International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) General News

The 54th Annual NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL NUMISMATIC CONVENTION at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel

Peter Tompa — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 22:30:38 GMT

If you will be visiting New York City for the NY International Numismatic Convention from January 15-18, 2026 (details here: https://nyinc.info/), look for IAPN member dealers at the show. This roster should help you locate them so they can help you find that special coin for your collection:

NYINT IAPN Dealer Roster Final 010926.pdf

IAPN awards Annual Book Prize at National Library of France

Peter Tompa — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 19:06:10 GMT

Jean-Yves Kind was awarded IAPN’s annual book prize for 2025 during a reception at the French National Library, conducted on 19 September. His two-volume book, entitled Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises. 1: Monnaies d’or Louis IX à Louis XII; 2: Monnaies d’or François Ier à Louis XVI, is published by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in association with Éditions V. Gadoury, Monte Carlo. The winner is an archivist and former special advisor on the Conservation of Treaties at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has managed the French coin collection at the National Library of France since 2009. His book catalogues an important part of the extraordinary collection of French royal gold coins found in his Institution. The comprehensive collection covered in these two volumes include gold coins issued from the reigns of Louis IX to Louis XVI, featuring many extremely rare and unique specimens.

The IAPN Book Prize consists of a medal, a diploma and a monetary award of
CHF 1,000 (Swiss Francs). The second and third place awards this year were as follows: Second prize went to Lucia Carbone for Local Coinages in a Roman World: Second Century BC First Century AD (American Numismatic Society, New York, 2024). Third prize went to Hugo Vanhoudt and John Saunders for The Gold Coinage of the Low Countries (Hugo Vanhoudt, Heverlee, NL, 2024). Ms. Carbone and Mr. Vanhoudt will be honored with diplomas recognizing their publications in the upcoming months.

For more about the IAPN Annual Book Prize, see https://iapn-coins.org/book-prize.

For more information regarding the IAPN. please visit their website: https://www.iapn-coins.org/.

For enquires about the Association, please contact:
The IAPN General Secretary, 57, rue Grimaldi, 98000 MONACO. | +377 93 25 12 96 | secretary@iapn-coins.org.

IAPN's Executive Director Testifies Before US Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Peter Tompa — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:54:20 GMT

On September 15, 2025, IAPN's Executive Director, Peter Tompa, testified before the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee about proposed new or renewed import restrictions for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, and Türkiye.

He indicated that IAPN opposed renewals for Afghanistan and Türkiye and takes no position on a MOU for Cameroon or a renewal for Colombia as long as coins are not included. He focused his comments on Afghanistan and Türkiye, stating that both renewals raised fundamental contradictions that could not be reconciled. He referenced the Taliban’s past destruction of historic statues and current blessing of a Chinese copper mine that will swallow up an important Buddhist site. He further stated that ongoing looting with the full knowledge of local warlords who have pledged allegiance to the Taliban cannot be considered an “emergency.” As for Türkiye, he noted that its government’s aggressive repatriation efforts abroad must be contrasted with its encouragement of treasure hunting on Jewish and Christian sites at home as well as its conversion of historic churches into mosques. He further stated that extensive “designated lists” that cover coins that circulated regionally and internationally only hurt legitimate trade. As a solution, he suggested that the Trump Administration apply the Administrative Procedure Act to the creation of designated lists and the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act to enforcement.

Peter Tompa’s oral statement can be found here:

https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2025/09/renewals-for-afghanistan-and-turkey.html

IAPN’s written comments on proposed renewal of emergency import restrictions for Afghanistan can be found here:

https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2025-0203-0035

IAPN’s written comments on renewal with Colombia can be found here:

https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2025-0203-0032

IAPN’s written comments on the renewal with Türkiye can be found here:

https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2025-0203-0038

For a summary of the entire meeting, see https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2025/09/summary-of-cpac-meeting-to-discuss.html

World's Fair of Money-- Oklahoma City Convention Center, August 19-23, 2025

Peter Tompa — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:53:39 GMT

If you will be visiting Oklahoma City for the annual American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money, look for IAPN member dealers at the show. This roster should help you locate them so they can help you find that special coin for your collection:

ANA IAPN Dealer Roster 2025 FINAL (4) .pdf

Happy hunting!

The World's Fair of Money will be held at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, 100 Mick Cornett Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73109.

IAPN Welcomes its New Members for 2025

Peter Tompa — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:20:16 GMT

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) is proud to welcome six new member numismatic firms and one new associate member. Current IAPN members approved these new members during a recent Congress held in Madrid, Spain. Their acceptance represents the judgment of current IAPN members that each firm shares IAPN’s objectives of fostering the development of a healthy and prosperous numismatic trade conducted according to the highest standards of business ethics and commercial practice, the encouragement of scientific research and the propagation of numismatics, and the creation of lasting and friendly relations amongst professional numismatists around the world.

IAPN’s new members are as follows:

Polydefkis Karamitsos
A, Karamitsos International Auctions
34 Tsimiski str.
54623, Thessaloniki, Greece
Website: https://www.karamitsos.com/index.php
Firm email: karamitsos@karamitsos.com
Telephone:+30 2310 264 36
Specialty: Modern Greek coins and medals

Pavel Krouzek
Antium Aurum S.R.O.
Salvoda 2 9/1
Prague/Praha 186 00 Czechia
Website: https://www.antiumaurum.com/
Firm email: info@antiumaurum.cz
Telephone: +0042 (022) 231-7702
Specialty: Czech and other Eastern European coins and medals.

Justin Meunier
Boardwalk Numismatics
6 Way Road, Suite #303
Middlefield, CT 06455
Website: https://boardwalknumismatics.com/
Firm email: Contact@BoardwalkNumismatics.com
Telephone: (860) 349-7048
Specialty: World coins and medals.

