Ultimate Die Varieties / ANA Summer Seminar

[JamesWiles]

Ultimate Die Varieties: Learning to Attribute Lincoln Cents is the newest class to be offerred at the ANA Summer Seminar this June in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO.

This is a brand new class designed to develop future attributers by giving them access to the most respected researchers in the field and teaching them the techniques used to attribute all types of die varieties. The first year will focus on Lincoln Cents, but following years will rotate through the various denominations. So join us now to get in on the beginning and join us later for your specific series!

Learn how to attribute Lincoln Cent die varieties for yourself, by using the published materials and attribution techniques of two of the most renowned researchers in the series. The course covers the four major types of 20th century U.S. die varieties: design changes, mintmark styles, doubled dies, and repunched mintmarks. Discussions of each area include an explanation of origin, major identifying features, cataloging systems, and rarities for the “cherrypicker.” Two days of hands-on research make this course the ultimate die-variety learning experience!

Instructors: James Wiles, author of The Modern Minting Process and U.S. Minting Errors and Varieties: An ANA Correspondence Course; and Charles Daughtrey, author of Looking through Lincoln Cents: Chronology of a Series.

Contact the ANA at www.money.org to registar. Do it soon, before the class fills up!

[Car10]

This sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wish I wasn't in the swimming pool business. There is NOfree time in June in the pool business.

[Car10]

Class cancelled

Unfortunately, due to a lack of registrants, this opportunity has passed. On his varietyvista website Dr. Wiles writes:

" Unfortunately the new class, Ultimate Die Varieties, which we were trying to start did not have enough registrants to justify its availability, so it has been cancelled.

I would really like your feedback. Please take a moment to send me an email with any thoughts on why there was so little interest in this class and what I can do to make it more appealing. Was the time bad? Was the venue bad? Was the price bad? Was the content not what you desired or needed?"

Please help Dr. Wiles by posting your own reason/reasons for not signing up for the class. Please be honest and frank. I don't think you'll hurt his feelings.
Does nobody desire to be an attributer of 20th century varieties?

[JamesWiles]

You have beat me to the update, but you have correctly assessed my demeanor.
I really do want to know what we can do to make this or any other class more appealing to the error/variety community. Let me know your needs and desires and I will work to develop a class around them. Feel free to post your ideas here or for privacy, you can email me directly.

[Novicetoerr]

Ultimate Die Varieties / ANA Summer Seminar

Just my thoughts...(with the assumption that the class was an invitation to all forum participants):

- I believe IT IS NOT the subject nor objectives of the class that prevented
the minimum required number of enrollees. I, for one (a beginner
and very novice to this hobby), was very interested. I'm a year-old
early retiree and has all the time and able to register and attend, but still
did not do so due to the following:

1. Location
2. Potential expenses (even though I can save and pull out from my piggy-
bank)
3. Being a beginner and only a hobby, hard to justify (to my better half and
kids) why I'll be going and spending on this (R & R equivalent) travel.
4. Above Item #2, and class settings maybe an overkill as to the skill level
I only need.

Also, the travel (including flying), location, class settings and types of
people participants can be alienating to others who are not used to
them.

Pardon me for making the following recommendations. I always make it a point that I whenever I assess problems and potential causes, won't just walk away without making recommendation/s (even the simplest =but= not the dumbest ones). So here they are...

o Note that the primary objective of participating in forums like this is to
learn and explore this hobby. All forum participants are web/on-line
computer literates (and probably enjoy more in the comfort of their
couch or bedrooms computers). Why not develop a web-based training?

o One training/One reasonable fee... But divide training materials (or make
progressive training subjects) according to the sets of skills you think
registrants would have and would like to have. Such that novices and
experts alike would have the options to take all or choose-skip lessons or
topics.

o Ensure the training could be paused-play allowing the participants to learn
and enjoy at their own pace.

o Materials may include slides, animations and videos. Portions could be
interactive that would keep trainees on their toes and awake.


Thanks,
J

[cnladue]

i really think it was the price.We are facing hard times right now and most are tightening budgets.I would have LOVED TO GO,and now that my nadine I and found that great Madison error,I might be able to look forward to the two of us going to next summers event.I have made believers of the rest of the family.Maybe that's it ,most of us error variety nuts are not married to one too.also if maybe there had been more attention given to possible camping with the family nearby instead of such high dollar accommodations.It could not be that we are nerds and it would be boring to 95%of the rest of the people in America.

[JamesWiles]

Thanks for the comments thus far. We will be offering this class again next year. So begin now making plans to attend. The official program from the ANA will probably not be out until mid fall. However, if you would like to get a head start on the crowd, just contact the ANA and they will be happy to make a reservation for you.

[seattleMD]

I want to second the idea of attempting some web-based training as my primary issue with attending is having to travel. I have the money to travel, but it's not worth the time and money if I'm only going to be out there to attend a class or two. I realize it's not the same as hands-on experience, but I think a lot of it could be extracted into a web-based session.

[pyrbob]

Is the class being offered again this coming summer of 2009 and if it is which week will it be?