I joined the ANA today and can't wait to get my member pack in the mail. I am like a kid all over again! I have neck strain from being at the computer too long today -- it happens sometimes if I overdo it. Can any current members of ANA tell me anything about how the library works. I am anxious to get a book or video. Do they have a limit - one at a time -- or? Time limit for return? What about any of their other benefits that you think are good or have used. It looks like a good deal. Is there little newsletter any good? Thanks in advance for your help and time.! 8)
I will be curious to hear about the library. I know Michale can probably shed some in depth workings of it. I think the Numismatist magazine is great. Rather broad in what coins it covers and the three (average guestimate) bigger articles every month are heavy in the history behind the coins, etc. Some people find that boring. I love it. I suspect you might like it too since you asked about the library first. I really haven't used any of the benefits but I do carry my membership card in my wallet.
Being a new member myself, I share in your excitement. I have not yet used the library, but did receive, as a signup bonus, the video Grading Mint State U.S. Coins and it is great. I also have taken advantage of the insurance policy they offer and am eagerly awaiting my first copy of the Numismatist. Congrats!
I am only twenty, but I am an ANA Life member. The association is great and you will get way more than what you paid for by reading "The Numismatist" (not a little newsletter, but a professionally done newslettler with glossy pages which is going to expand in the next few months.) The library is real easy. You can call, write, or e-mail a request for books, slides and videos (over 40,000 books) and they will mail them to you. You have 30 days to read and enjoy and mail back. All you have to do pay for postage to and from which is easy because they include a small envelope with the books to send the money back in. I have done it many times and works like a charm and costs less than one of the books! Jane and Nancy (the librarians) do a great job and are always very helpful. Let me tell you that the library covers every aspect of collecting. From in-depth books on a particular series to beginning books for the new collector. I interned at the ANA in 2001 when the building was undergoing renovation and myself and another intern moved all the books in the library twice (not a fu job, but you get to know what the library contains). Cameron Kiefer
Thanks Kieferscoins and Flacoins. Yes, I am a "bookworm", having worked in two libraries myself as well as publishing several newsletters. Ahhhh the smell of fresh ink! 8)
Not just the smell of fresh ink, but the smell of old books stands out more to me when I go to libraries. Here is the ANA website for those that may not know it: http://www.money.org Cameron Kiefer
Kiefercoins wrote: "Not just the smell of fresh ink, but the smell of old books stands out more to me when I go to libraries." I used to yank my daughter's chain something fierce. We used to visit the Michigan State University campus often. Basically, I dragged her there, though we did things she wanted like wading across the Red Cedar and visiting the Greenhouses. Anyway, once when she was about 13 we were going back to the car and she was fussy and I took her over to the Library and we stood on the grate in the sidewalk. And I said, "Smell that?" and she said "The Library." and I said "We must be close." She just groaned and walked away...
Books and Coins Keiferscoins pretty much sums it up. I save the box and the stuffing to send the books back in. I often overpay in the little envelope, just a dollar or two, but it's the thought that counts. Once, I put in some Eisenhowers, Susies, and Sackies... The Numismatist is what you get the most of when you join the ANA. It comes every month. The Education Department is another major interest area that new collectors should know about. I took two of the mail order classes and I am looking to take a third. (Intro to Numismatics and Grading US Coins Today and then later I will take the class in Minting and Errors.) The ANA's prices on books and supplies are OK, not great, but OK. And they do run specials on the overstocked books that everyone else but you already has and you need to get started. Those come from the "Money Market" of Member Services. The Coin Insurance is something many people THINK about, but never do. It is a bit complicated and a bit of an expense. It is only for "collectors" not "dealers" but just because you sell a coin for a profit does not turn you into a dealer. (Do you have a store? Employees? Advertising? Pay income tax on your coin sales? Etc. etc.) I never got the insurance, but I THOUGHT about it often. The credit cards, cancer insurance, travel discounts and rental cars, and stuff, appeal to some people but they are not what excites me about the ANA. As an ANA Member, you get a nod from the dealers at ANA shows. No one gives away the store, but you are inside with the cool guys when you are an ANA member at an ANA convention. And as for that, a while back, I got interested in owning a meteor. But a meteorite is just a rock. All of Earth is a meteorite if you want to look at it like that. Then, in a space magazine, I saw an ad from a dealer who listed his ANA number. That made him someone I could trust.
In regards to insuring collections - coins and otherwise - Yes, I do feel that is a problem. Most insurance companies don't insurance any type of collections for very much ....... that I am aware of. At least mine doesn't. Can anyone verify this - or know of insurance companies that do insure collections. (We also collect minerals/semi-precious gemstones and mine our own crystals). I don't think ANA insures coins collections in Texas - at least that was my first impression upon doing a search for my state - because it did not pop up the info, and stated "not available in all states. :?
I've been meaning to do it too, but I've just been very BROKE. I can't even spend $35 for coins right now. :cry: I want to get in to try out the lending library. There are so many books I want to read, and I would like to try 'em before I buy 'em, particularly with some of the pricier books.
Finally heard back from email order on book/videos. Limit is 6 books and 3 videos for 6 wks. Also said, may be ok to extend with permission if necessary. Can't wait to get them in. Sounds like a deal to me! I know what you mean, spent money I shouldn't have but figured it beat 'buying the book'.
Hey Kellen, nice ta' see ya' here! Word of advise, try not to resurrect a thread that's 14 years old k?
