PHILADELPHIA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is offering an outstanding variety of educational programming, totaling more than 60 hours, at its World's Fair of Money 2000 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, August 9-13.

Young numismatists will experience the excitement of a real treasure hunt, receive a bag filled with hobby items and enter a drawing for hundreds of dollars in prizes during the "Treasure Trivia" game. Players will follow a treasure map of the convention floor and stop at booths to discover answers to the numismatic trivia questions. The game is underwritten by Allouez Rare Coin Gallery, Jonathan K. Kern Company Kevin Lipton Rare Coins and Anthony Terranova, Inc.

A special, three-day grading seminar will be led by ANA Authentication Bureau (ANAAB) Authenticator Brian A. Silliman and top grading experts from the ANA's official grading service, Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, on August 5-7. Participants will hone their skills and gain valuable hands-on experience.

For the first time, the ANA is offering a one-day course, "How to Detect Counterfeit U.S. Gold Coins." Scheduled for August 8, the class will be taught by Silliman and Marc Surrency of the United States Secret Service.

The ANA is introducing its "Convention Theatre" in Philadelphia, giving commercial firms an opportunity to present educational seminars and workshops. Tentatively scheduled are Coin World, H.E. Harris & Company, Heritage Rare Coin Galleries, Intercept Shield and Mietens North America. (A complete listing will appear in the ANA convention program.)

The Numismatic Theatre in Philadelphia runs from August 9 through 13 and features a number of hobby luminaries. Experts scheduled to speak include United States Mint engravers John Mercanti and Thomas Rogers, ANA Historian Arthur M. Fitts III and Coin World Editor Beth Deisher. Other presenters include Myron Xenos on audit-proofing taxes; and David L. Ganz on the U.S. Mint's 50 State Quarters Program. ANA Authenticator Silliman will discuss detection of counterfeit early American coinage; he will follow his presentation with a hands-on workshop.

The tentative list of speakers scheduled for the Numismatic Theatre is as follows:

Wednesday, August 9
10 a.m. - David Ganz - "The 50 State Quarters Program"
11 a.m. - Nawana Britenriker - "Reaching Out: The Digital Library"
NOON - Graham Dyer - "British Royal Mint"
1 p.m. - Sam Deep - "How to Make a Numismatic Presentation"
2 p.m. - David Lange - "Rare United States Dimes"
3 p.m. - Richard Doty - "A Singular Immortality: George Washington and the Currency of Fame"
4 p.m. - John Zuk - "Pitfalls of Buying Coins on the Internet & How to Avoid Them"
5 p.m. - Scott Rubin - "Noted Philadelphia Numismatic Dealers & Collectors - 1850 to Present"
9 a.m. - Greg & Lisa Heim - "Attributing Die Varieties of United States Half Cents"
10 a.m. - John Herzog - "A Numismatic Stroll through American Financial History, 1700-2000"
11 a.m. - Thomas Rogers - "The Golden Dollar"

Thursday, August 10
Noon - David Sundman - "The Ultimate SBA Errors: 21 Years, 10 Million Coins"
1 p.m. - David Provost - "The Historical Art Medal in 20th-Century America"
2 p.m. - Arthur M. Fitts III - "Georgian Heads & Tales"
3 p.m. - John Mercanti - "Dies at the U.S. Mint"
4 p.m. - Halbert Carmichael - "How Fast Are We Losing Our Common Cents?"
5 p.m. - "Currency Roundtable" - a panel discussion with Harry Jones, Art Kagin, Lyn Knight, William Youngerman & moderator Steve Michaels
6 p.m. - World Series for Young Collectors

Friday, August 11
9 a.m. - Myron Xenos - "Audit-Proofing Your Taxes, Currency Transactions & 1099 Reporting"
10 a.m. - Kerry Wetterstrom - "Ancient Coins & the New Millennium"
11 a.m. - Ray Waltz - "Civil War Emergency Money: Encased Postage Stamps"
Noon - Nelson Aspen - "Bermuda Currency"
1 p.m. - John Adams - "The Indian Peace Medals of George III"
2 p.m. - Sol Taylor - "The Lincoln Cent_The Cherrypicker's Best Choice"
3 p.m. - Brian Silliman - "Counterfeit Detection: Early American Counterfeits & Alterations"
4 p.m. - Anthony Swiatek - "Are Your Coins Really Worth Hundreds or Thousands of Dollars - Instead of Cents?"
5 p.m. - Tim Prusmack - "Designer Currency"

Saturday, August 12
9 a.m. - Robert Laub - "Fractional Currency & Other Bridges to the Civil War Small-Change Crisis"
10 a.m. - Scott Travers - "Coin Collecting for the New Millennium & Beyond"
11 a.m. - Q. David Bowers - "Famous Collectors and Their Collections"
Noon - Michael Fey - "A Silver Dollar Fortune in Your Drawer"
1 p.m. - Thomas Sebring - "The Shipwreck That Changed American History"
2 p.m. - George Fuld - "Early Medals of Washington during His Lifetime, Including Funeral Issues"
3 p.m. - Robert Evans & Q. David Bowers - "Ship of Gold: The S.S. Central America"
4 p.m. - Robert Van Ryzin - "The Great GSA Silver Dollar Sales"
5 p.m. - Thomas Sheehan - "Numismatics & the Stock Market"

Sunday, August 13
9 a.m. - Beth Deisher - "First the Book_Building a Core Numismatic Library"
10 a.m. - Thomas Fitzgerald - "Commemorating the Jubilee of the Roman Catholic Church"
11 a.m. - John and Nancy Wilson - "The History & Lore of the First, Second & Third Bank of the United States"