John Feigenbaum
CDN Publishing, LLC d/b/a Whitman Brands (Associate Member)
1072 Laskin Road
Virginia Beach
Virginia 23451
Website: https://www.greysheet.com/
Firm Email: support@greysheet.com
Telephone: : (757) 656-1055
Specialty: Numismatic publisher

Mike Gonzalez
Capstone Acquisitions
PO Box 170938
Austin, TX 78717
Website: https://capstonecoins.com/
Firm email: info@capstonecoins.com
Telephone: 512-692-0744
Specialty: US, Ancient, World Coins, Shipwreck coins

Arial Dabbah
Rio de la Plata Subastas
Riobamba 429
Ciudad de Buenos Aires, C1025ACC
Argentina
Website: https://rpnumis.com/
Firm email: adabbah@gmail.com
Specialty: Coins of Argentina and Latin America

Ben Prince
Wessex Coins
PO Box 442
Waterlooville
Hampshire
PO7 9HQ.
United Kingdom
Website: https://www.wessexcoins.co.uk/
Firm email: benjamin.prince2@gmail.com
Telephone: +44 (0)2380 972059
Specialty: Ancient coins, British and World coins and medals

For more information regarding the IAPN. please visit their website: https://www.iapn-coins.org/.

For enquires about the Association, please contact:
The IAPN General Secretary, 57, rue Grimaldi, 98000 MONACO. | +377 93 25 12 96 | secretary@iapn-coins.org.

IAPN Conducts Successful Congress in Madrid

Peter Tompa — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 21:53:09 GMT

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) conducted its 73^rd annual Congress in Madrid, Spain, from June 22-25, 2025. Forty-four member firms attended the event, held at the recently renovated Palace Hotel, a 1912 Art Nouveau masterpiece.

The Congress approved membership for six numismatic firms:

(1) Antium Aurum (Czech Republic)( https://www.antiumaurum.com/);

(2) Boardwalk Coins (USA)( https://boardwalknumismatics.com/);

(3) Capstone Acquisitions (USA) ( https://capstonecoins.com/);

(4) A. Karamitsos International Auctions (Greece) (karamitsos@karamitsos.com);

(5) Rio de la Plata (Argentina) (https://rpnumis.com/); and

(6) Wessex Coins (United Kingdom) (https://www.wessexcoins.co.uk/).

Additionally, the Congress also approved an associate membership for CDN Publishing LLC (https://www.greysheet.com/ ).

A moment of silence was also held for recently deceased IAPN members. These included Laszlo Nudelman, Gunnar Thesen, Eddy Absil, Druso Franceschi, and Claude Silberstein.

Congress delegates received briefings on regulatory challenges facing the industry as well as recent US tariffs.

The Congress voted to approve Rome as the location of its 74^th Congress. That Congress will also mark IAPN’s 75^th anniversary. The Congress then heard proposals to hold subsequent Congresses in Hong Kong, South Africa, Argentina, and Saint Martin in the Caribbean.

Since 1982, IAPN has annually conducted its book prize award honoring numismatic authors for what the organization considers “the best numismatic publication of the year”. This year, IAPN members reviewed 21 books on ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern coins as well as paper money published in 2024 before awarding top honors to Jean-Yves Kind for his 2 Volume set, Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises. 1: Monnaies d’or Louis IX à Louis XII; 2: Monnaies d’or François Ier à Louis XVI. Second place went to Lucia Carbone for her Local Coinages in a Roman World: Second Century BC First Century AD. Third place went to Hugo Vanhoudt and John Saunders for their Gold Coinage of the Low Countries. More here: https://iapn-coins.org/general-news/13516732.

Jesús Vico Numismatic Auctions organized both the Congress and activities that included a welcoming reception at the Real Madrid Football Stadium, a companion tour of the Prado and Retiro Park, an evening tour of Toledo, and a Gala dinner at the Casa America in the 1877 Linares Palace.

At the Gala dinner, the firm received a special award from IAPN’s president, Dan Sedwick, for its work in organizing the Congress, which had to be moved from its original location in Budapest, Hungary, due to the untimely death of its sponsor, Laszlo Nudelman. A total of 8465€ was also collected at the Gala for the Aladina Foundation, a charity to address the needs of children with cancer. More about the foundation can be found here: https://aladina.org/la-fundacion/.

For more information regarding the IAPN. please visit their website: https://www.iapn-coins.org/.

For enquires about the Association, please contact:
The IAPN General Secretary, 57, rue Grimaldi, 98000 MONACO. | +377 93 25 12 96 | secretary@iapn-coins.org.

IAPN Names Book on French Gold Coins Best Numismatic Publication of 2024

Peter Tompa — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:34:22 GMT

Since 1982 the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) has annually conducted its book prize award honoring numismatic authors for what the organization considers “the best numismatic publication of the year”. Each year books are submitted to the IAPN and voted on at their annual Congress. First place consists of a medal, a diploma, and a monetary reward.

During the IAPN Congress held in Madrid, June 22-24, 2025, IAPN members reviewed 21 books on ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern coins as well as paper money before awarding top honors to Jean-Yves Kind for his 2 Volume set, Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises. 1: Monnaies d’or Louis IX à Louis XII; 2: Monnaies d’or François Ier à Louis XVI. Second place went to Lucia Carbone for her Local Coinages in a Roman World: Second Century BC First Century AD. Third place went to Hugo Vanhoudt and John Saunders for their Gold Coinage of the Low Countries.

Jean-Yves Kind, the first prize winner, is an archivist and former special advisor on the Conservation of Treaties at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has managed the French coin collection at the National Library of France since 2009. His book catalogues an important part of the extraordinary collection of French royal gold coins found in his Institution. This comprehensive collection covered in two volumes includes gold coins issued from the reigns of Louis IX to Louis XVI, featuring many extremely rare and unique specimens.

Full title of the prize winners and where these books can be purchased are as follows:

KIND, Jean-Yves. Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises. 1: Monnaiesd’or Louis IX à Louis XII; 2: Monnaies d’or François Ier à Louis XVI2 vols. Bibliothèque Nationale de France/Éditions V. Gadoury, Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2024

ISBN 978-2-90660-256-4

Price: €95. Order at https://www.gadoury.com/en/books/catalogue-des-monnaies-royales-francaises-tome-i-et-ii.

CARBONE, Lucia. Local Coinages in a Roman World: Second Century BC First Century AD2 vols. American Numismatic Society, New York, 2024

ISBN 978-0-89722-419-2 and 978-0-89722-420-8

Price: US $325. Order at https://numismatics.org/store/rbw/.

VANHOUDT, Hugo, and SAUNDERS, John. The Gold Coinage of the Low Countries Hugo Vanhoudt, Heverlee, NL, 2024

ISBN 978-1-73565-981-7

Price: €100. Order from vanhoudt.hugo@gmail.com.

IAPN plans to bestow the award to the first prize winner at a ceremony to take place at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.in conjunction with an upcoming numismatic event in Paris. Details to follow.

