Regarding the ANA School of Numismatics Diploma Program, I'm looking for thoughts, opinions, and particularly feedback from anyone who may have started/completed this program. E.g. Is it worth it? Is it helpful to anyone of any level? Only for beginners? Any sense of how many people hold this diploma (most, almost none?) Is there any 'industry value' in this diploma (getting a job in the industry, credibility when selling coins, etc.)? http://www.money.org/explore-the-world-of-money/school-of-numismatics/numismatic-diploma.aspx Any experience you can share would be appreciated. Thanks.
As with any degree program, or even a basic diploma, this does not mean that by completing the required instruction, that the individual is and expert or experienced in numismatics. That comes through years of research, self experience; i.e. dealing in coins, collecting, studying production practices by the Mint, etc. Ask our resident DDS about continuing education in his field.
I doubt you'll find many who would disagree with that point, and asking for feedback certainly wasn't implying otherwise (although occasionally, we have to beat the dead horse for newbies. :dead-horse. Having said that, I'm still interested in any experience anyone has with this particular progrem - seems interesting. Could you please explain "DDS" and who that is? Thanks!
I am currently in the program. First off, I have collected on and off for over 25 years. It was not until about 3 years ago I started actually reading about coins. I would just buy buy buy, and now regret most of those purchases because I was not informed or lacked knowledge of what I was buying. I have completed 3 of the courses and have learned a lot, but I in no way think that it is going to make me an expert. Nor does ANA or the authors/contributors of the courses, that's why they each list other books and materials to read to further your learning. Over all, I personally like it and think there is value to it. This is just one man's opinion that you asked for. Marid3- feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
I'm beating no dead horse on this, merely pointing out what should be obvious. DDS is Doctor of Dental Science, and we have a moderator here, CamaroDMD, who recently graduated from Dental school, and passed his state boards and is now a licensed, and I believe, practicing dentist. I suggested you ask him about continuing education because I'm sure he will tell you that his dental education and training doesn't end with graduating from school and passing his licensing exam, it's on going. Even teachers don't end their education with graduating from college, it's ongoing.
Joe - thanks so much for the candid feedback! I too did the same - collected as a kid/young adult, pre-internet, rural area with no coin shops, from mostly flea-market vendors. After a long break, when I resumed a while back, started buying some album fillers. Then I came to CT, and realized how much I didn't know. I've read about a dozen books in the last year alone, and simply want to learn more. Thanks again!!
Not knowing the person being referenced, and thinking only of potential numismatic terms, I was stumped. Thanks for the hint.
"The final exam consists of an extensive 200-question written test covering information from all of the correspondence courses. This exam is to be administered by a proctor in any school, local library, at any ANA Convention, or at ANA's Headquarters in Colorado Springs." I wonder how this is accomplished. Do they have someone come to your library to administer the exam?
I'm not sure, but I'm really thinking I might do it - perhaps I'll ask Santa for it Christmas. While it's not cheap, the materials seem to cover a LOT of topics - I could easily spend more than that on books, PLUS the benefit of an actual curriculum (hopefully designed to scaffold and integrate concepts). I'm really hoping some others who have taken it see the post and give us their thoughts.
I know this was posted on a year ago, but I just finished my numismatic diploma through the ANA. I started in 2011 and did most of the courses within a few months, basically before school started and during winter break. (I'm a teacher by trade.) Long story short I put off taking the final for some time, until this summer and had a colleague of mine proctor it for me. They were quite amused when I made the request to them. Some of the books and videos are a bit old, but they are of decent quality. If you are truly a novice the ANA program will teach you a lot. In fact, it might even be too advanced. For example, if you know the red book well, but not too much beyond that, it is a good next step. Same if you've put together some basic sets (quarters, halves, dimes, nickels, cents) and want to move on to the next level, it probably is worth the experience. In my opinion the 400 dollar cost is a bit high, but it helped me realize that the first gold coin I had purchased 4 years earlier was actually a modern cast counterfeit. I ended up not losing money on the deal, but I was impressed it allowed me to reexamine a coin I had in my possession for so long. Basically, I think the ANA diploma makes you a smart consumer at the very least. The gist is, make sure you know what you are dealing with before you make purchases, and if not, buy from someone you trust. The ANA diploma taught me about coins I should reasonable be able to buy raw and the ones that I probably should get graded unless I've really studied up on. All told, I'd rather spend 400 dollars on a numismatic education than on a gold coin that turns out to be a fake. So in short, if you are buying any gold coin with a numismatic premium and haven't gone through the numismatic program or the equivalent, you've probably have a counterfeit in your possession. In fact, I'd almost guarantee it.
