ANA Rosemont On-site Report 1 1

[Mohawk]

On 8/14/2021 at 4:39 PM, VKurtB said:

Sucker’s heavy too. They made me put it on. The 2019 winner warned me to ALWAYS wear it at ANA shows. Joe watches for it. 

It looks like a heavy beast.  Wearing that at all ANA shows will be FUN........

Edited August 14, 2021 by Mohawk

[VKurtB]

My wife and I were at the same banquet table with renowned dealer and 2021 ANA President runner-up Art Kagin and his wife. I mentioned to the others that it was Art who successfully marketed the Saddle Ridge Hoard without depressing the market for Liberty DE’s. I wish I had plied him with vino to get him revealing the conservation methods used to spiff up those coins. 
 

His wife has perhaps THE premier set of Hobo nickels known. 

[zadok]

On 8/14/2021 at 4:48 PM, VKurtB said:

My wife and I were at the same banquet table with renowned dealer and 2021 ANA President runner-up Art Kagin and his wife. I mentioned to the others that it was Art who successfully marketed the Saddle Ridge Hoard without depressing the market for Liberty DE’s. I wish I had plied him with vino to get him revealing the conservation methods used to spiff up those coins. 
 

His wife has perhaps THE premier set of Hobo nickels known. 

u were eating with ghosts.....

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 5:35 PM, zadok said:

u were eating with ghosts.....

Art (correction, Don) and his wife have always been very gracious to me. I shared an Uber with her at Pittsburgh March 2019.

Edited August 14, 2021 by VKurtB

[zadok]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:37 PM, VKurtB said:

Art and his wife have always been very gracious to me. I shared an Uber with her at Pittsburgh March 2019.

toutes nos felicitations....on ur award...

[zadok]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:37 PM, VKurtB said:

Art (correction, Don) and his wife have always been very gracious to me. I shared an Uber with her at Pittsburgh March 2019.

now ur in the correct time zone general lee......

[VKurtB]

I may have mentioned that my judging assignment was Young Numismatist Best in Show. The head of our 5 person panel was Tom Uram, head honcho of PAN and a member of the Citizens’ Coin Advisory Committee. He’s a big man in western PA politics. The quality of the exhibits mounted by the youngsters was mind-blowing. Yes, some of the material was fairly common, so their rarity scores suffered, but the aesthetic and informational content was on a par with experienced adult exhibitors (exhibitionists? no!).

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 5:44 PM, zadok said:

now ur in the correct time zone general lee......

Don was the first to earn a Ph.D. in numismatics, but I believe there have now been a few others. For a few people here in this board, and ATS, and ESPECIALLY at CT, that stands for “piled high, and deep”. Steaming, too. 

[Mohawk]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:49 PM, VKurtB said:

Don was the first to earn a Ph.D. in numismatics, but I believe there have now been a few others. For a few people here in this board, and ATS, and ESPECIALLY at CT, that stands for “piled high, and deep”. Steaming, too. 

I have an Ed.D, which stands for Extremely Deep Debt 

[Just Bob]

Congratulations on your award. 

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 6:31 PM, Mohawk said:

I have an Ed.D, which stands for Extremely Deep Debt 

Walt Ostromecki, is that you? The American Numismatic Association President from 2013-2015, Walt, and the new one as of yesterday, are BOTH Ed.D.’s.

[Mohawk]

Hahaha......nah, I'm not Walt or the new guy.  My name's Tom .  But it is fascinating that I know of at least three Ed.D's involved in the hobby now!!

[RWB]

Congratulations!

Is there also an award for Judging Mediocrity - like maybe US Mint coin designs?

PS: Now that you've blown your cover, with "they" be after you?

Edited August 15, 2021 by RWB

[Henri Charriere]

On 8/14/2021 at 10:02 PM, RWB said:

Congratulations!

Is there also an award for Judging Mediocrity - like maybe US Mint coin designs?

PS: Now that you've blown your cover, with "they" be after you?

     🐓

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 9:39 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

     🐓

At the US Mint, mediocrity is built in. The government’s management personnel system virtually GUARANTEES all institutional memory gets killed off with every new administration. Career people are ignored and/or moved out and the political appointees take over and ignore all learned lessons. That’s our Mint. 
 

By the way, I am just as much “they” as anyone else is. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by VKurtB

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 9:01 PM, Mohawk said:

Hahaha......nah, I'm not Walt or the new guy.  My name's Tom .  But it is fascinating that I know of at least three Ed.D's involved in the hobby now!!

Ostromecki is/was an administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Dr. Ross is a talented mathematician. He can go all Sheldon Cooper on ya’.

[Mohawk]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:20 PM, VKurtB said:

Ostromecki is/was an administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Dr. Ross is a talented mathematician. He can go all Sheldon Cooper on ya’.

Very cool!!! Dr. Ross would blow up my brain!! I have dyscalculia, which is basically dyslexia with numbers, so my math skills can be somewhat lacking.  My Ed.D is in Higher Education Leadership.  I'm working on starting my career right now.  I could do a lot of different things with my Ed.D.  

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 10:24 PM, Mohawk said:

Very cool!!! Dr. Ross would blow up my brain!! I have dyscalculia, which is basically dyslexia with numbers, so my math skills can be somewhat lacking.  My Ed.D is in Higher Education Leadership.  I'm working on starting my career right now.  I could do a lot of different things with my Ed.D.  