Books suitable for the prize must have an imprint of the previous year and be submitted to the Chairman of the Publication Committee at least 90 days prior to the dates of the General Assembly (i.e. end of February).

If you or someone you know would like to submit a numismatic reference for the IAPN book prize, please contact the chairman of the Publications Committee, Peter Preston-Morley, via email: ppm@noonans.co.uk.

For more information regarding the IAPN. please visit their website: https://www.iapn-coins.org/.

For enquires about the Association, please contact:
The IAPN General Secretary, 57, rue Grimaldi, 98000 MONACO. | +377 93 25 12 96 | secretary@iapn-coins.org.

IAPN Comments on Proposed Renewals of Cultural Property MOUs with Italy, Chile, and Morocco and Proposed New MOU with Vietnam

Peter Tompa — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 21:05:45 GMT

The International Association of Professional Numismatists has asked the US State Department Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) to advocate ending or limiting damaging embargoes imposed on collector's coins openly and legally sold abroad, particularly in legitimate markets in Europe. The comments on the proposed renewal of a Cultural Property Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Italy also specifically asks that any extension not be used as an excuse to impose new import restrictions on widely circulating and collected late Roman Republican or Roman Imperial coins. These comments can be found here:

Proposed Renewal of the current MOU with the Republic of Italy: https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2024-0048-0042

Proposed New MOU with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2024-0048-0034

Proposed Renewal of the current MOU with the Republic of Chile: https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2024-0048-0035

Proposed Renewal of the current MOU with Kingdom of Morocco: https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2024-0048-0036

Please Help Protect Roman Coin Collecting!

Peter Tompa — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:57:23 GMT

The US State Department has announced a proposed renewal of a cultural property Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Republic of Italy. There is a danger that this will provide an excuse for US import restrictions implementing that MOU to be expanded to include late Roman Republican and Roman Imperial Coins.

Import restrictions could make it far more difficult to import such coins from legitimate markets in Europe like those in the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.

Why? Because they would give US Customs the authority to assume that any late Roman Republican or Roman Imperial coins with a country of origin/manufacture of Italy (i.e., Rome and other late Imperial mints of Aquileia, Mediolanum, Ostia, Ravenna, and Ticinum) are the “cultural property” of the modern Republic of Italy.

US Customs could then demand that the importer “prove” that such coins were out of Italy before the effective date of any governing regulations, which can be difficult to do for many coins, particularly low value ones like most Roman coins.

And if you can’t provide this information? The coin(s) could be detained, seized and “repatriated” to the Italian government.

What can you do? Go to https://www.regulations.gov/, search for dos-2024-0048, and then click the blue “comment now” button. Or try this direct link: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/DOS-2024-0048-0001

What can you say? Your own comments focusing on how import restrictions might make it more difficult to purchase coins to appreciate ancient history and culture are the best, but here is a short model for you to use for your own comments:

Please reject any effort to expand current restrictions to include Roman coins. The Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire database lists over 6 million such coins. See https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/. Roman coins circulated from the UK to Sri Lanka so it is improper to assume any one individual coin is Italian Cultural Property. Import restrictions would damage my ability to learn more about ancient history and negatively impact my own interactions with other collectors, especially those in Europe where collecting Roman coins is particularly popular.

Want to learn more? Visit the Cultural Property Observer Blog at: https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/ Or contact IAPN’s Executive Director, Peter Tompa, at pkt@pktcounsel.com.

Comments Must Be Made on or Before January 27, 2025.

For more about the International Association of Professional Numismatists, see https://www.iapn-coins.org/

For a PDF of this Post which may be used as a handout, see NYINC Handout Italian MOU 010725.pdf

Meet IAPN Members at the 2025 New York International Numismatic Convention

Peter Tompa — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 19:35:08 GMT

The New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) is the United States’ largest and most prestigious numismatic event targeting the needs of the foreign and ancient numismatic communities. The 53rd Annual NYINC will be held at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel, located 111 East 48 Street, New York, NY 10017, at Lexington Avenue.

For a roster of the 40 IAPN member firms attending this important bourse, see NYINC IAPN Dealer Roster 2025 Final 010625.pdf

Additionally, please feel tree to ask IAPN's Executive Director, Peter Tompa, any questions you might have about the organization. IAPN will have its own booth at the show, No. 403.

The NYINC bourse area regular public hours will be:

Friday, January 17 – 10AM-6:30PM
Saturday, January 18 – 10AM-6:30PM
Sunday, January 19 – 10AM-2:30PM

Public registration is $25 (No Cash, only credit cards accepted) for a three-day pass valid during all public hours throughout the event.

For more information about the NYINC, see https://nyinc.info/.

Meet the I.A.P.N. this week at the ANA – World's Fair of Money in Rosemont (Chicago), IL

IAPN Webmaster — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 10:30:00 GMT

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (I.A.P.N.) table at this summer's ANA - World's Fair of Money in Rosemont (Chicago), IL (USA)

Please stop by I.A.P.N.'s table #1632 in the Ancient & World section of the bourse to learn more about the Association, and to meet the IAPN Executive Director, Peter K. Tompa, who can answer questions about the I.A.P.N. or help put you in touch with Members participating at this year's event.

To find an IAPN Member at the event, view our IAPN Dealer Roster

Visit the I.A.P.N. in Chicago during the ANA's - World Fair of Money® at Booth #1632

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:30:00 GMT

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (I.A.P.N.) will have a table at this summer's ANA - World's Fair of Money in Rosemont (Chicago), IL (USA)

Please stop by I.A.P.N.'s table #1632 in the Ancient & World section of the bourse to learn more about the Association, our activities and important trade issues facing the industry. You can also get help with any questions you may have about buying and selling coins safely from members of the I.A.P.N., and also meet participating I.A.P.N. Members with tables on the bourse buying and selling coins and other collectible numismatic items.

Fair attendees can also meet the IAPN Executive Director who can answer questions about the I.A.P.N. or help put you in touch with Members participating at this year's event.

Please stop by and meet the I.A.P.N.!

To find an IAPN Member at the event, view our IAPN Dealer Roster

Please Support HR 7865, a bill to facilitate the lawful trade of coins.

IAPN Webmaster — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 23:40:51 GMT

Please Support HR 7865,
a bill to facilitate the lawful trade of coins.

