This year at summer seminar I was a chaperone and took the Counterfeit Detection class taught by Bob Campbell and JP Martin. To me summer seminar is the highlight of the year. I get to reunite with old friends and make new ones. Also you get to meet people who are authors and legends of the hobby.

My class had very interesting people that were collectors and dealers. We learned how counterfeits were made and what to look for. Some of the signs were the old standards, check weight, size, color and surfaces. We were also taught some of the not so obvious signs. We learned about artificial toning and how to detect the fake toning. It seems that with artificial toning that the stranger the color the better the changes are that the toning is artificial. We had many examples of counterfeits and artificial toning to look at. Some of the examples were really hard to tell if they were real or fake. This class is one of the few places where you can see so many fake coins and not worry about the government taking them.

Besides class there was a book sale, YN auction and side trips. The book sale had all kinds of books, magazines, catalogs, and pamphlets. All of the proceeds from the sale go to the library for new books and equipment. Between the two weeks about three thousand dollars was raised for the library. Also every year there is an auction put on mostly by the YNs with help from the chaperones and mentors. The auction raises money for scholarships so that YNs can come to summer seminar the next year. The auction is one of the many highlights of the week with many different kinds of donations and consignments. At the auction, items are often donated back or donated to the YNs. This year the auction raised about thirty thousand dollars during both weeks. One of the side trips was Cave of the Winds lantern tour. The Cave of Winds was found in 1881 and since then has been a tourist attraction. This was the first time that this tour was offered and it was well received. The tour was guided and lasted about 90 minutes. The guide told us the history of ownership, and many ghost stories. A couple of times the guide had us turn out our lanterns and you could not see anything or anyone. It was total darkness. The other trip that I went on was to see the Rockies and Padres play at Coors Field. Coors Field is about 5,280 feet above sea level and open air. Our seats were down the third base line with a great view. That night the home team won four to nothing.

Overall I had a great time and learned a lot about counterfeit coins and artificial toning. I highly suggest that anyone who is able to attend at least one summer seminar. Many people say that it is like no other experience.

Bob Campbell, Ginger Bing & JP Martin