D

r. James Wiles began collecting coins as a young boy in rural Arizona. And he never quit. When other boys pushed aside their Whitman folders for baseball or girls, James just dug in closer with his toy microscope and a lot of will power. Forty years later, he's arguably the foremost authority on 20th century die varieties in the United States.

Are you thinking about jumping feet first into the coin hobby? Unsure of what's involved or where your adventure may lead? Not to worry. Like Dr. Wiles, you can become a respected expert in the field of minting errors and die varieties. Or just enjoy this aspect of coin collecting for your own sheer delight.

Following a brief stint the United States Air Force, and the diligent pursuit of a Ph.D. in New Testament Textual Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, Dr. Wiles directed his professional energies into sharing his knowledge of coins. Over the past 10 years he has authored numerous books on many denominations of U.S. minting varieties, including Eisenhower Dollars, Kennedy Halves, Washington Quarters, Jefferson Nickels, and Lincoln Cents.

In addition to his written works, Dr. Wiles has also given back to the hobby through service in the premier club for collectors of error and variety coins – CONECA, the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America. He has served as President for two terms, and has held other board positions as well. He has written many articles for Errorscope, CONECA's numismatic publication and contributes extensively to www.varietyvista.com. And he is ever working to advance the hobby and share the knowledge of error and variety coins.

In this pursuit, Dr. Wiles has authored a correspondence course (now in its second edition) on minting error and variety coins for the American Numismatic Association (ANA), and teaches the ANA's annual Summer Seminar on minting error and variety coins, a one-week course offered to coin enthusiasts of all ages on the beautiful campus of Colorado State College in Colorado Springs, CO.

Dr. Wiles is a teacher at heart. He loves to learn and he loves to share his knowledge of coins. Here are just some of the ways in which you can tap his knowledge of error and variety coins:

Start using the Attribution Guides to build your knowledge of the coin hobby.
Visit www.varietyvista.com frequently to see what other varieties await your treasure hunt.
Attend the ANA Summer Seminar on minting errors and die variety coins. To learn more, go to www.money.org
Send in your variety coins for an accurate attribution by Dr. Wiles himself.