HR 7865 would amend the Cultural Property Implementation Act to facilitate lawful trade in numismatic materials. Specifically, it would allow for the import of coin types on “designated lists” as long as there is evidence that the numismatics item was acquired lawfully, is of a known type, and is not the direct product of illicit excavations within a State Party after the effective date of any import restrictions on coins.

This legislation is necessary to address grossly overbroad import restrictions on common coins that circulated regionally and even internationally that are enforced not solely on items illicitly exported from a UNESCO State party after the effective date of implementing regulations, but rather as embargoes on all coins of given “designated types.”

For further background, see this article published in CoinWeek:
Bill Introduced to Facilitate Lawful Trade of Ancient Coins [April 30, 2024]

The following collector and trade organizations support this bill:

(1) American Numismatic Association (money.org)
(2) Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (accguild.org)
(3) CINOA (cinoa.org)
(4) Global Heritage Alliance (global-heritage.org)
(5) International Association of Professional Numismatists (iapn-coins.org)

PLEASE HELP!

Ask your Representative to Cosponsor HR 7865 in 3 Easy Steps:

Step 1: Find your Representative
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Step 2: Email your Representative and request that they cosponsor HR 7865

Step 3: Email the IAPN Executive Director and ACCG Board MemberPeter Tompa at pkt@pktcounsel.com to let him know about your contact. He can follow up with your Representative’s office in conjunction with ACCG’s lobbyist, Marc Lubin.

Resources: Visit the following link to read the full text of the Bill, HR 7865
(https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-118hr7865ih/pdf/BILLS-118hr7865ih.pdf)

This helpful flyer [.PDF] has been provided with the steps to contact your Representative. It can be viewed online or downloaded.

IAPN Executive Director attends CINOA Annual General Meeting in Portugal

IAPN Webmaster — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:00:00 GMT

The IAPN's Executive Director, Peter Tompa represented the IAPN at CINOA’s Annual General Meeting held on July 4th and 5th, 2024 in Estoril, Portugal.

Peter interacted with representatives of other CINOA member organizations from Africa, Europe, and the US. He participated in roundtable discussions about regulatory issues facing the art, numismatics, and antiques trade.

Learn more about the IAPN + CINOA.

IAPN at MADrid 2024 Evento Numismatico

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 18:30:00 GMT

This week numerous IAPN Members have taken part in the inaugural coin fair, MADrid 2024 - Evento Numsimatico being held in Madrid, SPAIN.

On the morning of the first day of the event, collectors and dealers waited patiently in a long queue to be the first to enter the bourse area of the newest event on the numismatic calendar.

The IAPN's Executive Director, Peter K. Tompa was at Table #1 just inside the bourse representing the Association and greeting attendees curious to explore the new event.

Around the bourse at MADrid 2024 - Evento Numismatico:

MADrid 2024 is the inaugural coin fair being held in Madrid that seeks to establish itself as a meeting point between dealers, collectors, institutions and academics at an international level.

The first gathering will be held between 27 - 30 June, 2024.

MADrid 2024 will feature an auction by Jesús Vico on the 27th of June and a numismatic convention on 28-29 June at the Four Seasons in the center of the city of Madrid. During the coin fair there will also be, in parallel, institutional and scientific lectures.

MADrid 2024 Official website: https://eventonumismatico.es

MADrid 2024 - Roundtable: How to improve the interaction between public, the coin market, and museums.

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 05:45:00 GMT

MADrid 2024 - Roundtable Friday, 28, June 2024 at 16:30 - 17:30

"How to improve the interaction between public, the coin market, and museums."

Roundtable participants from left to right:

Daniel F. Sedwick (IAPN President and Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC); Ursula Kampmann (Coins Weekly); Andrew Brown (British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme); Shanna Schmidt (Shanna Schmidt Numismatics).

IAPN’s Executive Director Participates in Second Meeting of the European Commission’s Expert Sub-Group on the Dialogue with the Art Market

IAPN Webmaster — Thu, 30 May 2024 08:10:00 GMT

The IAPN’s Executive Director, Peter Tompa, joined other art trade experts in the second meeting of the European Commission’s Expert Sub-Group on the Dialogue with the Art Market. The meeting took place on March 28-29th, in Brussels, Belgium.

Stefan Zotti, Team Leader “Cultural Heritage,” Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, led the meeting. Attendees included representatives of other CINOA^[1] affiliated trade groups, academics, European Commission officials, and a UNESCO representative.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Anne-Sophie Radermaker, University Libre de Bruxelles, presented a positive report about the benefits of the art trade to protecting low value items that would otherwise be ignored in museums and in fostering cultural exchange.

The rest of the meeting provided an opportunity for the art trade to express concerns about European Commission rules on the import of cultural goods originating outside the EU, consideration of mandates for dealers to create object and client registries, and proposals for additional anti-money laundering regulations.

The new import rules impacting objects originating outside the EU will be in full effect in June 2025 with the roll out of a web-based system for importers. Under these new rules, coins in trade (along with most else) over 200 years old and over €18,000 Euros in value will need to be imported with statement proving that they were legally exported from their country of origin. If this cannot be proved, it will instead be required to demonstrate their provenance outside their country of origin back to 1972.

Unfortunately, during the meeting, a responsible official confirmed that another derogation, applying to situations where the place an item was created or discovered is unknown, does not apply where either fact is known. Thus, since we know the place where most coins were minted, this derogation, will not apply.

The IAPN will continue to monitor these new rules and will issue a more formal guidance as we get closer to their effective date.

^[1] Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Œuvres d’Art [CINOA]

The IAPN Conducts a Successful Congress in San Francisco, California.

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 24 May 2024 12:00:00 GMT

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) conducted its 72nd annual Congress in San Francisco, CA from May 16-19, 2024. Thirty-nine member firms attended the Congress which was held at the historic Argonaut Hotel right on the waterfront at Fisherman’s Wharf. A post-Congress trip to Monterey to visit its famous aquarium and vineyards took place right after the Congress concluded.

The Congress approved three new IAPN members, Paul Knudsen of Paul's Coins (USA), Keith Candiotti (USA), and Ginza Coins (Japan), learned more about IAPN’s activities in the last year, and received briefings on IAPN’s new website as well as regulatory trends facing the industry.