When I was a County Election Director, my County Commissioner boss used to marvel at my willingness to “commit math during a public meeting”.

I also argued with the Solicitor over points of law in public. She didn’t care for that and I didn’t care period. 
 

After I left I kicked her behind in court, … twice. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by VKurtB

[Mohawk]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:27 PM, VKurtB said:

When I was a County Election Director, my County Commissioner boss used to marvel at my willingness to “commit math during a public meeting”.

If I tried to commit math in public, I'd likely only succeed in embarrassing myself!!  Let me tell you, doctoral level stats was some fun for me......I've never suffered so much in a class!!! I got through it with a B-.  I have never worked so hard for a B- in my life!!!

[VKurtB]

On 8/14/2021 at 10:34 PM, Mohawk said:

If I tried to commit math in public, I'd likely only succeed in embarrassing myself!!  Let me tell you, doctoral level stats was some fun for me......I've never suffered so much in a class!!! I got through it with a B-.  I have never worked so hard for a B- in my life!!!

HP makes good calculators for that stuff. But the doctoral level stuff requires printed aids to help with proper data input formats. 

[GoldFinger1969]

On 8/14/2021 at 10:02 PM, RWB said:

Congratulations! Is there also an award for Judging Mediocrity - like maybe US Mint coin designs?

Roger, you never got back on that Citizen's Committee you were forced to leave a while back, right ?

[RWB]

On 8/15/2021 at 10:42 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Roger, you never got back on that Citizen's Committee you were forced to leave a while back, right ?

I have not asked to be reappointed.

[VKurtB]

On 8/15/2021 at 10:56 AM, RWB said:

I have not asked to be reappointed.

Smart. Have you seen some of their choices?!?! /shudders in horror

[VKurtB]

I have done my last O’Hare Airport experience. Never again. What a god-forsaken hell hole! I’ll drive it from now on, even if solo. I’ll do Midway, or Chicago Union Station, but NEVER AGAIN O’Hare. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by VKurtB

[DWLange]

The government’s management personnel system virtually GUARANTEES all institutional memory gets killed off with every new administration. Career people are ignored and/or moved out and the political appointees take over and ignore all learned lessons.

That reminds me of my own funny story while working with the U. S. Mint. In the late 1990s NGC was asked by it to provide educational content for its H.I.P. Pocket Change website, and I wrote enough material to fill a book. No sooner was the task completed there was a change in management of the program, and everything I did was tossed into the trash can. It wasn't a total waste, as I do still have the very comfortable U. S. Mint lanyard that I was presented, and my loupe is suspended from it at all coin shows.

[Henri Charriere]

On 8/15/2021 at 1:52 PM, VKurtB said:

I have done my last O’Hare Airport experience. Never again. What a god-forsaken hell hole! I’ll drive it from now on, even if solo. I’ll do Midway, or Chicago Union Station, but NEVER AGAIN O’Hare. 

"There are no unwarranted kvetches, as any kvetcher will surely tell you and every responsible kvetch-partner will completely understand.  Every kvetch is immediate, discrete, superficial and worthy of affirmation or, better yet, a reciprocal kvetch.  It shouldn't lead anywhere else -- not to soul-searching reflections, not to brooding and heady discussions, not to fierce and aggressive actions -- and it shouldn't last very long."  😉

(From "A kvetcher's kvetch on kvetching," by Mike Gecan, N.Y. Daily News, Fri. Aug. 13, 2021)

[Woods020]

On 8/15/2021 at 1:52 PM, VKurtB said:

I have done my last O’Hare Airport experience. Never again. What a god-forsaken hell hole! I’ll drive it from now on, even if solo. I’ll do Midway, or Chicago Union Station, but NEVER AGAIN O’Hare. 

Have you been to midway? If the airport doesn’t get you, the drive out on Cicero certainly will. Don’t go through there at night. 

[VKurtB]

On 8/16/2021 at 7:51 AM, Woods020 said:

Have you been to midway? If the airport doesn’t get you, the drive out on Cicero certainly will. Don’t go through there at night. 

I have flown in and out of Midway many times. I’m a HUGE Southwest Airlines fan. I usually take the CTA Orange line to downtown. One time I took an Uber from downtown TO Midway, full daylight. I might not be so sanguine about the Orange line these days. Best time for going to Midway on the Orange line is about sunrise.

[VKurtB]

On 8/15/2021 at 4:15 PM, DWLange said:

The government’s management personnel system virtually GUARANTEES all institutional memory gets killed off with every new administration. Career people are ignored and/or moved out and the political appointees take over and ignore all learned lessons.

That reminds me of my own funny story while working with the U. S. Mint. In the late 1990s NGC was asked by it to provide educational content for its H.I.P. Pocket Change website, and I wrote enough material to fill a book. No sooner was the task completed there was a change in management of the program, and everything I did was tossed into the trash can. It wasn't a total waste, as I do still have the very comfortable U. S. Mint lanyard that I was presented, and my loupe is suspended from it at all coin shows.

Perfect example.

[VKurtB]

Another cool part of traveling to big shows is being exposed to a different commerce stream of pocket change. While in Rosemont I received utterly awesome examples of current year Denver mint coins for keeping my modern sets current. The 2021-D dimes were unbelievably nice, and I received my very first business strike Tuskegee Airmen quarter of any Mint (D) and some truly gorgeous cents and Washington Crossing quarters. Oddly, no nice nickels. I got nickels, but they were all typical well circulated junk.