A Special Letter from Executive Director, Larry Shepherd
Dear Collector:
What a difference a year makes. In November 2007, I was living in Cincinnati and running my own business. Now I live in Colorado Springs and run
the finest numismatic organization in the world – your American Numismatic Association. It’s the realization of a dream that goes back to
my early teen years.
This job appeals to me because I love coins – and also because of all of you who contribute so much toward making the ANA so unique and so
special. Your involvement and your passion have helped the ANA expand its services to the hobby and extend its reach far beyond the boundaries of its
budget. Just like the tens of thousands of dedicated members before you, going back to the ANA’s founding in 1891, you have helped the ANA
promote the growth of the hobby by spreading the message of coin collecting as a fun and rewarding pastime, rich in art, history, and romance. It may
sound like a cliché but the truth is we wouldn’t be the organization that we are without the help of you, our members.
Working together with ANA management and staff, you have built an association that has provided education to thousands of collectors for 40 years
through Summer Seminar – the best educational value in the numismatic world – and classes at coins shows and other venues across the
nation.
You have helped the ANA produce the country’s finest coin shows and conventions; create standards for ethical conduct and grading; mediate
disputes; inspire interest in numismatic literature and history; promote scholarly research; recognize and reward outstanding service; and be a
guiding force in the growth and promotion of our hobby.
Back here in our Colorado Springs headquarters, you have helped us build the finest numismatic museum in the nation – featuring new and
interesting exhibits which emphasize the entertaining, informative and dramatic stories told through the 2,600-year history of money.
Our numismatic lending library is the largest in the world, and is available to collectors both on site and through the mail.
Your staff works tirelessly every day to find ways to promote the hobby and better serve the numismatic community, while constantly searching for
ways to do a better job for you.
Young collectors who have participated in our Young Numismatist programs and attended Summer Seminars on scholarships – all funded by your
generous contributions – have grown to become leaders in our hobby as successful collectors, graders, auctioneers, numismatic journalists, and
prominent dealers. Our Summer Seminar alumni form a veritable Who’s Who in the numismatic world. And many of the hobby’s finest authors
have gotten their start while writing for The Numismatist, or using the ANA library in their research efforts.
It’s fair to say that the numismatic world would not be as broad or developed without the existence of the ANA over the past 117 years.
It’s also fair to say that the ANA would not be what it is, or even here today, without your generous help. For what you have done to make the
ANA a better organization, the staff and I are eternally grateful.
Once again we are asking for your help. We are going through a period of great financial difficulty, brought on by mismanagement and ill-conceived
lawsuits. Combined, these have created huge challenges. Challenges we have responded to by changing leadership and putting our focus back on
numismatics and the needs of our members. We are committed to cleaning up the mess and never allowing it to happen again. We want to build on the
ANA’s 117-year legacy by expanding educational programs, increasing our online presence and online educational opportunities.
Americans have a new found love for coin collecting,whether as a result of the United States Mint’s Statehood quarter program or simply
adults returning to the hobby they enjoyed in their youth. A new generation of collectors needs to see the ANA as a vibrant organization, ready and
willing to respond to their educational needs and their desire for online numismatic resources and communities. We want to answer those needs by
creating an online museum, and online curriculum to continue our tradition of teaching and being the definitive source for reliable, unbiased
information to our hobby.
Your generous gift of $10, $25, $50 or more to this year’s Annual Giving Campaign will help the ANA to continue its extraordinary legacy by
funding the new programs we need, and improving the ones we have. Most importantly, your gift will benefit the hobby we all love so dearly. Together
we can help secure a great future for our members and the next generation of numismatists. Every donation will help, and every gift will be
appreciated. Please take a moment to fill out our online donation form.
I thank you for your support as an ANA member.
Larry Shepherd
ANA Executive Director
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