The Congress also provides a venue to decide the winner for IAPN’s annual book prize. Mr. Mairat, curator of Roman Coins at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England, was awarded the IAPN Book Prize for his title, Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume V.4: The Gallic Empire (AD 260-274), published by Spink in London.

Second prize went to Cori Sedwick Downing, a senior numismatist at the house of Daniel Frank Sedwick in Winter Park, Florida, and Isaac Rudman, a collector from the Dominican Republic, for their The Charles & Joanna Silver Coinage of Santo Domingo, 1542-1552, published by Isaac Rudman in Santo Domingo.

Third prize went to Glenn Murray, the Spanish-domiciled 72-year old Los Angeles-born numismatist, for his Boato y Tecnología: Cincuentines, centenes y escudos de a echo, published by the Asociación Amigos de la Casa de la Moneda de Segovia, in Segovia, Spain.

The nomination list of all 23 titles entered for this year's Prize may be viewed here.

The Congress also provided an opportunity for IAPN members to spend time with their colleagues from around the world in a relaxed atmosphere so unlike hectic coin shows.

Activities included a visit to historic Sonoma, dinners at local restaurants and a gala held at the historic San Francisco Mint. Companions visited the Walt Disney Family Museum and the breathtaking Muir Woods.

The Gala is also an opportunity for IAPN members to support local community organizations benefiting those in need. This year, IAPN members raised $10,500 for, Ceres Community Project. Ceres prepares home-delivered meals for people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. (https://www.ceresproject.org/)

Stephen Album Rare Coins helped organize this year’s Congress and post-Congress trip.

The next Congress will take place in June 2025 in Budapest, Hungary with the post-Congress trip to Bratislava and the historic mining and minting areas of Central Slovakia. Nudelman Numismatica and Macho & Chlapovic are collaborating to organize the Congress and post-Congress tour.

International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN)

The IAPN (iapn-coins.org) was constituted at a meeting held in Geneva in 1951 to which the leading international numismatic firms had been invited. There were 28 founding members. Today, there are more than 100 numismatic firms in the membership, across several continents and twenty-five countries.

For enquiries about the Association, please contact:
The IAPN General Secretary, Mr. Federico Pastrone
57, rue Grimaldi 98000 MONACO. | +377 93 25 12 96 | secretary@iapn-coins.org

IAPN Executive Director attends High-level event with European Commission officials

IAPN Webmaster — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 17:30:00 GMT

IAPN Executive Director, Peter Tompa was invited to attend a High level event where he was able to interact with European Commission officials as well as representatives of other CINOA^[1] affiliated trade groups.

In late December, Mr. Tompa attended the first meeting of the European Commission's expert sub-group on “Dialogue with the Art Market" at the EC's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

His attendance at this month's follow-up meeting held in conjunction with the BRAFA Art Fair ^[2] in Brussels gave him the opportunity to join the event where Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission for Promoting our European Way of Life ^[3] gave a talk. Tompa met with and spoke to the top EU bureaucrat on the issue, Georg Haeusler.

Tompa also attended a presentation given by keynote speaker and criminologist, Dr. Donna Yates, Ph.D. (D.E.) of Maastricht University where she is an Associate Professor in the department of Criminal Law and Criminology. Yates presented, Joint efforts towards shared goals: fostering an art market that works for all stakeholders.

^[1] Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Œuvres d’Art [CINOA]

^[2] Brussels Expo – BRAFA 28 January 2024 – 4 February 2024 www.brafa.art

^[3] European Commission "Promoting our European Way of Life (https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life_en)

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) names Peter K. Tompa as its New Executive Director.

IAPN Webmaster — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Peter K. Tompa has accepted the position of IAPN’s Executive Director, effective January 1, 2024. He succeeds long-time IAPN Executive Director, Jean-Luc Van der Schueren.

Previously and going forward, Tompa has acted as the IAPN’s outside legal counsel, advocating for fair treatment for the micro and small businesses of the numismatic trade before government regulators. He has practiced cultural property law since the 1990’s and has written and lectured extensively about the subject. He is a past co-chair of the American Bar Association's Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee. He has been an avid ancient coin collector since he first saw such coins for sale while on a European family vacation in the early 1970’s. He is a life member of the American Numismatic Association and the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild as well as a Life Fellow of the American Numismatic Society. He was recently appointed as the IAPN’s representative on a European Commission expert sub-group on “Dialogue with the Art Market.”

Tompa hopes to assist IAPN’s President and Executive Committee in fosteringa healthy and prosperous numismatic trade conducted according to the highest standards of business ethics and commercial practice.

The IAPN was constituted at a meeting held in Geneva in 1951 to which the leading international numismatic firms had been invited. There were 28 founding members. Today, there are more than 100 numismatic firms in the membership, across several continents and twenty-five countries.

FOR ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
The IAPN General Secretary
57, rue Grimaldi 98000 MONACO
Email: secretary@iapn-coins.org | Tel. +377 93 25 12 96

Peter K. Tompa presents during the 52nd Annual NYINC

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 07:30:00 GMT

On Friday, the 12th of January, newly appointed IAPN Executive Director, Peter K. Tompa spoke on topics related to numismatics, antiquities and cultural property law.

Peter discussed new and proposed import restrictions on coins, recent prosecutions for cultural property crimes, and developments in the European Union before taking questions for further discussion from members of the ACCG and the IAPN. Peter also introduced Keith Twitchell, who has succeeded Peter as the ACCG’s executive director.

The talk was held at the InterContinental New York Barclay's Morgan Suite within the bourse area of the 52nd Annual New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC).

IAPN Executive Director, Peter K. Tompa greets participants at the IAPN table during the 52nd Annual NYINC

IAPN Webmaster — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Participants and IAPN Members attending the 52nd Annual New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) held from 11 to 14 January in New York City were greeted at the IAPN's table by newly appointed IAPN Executive Director, Peter K. Tompa.

The IAPN plans to continue setting up booths at additional future events. IAPN members are welcome to gather, stop by to meet other attending IAPN members, and will help in staffing and representing the Association and its engagement in the hobby and industry for the public and other potential member candidates.

Peter Tompa attends inaugural EC expert subgroup meeting in Brussels

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 19:00:00 GMT

In late December, IAPN Executive Director Peter Tompa attended the first meeting of a European Commission expert sub-group on “Dialogue with the Art Market" at the EC's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting provided Tompa an opportunity to meet EU regulators as well as representatives of other industry groups. Tompa was allowed to provide EU regulators with information about the coin trade and its perspectives on proposed regulations. He plans to attend a follow-up meeting held in conjunction with an upcoming Brussels Art Fair where there will be an opportunity to meet with Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the EC.

