ANA announces Coin Week winners

Matthew Tormey and the Tucson Coin Club have been named grand prize winners in the American Numismatic Association’s 2011 National Coin Week activities.

Tormey, a Massachusetts native and ANA Young Numismatist, receives a Mint State 1864 2-cent piece for finishing first in the Civil War video scavenger hunt.

The Tucson Coin Club took first place in the ANA’s club trivia challenge and receives a 1925 Stone Mountain half dollar.

“Winning the scavenger hunt was like having my cake and eating it too,” Tormey said. “Interpreting all the clues and then finding the coins and note was a lot of fun and then winning the grand prize, I was blown away!”

The theme for 2011 National Coin Week was “Blue, Gray & Greenbacks,” a tribute to the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. The ANA created a video scavenger hunt challenging participants to identify and collect six Civil War-related objects. More than 200 treasure hunters took part, and 107 qualified for the grand prize drawing. Other prizes, such as 3-cent pieces and 2011 proof sets were also awarded.

A club trivia challenge testing the knowledge of ANA clubs was also presented. It included 15 questions that required extensive research. Twenty-four ANA clubs submitted answers for the challenge. The San Francisco Coin Club won the second-place prize, a set of Confederate States of America notes. Other prizes were also awarded.

The 88th annual National Coin Week took place April 17-23. Clubs and collectors across the country presented educational programs, displayed exhibits and held meetings to commemorate the Civil War and its money.

The dates for 2012 National Coin Week are April 15-21.