I thought I would provide a little update on the beginning of my trip, as I had some extra time to do so. It has been a blast so far! Saturday, June 2: My trip began on an interesting note, as a young lady sitting next to me noticed that I was reading the Greysheet. She quickly asked if I was a coin collector, and went on to elaborate that her father was an avid coin collector. As the conversation ensued, I explained that I was heading to Colorado Springs to work as an intern with the ANA. She knew exactly what the ANA was, and stated that her father was also a member. She seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing. It was a pleasant change to mention the American Numismatic Association to a random individual and have them know exactly what I am talking about. Often, the mention of coin collecting brings a roll of the eyes, and mention of the ANA brings a look of confusion. My arrival to Colorado Springs came with great ease, as both of my flights arrived at their destinations early. I did encounter a brief thunderstorm and some hail after arriving at Colorado Springs. After checking into my room, I decided to walk down toward the ANA Headquarters. I toured the Money Museum for the first time. The Harry Bass Jr. Collection of gold is simply an outstanding collection. Some other highlights were viewing the example of the 1794 Dollar owned by Rare Coin Wholesalers (many consider this the first silver dollar struck by the US Mint), viewing two examples of the 1804 Dollar (one type I and one type III), and seeing the unique Brasher Doubloon with the EB chest counterstamp. I also spent some time looking through the extensive library. There is really a great set of reference material assembled at the ANA. Sunday, June 3: Today was spent walking the downtown area of Colorado Springs, which was very pleasant. Pikes Peak towering in the west is truly an amazing sight. I happened upon an antique show taking place, so of course, I went coin hunting. There were only two actual coin dealers at the show, but I pick up a few pieces while browsing around. The highlights were a 1986 ASE Proof with original packaging for only $20, and a nice VG 1822 large cent with nice, original color and excellent rims for $25. The rest of the day was spent getting my things situated in the Colorado College dorm and recovering from jet lag. The internship begins tomorrow, and I am really excited to begin. I’ll post some updates about the internship later in the week after I have experienced a few days of it. Monday, June 4: Today started early with a hearty breakfast, followed by a trip to the library for computer access, as my wireless internet still did not work on their network. I arrived at the ANA headquarters at 8:30. For the next hour and a half, I was introduced to the staff and given a tour of the building. It was interesting to learn that many individuals on the ANA staff are not numismatists or coin collectors at all. They are there due to another expertise, such as museum work, accounting, graphic design, etc. My very first assignment was to plug in the display containing the Contrusi example of the 1794 Dollar….what an honor! I then spent the rest of the day working on cataloging a hoard of Ptolemaic Egyptian coins in order to make room in a case for other parts of the ANA ancient coin collection. It was an interesting task, as the previous few catalogers had each used different methods. So, things needed to be cleaned up a bit. Amazingly, that took up almost the entire day. But, the case is cleared out for new ancients, and the Egyptian pieces are safely put away in 2x2s contained in intercept boxes. More to come later at some point..........
I need me a job like that... To those that say retirement is supposed to be fun??? Heck I'll take a younger body and exciting job anyday!
Yes, as part of the internship, I am allowed to attend one week of the Summer Seminar. I'm planing on taking the beginning grading class.
Wow, that sounds great. We'd all love to be there doing what you're doing. I wish I would have taken that opportunity when I was young and single. Instead, I thought I just had to go learn how to become a Recording Engineer, just as an excuse to get away from home. Never really worked as one anyway.
