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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 3337273, member: 57463&quot;]I have been a member for 25 years, but I am not a Life Member. I renewed every year because it was worth it to me every year.</p><p><br /></p><p>For me, it is access to the 130 years of <i>The Numismatist</i> online. I just received six books on loan from the ANA Library. I go to the conventions whenever it is convenient. They have other incentives and premiums beyond Third Party Grading.</p><p>I have never been to an Educational Seminar in Colorado Springs, but I have taken three of their correspondence classes and other grading class at a convention.</p><p><br /></p><p>Their website is not well designed. If you can put up with it, you can find a lot and gain a lot. But it does not present well the many services and benefits to members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Using their research facilities, both online and from the library, I have written articles for them about Proof Double Eagles, Peace Dollars, and Buffalo Nickels, among other US topics. I also wrote about Sir Isaac Newton&#039;s 30 years as Master and Warden of the British Royal Mint.&nbsp; Most people do not know about that.&nbsp; You can collect American related and colonial coins that are associated with his work.&nbsp; Right now, I am researching Pay Warrants of the Texian Navy.</p><p><br /></p><p>My opinion is that you get out of it what you put into it. People who bad mouth the ANA seem to want something for nothing. They want to send 100 coins to NGC for slabbing and then complain about the grades. If you want to learn about the forms and uses of money, if you want to find out which items are collectible and valuable and important, if you want to associate with others in the hobby who are concerned for its future, then you can benefit from your annual dues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Look at it this way: The number of people who say they &quot;collect coins&quot; might be about 10 million right now. (See Scott Travers here: <a href="https://www.usgoldexpert.com/articles/analyzing-collectors-by-type/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.usgoldexpert.com/articles/analyzing-collectors-by-type/" rel="nofollow">https://www.usgoldexpert.com/articles/analyzing-collectors-by-type/</a> and NGC citing Coin World citing Larry King here: <a href="https://www.ngccoin.com/boards/topic/353034-how-many-coin-collectors-do-you-think-are-in-the-us/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ngccoin.com/boards/topic/353034-how-many-coin-collectors-do-you-think-are-in-the-us/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ngccoin.com/boards/topic/353034-how-many-coin-collectors-do-you-think-are-in-the-us/</a> ). <i>Coin World</i> newspaper has about 100,000 readers. That&#039;s 1% of that 10 million. The ANA has about 25,000 members: <b>one-fourth of one per cent</b> who are invested enough in their hobby to be part of America&#039;s Congressionally-Chartered coin club.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yeah, they have problems. Who doesn&#039;t? The Board and the management have gone through scandals. So what? It was founded in 1891. Good times and bad times come and go. What remains is the lasting service to numismatists who understand their own place in the history of the hobby.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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