ANA Numismatic Diploma

congrats

Nice job! Was coin grading part of the curriculum?

Congrats Mr. Morgan!

Thanks everyone! I knew you guys would understand...unlike my wife!
Coin grading was a part of the program. However I feel they spent too much time talking about technical grading when the focus should have been on market grading; since technical grading isn't really used. Also, the material was in black and white for the most part so it was somewhat difficult to see the details of the coins in the pictures. It did however teach me all about what specific things graders look at when assigning a grade, ie. Prime focal areas and the specific points of a coin that will show wear first. Also, what qualifies a full head and split bands etc. The material also came with some DVD's and to give you an idea of how outdated the material was, the book refereed to the DVD portions as VHS. I recently read they were revamping their material and even offering an online learning experience.

It is less expensive to purchase the entire package at once. I paid $409 total with shipping. It's pricey but they send you a lot of material and you get a certificate for every test you pass. They also return the tests, except the final, with your certificate. If you do sign up I suggest making flash cards of the questions on the tests for a study guide for the final. It helped me tremendously.

Thanks Austro,
The closed book exam is 200 questions and you have three hours to complete it. A lot of the questions are similar to the questions asked in the open-book tests. You have to find a proctor at a school or library, which is easier than it sounds. I emailed three local libraries and they all responded saying they could proctor the exam at no charge. You then send ANA the proctor information and they mail the test directly to the library. Once the test is completed, the proctor mails the test back in an envelope that is provided by ANA. The test only took me about an hour, and it was about half true or false, and half multiple choice. You have two years to complete the program, but it took me about a month, minus the back and forth time in the mail.
If you have the extra money, I suggest you go for it. It was something I considered for about three years, and I am glad I can finally cross it off of my bucket list.