The IAPN Announces the relaunch of its website

IAPN Webmaster — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 03:00:00 GMT

With the beginning of the New Year, The IAPN are pleased to announce their long awaited website relaunch, resulting from an internal research and development initiative over the past several months.

Members of the Association and the public alike are invited to explore the reorganized website for archived news, the activities of its Membership, important announcements on international trade and additional numismatic resources and ongoing event updates.

Content available on the website has been reorganized by topic or associated to dedicated categories, while ongoing research into the Association's historical activities is being added as it becomes available. The Auction Calendar is regularly updated and the Lost Coin Archive is available for disseminating information when issues arise.

For any enquiries about the IAPN, please contact the General Secretary.

Statement of the IAPN Regarding Criminal Complaint Brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Against Richard Beale, the Proprietor of Roma Numismatics

IAPN Webmaster — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:39:53 GMT

Statement of the IAPN Regarding Criminal Complaint Brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Against Richard Beale, the Proprietor of Roma Numismatics

March 13, 2023

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) has become aware that the New York District Attorney’s Office has brought a criminal complaint against Richard Beale, the managing director of Roma Numismatics Limited, a London-based auction house. That criminal complaint alleges that Beale unlawfully purchased valuable coins from Italy, Greece, and Gaza in violation of local national patrimony laws and created false provenances to hide their illicit origins. The criminal complaint also alleges that Italo Vecchi, an Italian dealer based in London, aided this effort for a Roman Republican gold coin of Brutus and another silver coin from Naxos, an ancient Greek colony in Sicily.

To continue reading the complete statement, download the [PDF]

The IAPN joins CINOA as an Associate Member

IAPN Webmaster — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 18:00:32 GMT

THE International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) have joined Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Œuvres d’Art (CINOA) as an Associate Member.

Their membership to this important organization representing the art trade, enables the Association and its global members access to a better understanding of and participation in European political developments on trade regulations in cultural goods and on money-laundering legislation. In joining CINOA the IAPN are gaining further insight and influence within Brussels to help better understand future challenges within the numismatic industry and to cooperate in building communication channels with authorities of the European Union to ensure that the IAPN’s point of view is included in the decision-making that will eventually form future laws affecting the trade in cultural materials, numismatic or otherwise.

Download the IAPN's Press Release to learn more about CINOA [PDF]

Ancient Coin Import Restriction (Pub. by the ANA)

IAPN Webmaster — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 17:04:33 GMT

An article about Ancient Coin Restrictions by American Numismatic Association (ANA)

Since 2007, the ANA has been involved with the global issue of cultural property, specifically with regard to numismatic artifacts. The hobby community’s interest in this topic began in 1983 when, in response to unlawful looting of archaeological sites abroad, the United States Senate passed the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA). This legislation supports the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the “Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.” The concept behind the UNESCO Convention was to create a framework for governments to enter into agreements to enforce each other’s export-control laws on archaeological and ethnological objects.

With some reservations, the Senate agreed to the convention with the intention of preserving the “independent judgment” of the United States as to when and how it would impose import restrictions on cultural artifacts when requested by governments that are in agreement with the Convention. The CPIA set up a panel of experts, the Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC), to assist the U.S. president in this decision-making process. The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs was put in charge of the program, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection was tasked with implementing import restrictions.

Import/export regulations between the United States and other nations are drafted in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which clearly outlines each country’s responsibilities. Accompanying import restrictions then describe which categories of cultural artifacts might be subject to detention, seizure or repatriation. It is important to note that these MOUs affect American citizens only, regardless of whether the objects in question are available on the open market to citizens of other nations, including the country attempting to enforce the restrictions. This is problematic, especially since the State Department routinely disregards conditions requiring the source country to enforce its own laws.

Initially, import restrictions were imposed on behalf of poor, third-world countries, and on narrow categories of artifacts with high cultural value and rarity. However, since the 1990s, nations such as Italy, Cyprus and China have successfully placed restrictions on an ever-increasing range of artifacts, including ancient coins. The American Numismatic Association first became involved in the MOU process when Cyprus attempted to place such items on its restricted list. To protect the rights of American collectors, the ANA has worked with the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild and other organizations to send representatives to CPAC meetings and to address the attempts of Italy, Greece and other nations to restrict the import of ancient coins into the United States.

A major concern with import restrictions is how they are enforced. The CPIA can authorize such enforcement only on objects of archaeological interest or cultural significance that are first discovered within and subject to export control of a specific UNESCO State Party. Such items can be seized only if they were exported from that UNESCO State Party after the date of restriction. Customs agencies ignore these limitations on their authority and instead draft restrictions based on the place of manufacture in ancient times without regard to the date of manufacture. They also seize artifacts imported into the U.S. after the date designated in the restriction. These practices have changed the CPIA’s focus from targeted restrictions to allowing an embargo on all objects made by a particular culture in ancient times.

The ANA fully supports the idea of protecting cultural property, but has consistently argued that ancient coins should not be included in MOUs for a number of reasons. First, coins are among the most common and durable of artifacts (with a few notable exceptions), and therefore the information they contain is in no danger of being lost to historians or archaeologists in the way unique or rare objects would be if not preserved in cultural institutions. Additionally, there is no shortage of coins in museums in nations that have ancient specimens as part of their history, particularly Europe, the Middle East and China.

Finally, coins are excellent teaching tools. Their durability—and the large number of specimens available—makes them ideal collectors’ items. They encourage interest in the past, which in turn promotes educational programs in museum and universities, many of whose collections were formed or financed by hobbyists.

Originally published on the ANA website: https://www.money.org/consumer-awareness-ancient-coin-import-restrictions/

Statement of Arthur L. Friedberg on the Proposed Renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Hellenic Republic and the USA

IAPN Webmaster — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 18:09:38 GMT

Statement of Arthur L. Friedberg, Honorary President of the International Association of Professional Numismatists on the Proposed Renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Hellenic Republic and the United States of America

March 31, 2016

Dear Professor Reid and Members of the Committee:

During my past tenure as President of the International Association of Professional Numismatists I closely followed the issues the committee addressed, and do so again now as it discusses the request of the Hellenic Republic. I last appeared before this committee to speak against the imposition of import restrictions on coins of Italian origin and remain of the opinion that similar restrictions already imposed against coins of Greek origin are unworkable, overreaching, impossible to enforce, and discriminatory against American citizens.

