Longtime Summer Seminar instructors Charles O. Browne and William Shamhart were awarded honorary Doctor of Numismatics degrees from the American Numismatic Association’s Florence Schook School of Numismatics on July 4 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Browne and Shamhart have been co-instructors for the Summer Seminar course “Advanced Grading and Problem Coins” since 2005. Both are longtime numismatists — Browne began collecting in 1958 while Shamhart started in 1974.
“We’ve both been doing this for 35 years, so to capture and impart that knowledge to someone who has only been involved in numismatics for five years, they’re going to walk away with a great deal of knowledge,” Browne said.
Browne has primarily worked as a wholesaler during his career, while Shamhart owns Numismatic Americana Inc. of Chester, N.J. Both have worked as professional coin graders during their careers as well. Their combined experience makes for a popular classroom dynamic, so much so that their students often take the “Advanced Grading and Problem Coins” class more than once.
“My favorite part is the ‘eureka moment,’ when they get it,” Shamhart said. “It could be on Monday, it could be on Thursday, but you get to see the excitement when it clicks for them. At that moment, the radiance that comes off of them, you can just feel it.”
Also honored during the banquet was Robert Hoge, who received an ANA Presidential Award for his dedication to the hobby.
Hoge spent 20 years as the curator for the ANA’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum and 19 years as an instructor at Summer Seminar. Hoge is curator emeritus for the American Numismatic Society and is a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. He is also an accomplished writer, speaker and exhibitor.
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