The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 33, August 13, 2006, Article 17

ANS NUMISMATIC CONVERSATIONS SERIES CONTINUES

As Ray Williams recently reported, the ANS broke some new ground
recently with an educational program made available to remote
attendees.  The following is taken from a recent ANS press release:

"The American Numismatic Society has inaugurated a new program,
"Numismatic Conversations," to bring together experts on various
numismatic topics with collectors, dealers and scholars, who can
take part from different locations.

This July, the Society presented "Connecticut Coppers" as a first
in this series and to try out the experimental elements of the program.
ANS Curator of North American Coins and Currency Robert Hoge showed
an extensive selection of late 18th century Connecticut coinage to a
live audience of thirty-four amateur and professional numismatists
assembled at the ANS headquarters in New York City.

In addition, other enthusiasts and experts interested in Connecticut
Coppers viewed the program live via Internet connection.  Six members
of this remote audience--who were taking part from locations ranging
from Delaware to California--were connected to the event by
teleconference as well as Internet.  These remote participants were
able to view a video feed of the presentation and directly contribute
comments or questions to the conversation.

Despite some technical issues that will be corrected in future programs,
the experiment was successful and well received by those who took part.
The audience particularly enjoyed the close-up video views of the coins
themselves, which were shown both on a screen in the room and on the
webcast. As the program was videotaped, the Society plans to make
these sessions available to an even wider audience by offering an
edited version on DVD and/or as a download from the ASN web site.

The artifacts featured in the discussion mostly represented new
acquisitions by the ANS, or rare and exceptional examples that had
been in the collection, but which had not been on public exhibition
in recent years.  With the success of this first experiment, the ANS
intends to continue presenting sessions of "Numismatic Conversations"
for audiences that will include participants at the Society's New
York headquarters and online through the webcast.   The Society hopes
that many of its members and other interested individuals who cannot
attend in person will participate through this technology.

The next in the series will be a presentation at 6:30 PM on September
13, 2006, dealing with the evolution of American war medals and
decorations during the era when the United States became a world power.
Military historian (and ANS Development Director) Geoff Giglierano will
be showing and discussing examples from the Society's collections
including Medal Honor awards from the Civil War through the Philippine
Insurrection, and seldom-encountered medals that originated during
historic events such as the Spanish American War and the Boxer Rebellion.
 There is no charge to attend, but seating in the live audience is
limited to thirty individuals and reservations are encouraged.  To
make reservations, or for information on how you can connect and view
the webcast, please contact Juliette Pelletier at 212 571-4470,
extension 1311."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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