Education, information and research are critical to the full enjoyment of numismatics. The American Numismatic Association (ANA) library is the world's largest numismatic lending library and an invaluable research tool.

If you are a serious numismatist and are not familiar with the American Numismatic Association Library you really need to check it out.

ANA Library Home Page: http://www.money.org/explore/library

ANA Library Research Services: http://www.money.org/explore/library/research-services

ANA Library Online Catalog: http://www.money.org/explore/library/library-catalog

You do not have to be an ANA member to use the library research services or on line catalog however the charges for photocopies and digital scanning of library materials is substantially more for non members and only members can check out books, auction catalogs, slide sets, and videos.

ANA members can check out books, auction catalogs, slide sets, and videos for six weeks and have an option of renewing for up to six more weeks. The only costs involved with checking out material are the outgoing and return Media Mail postage and insurance.

The ANA library currently has over 30,000 books, 80,000 auction catalogs and 3,000 Numismatic Journals. If you cannot find what you need via the online catalog the library staff is very knowledgeable about the collection and can help guide your search. The library phone number is (719) 482-9821. The library email is library@money.org

The library staff has been very helpful to me in researching US/Philippine coins. For example last year I acquired a Silver So-Called Wilson Dollar (HK-449) with a Bill Weber Collection Pedigree. As a collector of US/Philippine coins I am very familiar with the Wilson Dollar however I knew nothing about the Bill Weber Collection. My first step in researching my coins pedigree was a phone call to NGC. NGC had very little information about the Bill Weber Collection but suggested that I contact Holabird-Kagin, the firm that auctioned the Bill Weber Collection. Holabird-Kagin provided an interesting verbal history of the Bill Weber Collection and gave me the catalog and auction lot number of my coin however they no longer had any of the catalogs in stock. Fortunately the out of print catalog was available in the ANA library and I was able to obtain color photocopies of the pages describing the Bill Weber Collection and my pedigreed coin.

Thanks to the verbal information from Holabird-Kagan and the auction catalog photocopies from the ANA library I was able to determine that my Wilson Dollar had a particularly distinguished pedigree. Bill Weber was one of the foremost collectors of So-Called Dollars and one of the co-authors of the definitive So-Called Dollar reference "So-Called Dollars: An Illustrated Standard Catalog". After Mr. Weber's death his So-Called Dollar collection was auctioned by Holabird-Kagin Americana (HKA Auction #2 - December 2, 2008). My specimen (lot # 10414 1201) was described in the auction catalog as "A rare spectacular uncirculated example with very original toned surfaces. Mint green hues along the edges with an even mixture of grays and tans centrally. Certainly one of the finest toned examples to exist. Reverse is unusually well struck. According to Weber's personal notes, "Nice early strike"."

The coin pictured is 1920 HK-449 SC$1, Wilson Dollar, NGC MS62, Bill Weber Collection.

If you are interested in U.S./Philippine coins please visit my USA/Philippines Type Set at: http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/registry/coins/SetListing.aspx?PeopleSetID=51257

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