics (for members at Full Associate level and above) E-news subscription with information about current developments in numismatics and events at the ANS Special acknowledgement of long-term members Corporate Associate memberships include free advertising in the ANS Magazine
The way I view it is the ANS is more like an academic society, whereas the ANA is more like a popular magazine/club. It’s like The English Historical Review versus BBC History. I imagine there are more peer-reviewed articles in the ANS, whereas I have often seen the Numismatist reference Wikipedia for its articles.
I contacted the ANS a few weeks ago. I was looking for an obscure article in an obscure publication from 1984. I bought a rare Galba denarius last month. It was unpublished in the major references including RIC. Thanks to Dr. Jyrki Muona I found out that the coin was published in an article by Sutherland entitled "Supplementum Galbianum". After contacting the ANS they were able to tell me that they had the publication available in their extensive library. For a nominal fee they copied the piece, scanned it as a pdf and sent it to me. They were professional at all times and I highly recommend their services. Thanks to them I now have interesting information about my coin that I did not have before.
The cost to join ANS is a bit higher than ANA. ANS $115/95 with and without the AJN magazine. ANA $46/28 with and without print copy of ANA magazine. I have several ANS books, and none from the ANA. Some I bought full price, and they were high by my standards. I have others I bought a bit later. A book I would like is: "FIDES: Contributions to Numismatics in Honor of Richard B. Witschonke". The cost for ANS Members is: $190 and others pay the Regular Price: $ 275. I debated joining and buying the book. I did neither. I have purchased copies of pages from the ANA library. I found the article I wanted on line and the librarian was helpful.
The ANS is a scholarly organization with a world-class collection of ancient coins and other coins and medals of all time periods and geographical regions. The ANA is an organization for collectors and dealers and is more focused on US coins. The ANA sponsors coin shows; the ANS is not commercial at all. I have my "30-year member" certificate from the ANS framed and hung proudly on my wall. I joined to promote scholarship, especially their journal. Do not expect to get membership benefits worth more in dollar value than your dues. Yes, their important (scholarly) books come at a discount and you get the once-a-year scholarly journal and their quarterly popularizing magazine, but the journal is available on the secondary market for far less and probably has only one or two articles of great interest to any particular collector anyway. But, if you think there should be someplace in the US with a major collection and scholars whose job is to curate, study, and publish, you support the idea of the ANS. I do to, and pay my dues.
@savitale- this has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I've admired your avatar coin before. Is that yours? Looks nice and prooflike.
I'be been a member for many years. ANS straddles the line between collectors and academics. It has a great collection, which I have accessed for research purposes. It has a great library, where I have also researched. The librarians will (within reason) provide copies or PDFs of articles etc to members, and I have used this service also. The publications are excellent. They offer a lecture/seminar series, and I managed to attend attend an interesting seminar on fakes last year. Bottom line is that it's well worth the money, particularly if you're willing to extend yourself to access their resources.
Is that online access to the ANS library, or just in person? I’m sure it’s great in person but too far for me to travel.
In person. But if you are a member and know what pages of what books you need, they'll copy and post at cost. Think they scan to. as regards the original poster who was a little baffled as to what the ANS was for, I'm more baffled what use the ANA is in an ancient coins context. The ANS has a vast collection, the collection is all online and is linked to other worldwide collections, there's also a vast library whose catalogue is online, there's continuous scholarly publications and a team of experts who can engage with you and who produce a stream of expert articles and books. I really know what I'm paying for with the ANS.
This makes sense to me. From a member benefit point of view, it seems the ANS library and collection are the most valuable resources. Especially if you live close enough to visit in person.
Coincidentally to rrdenarius's post, I joined the ANS to get Fides & Kairos for $300 for the two - they were waiting for me in my rubbish bin yesterday evening: "BOX IN BIN" note was put through the letterbox and the books were indeed in a box in my recycling bin Now to find time to read the books... ATB, Aidan.
I am a member of both. There is really no comparison. I enjoy both publications but the AJN is definitely more scholarly. In fact, all of there publications are top notch. The ANA is more a more widespread social club. The ANS is kind of the opposite of that. The website is good for research and buying their publications. I appreciate the purpose of both organizations. Although I don't do much with Ancients I still feel that the ANS is worthy of my support.
