YNs, former Money Museum curator honored during Summer Seminar banquet
Longtime Summer Seminar instructors Charles O. Browne and William Shamhart were awarded honorary Doctor of Numismatics degrees from the American Numismatic Association‘s Florence Schook School of Numismatics on Thursday, July 4, in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Browne and Shamhart have been co-instructors for the Summer Seminar course “Advanced Grading and Problem Coins” since 2005. Both are longtime numismatists — Browne began collecting in 1958 while Shamhart started in 1974.
“We’ve both been doing this for 35 years, so to capture and impart that knowledge to someone who has only been involved in numismatics for five years, they’re going to walk away with a great deal of knowledge,” Browne said.
Browne has primarily worked as a wholesaler during his career, while Shamhart owns Numismatic Americana Inc. of Chester, N.J. Both have worked as professional coin graders during their careers as well. Their combined experience makes for a popular classroom dynamic, so much so that their students often take the “Advanced Grading and Problem Coins” class more than once.
“My favorite part is the ‘eureka moment,’ when they get it,” Shamhart said. “It could be on Monday, it could be on Thursday, but you get to see the excitement when it clicks for them. At that moment, the radiance that comes off of them, you can just feel it.”
YN Literary Awards
Each year, the ANA recognizes young writers through the YN Literary Awards, which are funded by Whitman Publishing, LLC. Awards are given in three age groups. First-place winners receive a plaque, a $500 cash prize and a $500 voucher to build a personal library of numismatic books from Whitman Publishing. Second place receives a certificate and a book voucher for $200, and third place receives a certificate and a $100 book voucher.
Honorees include:
Bill Fivaz Young Numismatist Literary Award (Ages 8-12)
First—Garrett Ziss, “Presidents & Their Coins”
Second—Isaac Matittia, “Silver Coinage Usage & Significance: From Ancient Early Times of the Bible to Modern Times”
Third—Benjamin Mous, “The Inspired Collector”
Q. David Bowers Young Numismatist Literary Award (Ages 13-17)
First—Olivia Beauvais, “The Struggle for Recognition: The 1909 VDB Cent”
Second—Danial Usvyat, “On the State of the Modern Cent”
Third—Matt Draiss, “10,000 Tokens: Their Story, Their Variety, Their Fun”
Kenneth E. Bressett Young Numismatist Literary Award (Ages 18-22)
First—Ermin Chow, “Canadian Tire Money as a Numismatic Collectible”
Second—Erik Elbieh, “Making Cents of Circulating U.S. Money”
Third—Luis Ramos, “Inflation in the Roman Empire Due to Incorrect Coinage and Fiscal and Monetary Policies”
Presidential Award
Also honored during the banquet was Robert Hoge, who received an ANA Presidential Award for his dedication to the hobby. Hoge spent 20 years as the curator for the ANA’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum and 19 years as an instructor at Summer Seminar. Hoge is Curator Emeritus for the American Numismatic Society and is a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. He is also an accomplished writer, speaker and exhibitor.
The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 26,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of education and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or go to www.money.org.