Although I will not be speaking before you on May 24, my comments concerning the issue at hand are consistent with what I have said previously:

1) Import restrictions are unnecessary given that Customs already has the authority to detain, and should detain, suspect coins whether they are smuggled, improperly declared, or in the case of coins taken from the ground, stolen. In this regard, the Committee must distinguish between import restrictions and Customs authority to detain smuggled, improperly declared or stolen coins. Customs already has ample authority to seize smuggled or improperly declared artifacts, including coins. Customs can also seize artifacts stolen from museums or other collections. Finally, courts have already blessed efforts to repatriate artifacts traced to illicit excavations in another country where that country has unequivocally declared such material to be state property. In the appropriate case, U.S. Customs can, therefore, already seize coins taken from archaeological excavations and repatriate them to Greek authorities.

2) There are significant practical problems presented. First, by restrictions in terms of the inability of the untrained and inexperienced to differentiate a coin of supposed Greek origin from a similar looking one struck outside of Greece and second, by difficulties in defining “country of origin.” Just as with Roman and Greek coins from Italy, the State Department will impose serious compliance issues on Customs, collectors, and the small businesses of the numismatic trade that import thousands upon thousands of ancient coins from the EU each year.

Furthermore, ancient coins typically circulated far from their country of manufacture. For example, Chinese cash coins were exported in quantity from the fifth to tenth centuries to East Africa, the Persian Gulf, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya, the Philippines, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. And, because Cyprus is located on an important trade route, coins minted in Cyprus circulated widely around the Mediterranean region and even as far away as Afghanistan. Accordingly, it is impossible to determine a coin’s find spot merely from identifying it as being made at a particular mint. It would also be false to assume the find spot of an ancient coin struck in ancient Greece would be modern Greece. While the State Department appears to have recognized this fact at least with respect to large denomination Greek coins, the fact is most smaller denomination Greek coins (particularly those of silver and bronze created by Empires such as that of Alexander the Great) circulated too.

Problems of identification are numerous. Even experts may have difficulty distinguishing between ancient coin issues. Greek was lingua franca for centuries of Mediterranean civilization and was the language of inscription nearly everywhere until the advent of Rome. One needs to be a specialist to tell Chinese and Cypriot coins on the State Department’s “designated list” from others that remain unrestricted and these represent a far smaller number of coins than those recently added to the “designated lists” prepared in conjunction with the Greek, Italian and Bulgarian MOUs.

3) Compliance costs are prohibitive, and in fact, punitive. Importers and exporters of ancient coins are either small businesses of the numismatic trade or individual collectors. Given the numbers available, the absence of pedigrees, and modest value for most coins, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for coin collectors and dealers to submit the mandated information if restrictions are put in place. Coins are typically sold without provenance information either here or abroad. Even assuming such information were retained, why would any rational European dealer sell to an American when he could avoid such red tape altogether by selling to a fellow European? And what of Customs? Have new restrictions on coins been accompanied with additional funding to allow Customs to hire the necessary experts or train its personnel? One suspects not.

4) Litigation costs are prohibitive for most coins. Costs are such that with few exceptions, once a coin is seized the most practical decision an owner can usually make is to abandon it.

So what will happen if the overreaching and quite frankly, illogical import restrictions requested by a small segment of the academic archaeological community are imposed? Restrictions will be unenforceable and the broader they are, the more unenforceable they will be. Collectors will still collect and dealers will still deal. Coins will still cross borders.

What will be different is that first, much more business will be driven underground. While the Hellenic Republic has always tended ignore with a wink and a nod its endemic institutional corruption and the black aspects of its economy (estimates of the underground economy in Greece range from 30% to 50% of GDP), restrictions only encourage some American collectors to also evade the law, as so many in Greece have done and are continuing to do with impunity. Second, some may urge US law enforcement to implement some very harsh and unpopular enforcement tactics. Yet, while a few individuals will be caught and punished, coins will still enter the United States with little difficulty.

Much as they do now, important and expensive coins will have proper commercial invoices and new legal requirements will force legitimate dealers to try to secure the required documentation of provenance—if it is indeed available. But, as I said previously, the vast majority of coins, the unimportant and inexpensive ones, those which make up most of the volume, will move invisibly and unencumbered – in the pockets of travelers, and especially though the world’s postal services, which lack the ability, the resources and the will to do anything about it.

In addition, there are several compelling factors specific to the Greek MOU.

The governing statute requires that restrictions only be applied on artifacts “first discovered in Greece.” But hoard evidence demonstrates that Greek coins circulated extensively outside the confines of the modern Greek nation state.

The governing statute requires that restrictions be consistent with the interests of the international community in cultural exchanges. But restrictions will diminish the ability of American collectors to appreciate Greek culture and could greatly limit people to people contacts with other collectors in Europe.
Restrictions are unfair and discriminatory to Americans. Collectors in the EU–including Greece– have no similar limitations on their ability to import ancient coins. In fact, the very coins for which restrictions are being discussed in this forum are actively and legally bought, sold and shipped in every member country of the E.U. and Switzerland, as well as the major coin collecting countries of Australia, Canada, and Japan, and Hong Kong.
The current restrictions are already excessively broad, broader even in at least some respects than the restrictions on Italian coins. There were hundreds of so-called Greek mints. But many of them that we would call “Greek” today, and which will be found in any ancient Greek coin catalog are actually from elsewhere – eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.
There has been a trend starting with the Bulgarian MOU to impose restrictions on coins even as late as the eighteenth century. If such a move is contemplated here, the result from a numismatic perspective is that in addition to the entire Hellenic and Hellenistic coinage of the Mediterranean basin described above, this would also encompass most of the coinage of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Mints and Coins by Slobodan Sreckovic (Belgrade, 2002), documents over 100 Ottoman mints during the empire’s six century existence. Yet among all of these we find less than a half dozen located on Greek soil. Only an expert in Islamic coinage can differentiate most of these and to expect a Customs official to do the same is absurd.

In sum, CPAC must contemplate the practical impact of any import restrictions on collectors, the small businesses of the numismatic trade and U.S. Customs before considering whether to extend or even expand import restrictions on coins. American citizens have long enjoyed collecting ancient Greek coins just like their counterparts elsewhere in the world do. Unfair, unworkable and unnecessary import restrictions on ancient coins do nothing but strangle legitimate collecting in the United States and with it the study and appreciation of ancient coinage and culture in this country, and the contribution to international understanding that goes with it.

New website: German group for the Defense of collecting rights

IAPN Webmaster — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 18:12:03 GMT

Please be informed of this new informative website, publishing news about rules regarding the situation of Cultural Goods, especially in Germany.

Veuillez noter ce nouveau site d’information qui publie les nouvelles concernant la situation des Biens Culturels, spécialement en Allemagne.

www.kulturgutschutz.info

The International Numismatic Council and the IAPN launch a job portal at MuenzenWoche/CoinsWeekly

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 14:33:03 GMT

The International Numismatic Council and the IAPN launch a job portal at MuenzenWoche / CoinsWeekly

To help young numismatists find a job, the International Numismatic Council (INC) and the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) decided to launch a platform where vacancies and applications can be published. As publication channel they chose the internet journal MuenzenWoche / CoinsWeekly. By way of its weekly newsletter, it aims at building a bridge between university and the numismatic market. The IAPN has agreed to sponsor the new platform.

The idea was born at a round table which was held at the International Numismatic Congress in Taormina initiated by former INC President Carmen Arnold-Biucchi and Arne Kirsch, President of the IAPN. On September 23, 2015, some 200 researchers exchanged views on “Jobs, careers, professions for the young generation of coin enthusiasts”. One problem identified was the fact that some job offers do not reach the right address. So although there are numismatists looking for a job, coin companies do not find the fitting employee. Ursula Kampmann offered to create a job portal to boost the awareness of offers and requests. This requires an easily accessible, constantly updated, internationally popular platform which is visited by scholars, collectors and coin dealers alike. On behalf of his organization, IAPN President Arne Kirsch spontaneously declared to bear the costs involved in establishing this platform, while MuenzenWoche / CoinsWeekly would be in charge of the content-related management. This way, it was possible to announce the foundation of a new job portal already during the closing ceremony of the International Numismatic Congress.

Since November 5, 2015, the job portal is online. Anybody who would like to place either a job advertisement or a job application is kindly asked to submit his or her text via email at info@muenzenwoche.de. The text can be written in any language. Indeed, each company, each institution should address its potential employees in the preferred language, the one that is spoken in everyday work. Naturally, you may also place offers and requests with box numbers. MuenzenWoche / CoinsWeekly will serve as a facilitator in this regard.

The International Numismatic Council and the International Association of Professional Numismatists hope that the new platform will be met with maximum international response and help as many young numismatists as possible find a position. At the same time, they ask for support of the platform by forwarding job advertisements.

Please find the job portal under https://new.coinsweekly.com/job-market/

Ministerial draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property published

IAPN Webmaster — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 18:15:11 GMT

September 17, 2015

By Ursula Kampmann
translated by Annika Backe

On September 15, 2015, the German Ministry for Culture and Media has finally published the long awaited ministerial draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property. It is now available on the internet and can be downloaded for free.

Modifications of the ministerial draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property

Without going into too much detail at this stage, the draft seems to have been heavily revised though it still comprises some stipulations that may cause a coin dealer or a collector much trouble. To give only one example: in regards to due diligence guidelines, the value limit of 0 still applies to Greek coins, coins of Roman Imperial Times as well as coins bearing Arabic inscriptions, with these categories being mentioned in the ICOM Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at Risk (§ 44,1). In this case, a coin dealer still faces the risk of imprisonment if he places an item on the market to which a third country later makes a claim.

As to the rest, we have to wait for the assessment of the jurists before we can say something about the repercussions this new draft bill will have on both collectors and dealers.

You can see it for yourself anytime. Please, download the ministerial draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property (written in German) here.

Oral hearing of the draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property
It took the Ministry of Culture and Media nearly five months to also publish the minutes of the oral hearing of the draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property.

Please, download the minutes of the oral hearing of the draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property (written in German) here.

Opportunity for federal states, community associations, experts and organizations to comment
Associations and interest groups are given a period of three weeks to submit their written statements on the draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property. The statements have to be presented to the Ministry of Culture and Media by October 7. Then the draft will be adopted by the Cabinet.
The parliamentary procedure will follow afterwards. The adoption of the draft by the Cabinet, however, will have set the course by then.

Please, read the press release of the Ministry of Culture and Media (in German) here.

Text from coinsweekly.com

CoinsWeekly – New Internet Presence of IAPN

IAPN Webmaster — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:25:56 GMT

Article in CoinsWeekly: New Internet Presence of IAPN

September 17, 2015 – The world-leading association of numismatic firms, the IAPN (International Association of Professional Numismatists), has reworked its website. The new internet presence impresses with a clean layout, a fresh design and a user-friendly structure.

Above all, the website provides information on the organization proper, its committees, its history as well as its tasks. A calendar listing auction sales of IAPN members as well as a freely accessible database of stolen coins are likewise worth a visit.

As a sub-committee of the IAPN, the Anti-Forgery-Committee IBSCC (International Bureau for the Suppression of Counterfeit Coins) provides information about its work. Furthermore, IAPN members are granted full access to the IBSCC Archive of Fakes.

See more at CoinsWeekly

Online petition for preserving the right to privately collect

IAPN Webmaster — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 16:27:39 GMT

July 23, 2015 – The ministerial draft on the new German legislation on the Protection of Cultural heritage is currently under heavy fire by the media.

One possible reason is that no experts from the trade were involved in its preparation. Both the trade and the German Numismatic Society were left out of the preparations of the draft bill right from the start. Thus, representatives of the trade had to enforce their claim for participation in the preparatory meeting held at the Federal Foreign Office in December 2014 by writing a letter to the Federal Foreign Minister. Its request notwithstanding, the German Numismatic Society was not even allowed to attend the oral hearing of the draft bill on April 22, 2015. The key arguments of the German Coin Dealer Associations fizzle out because, after three months, there is still no publication of the minutes of the hearing from April 22, 2015, in sight so that the Ministers who will vote on the draft in the near future have no idea about where the representatives of the trade stand on this. This is all the more disappointing because Dr Günter Winands, Deputy of the Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and Media, has stated expressively in the mentioned hearing that coins will be regarded separately.

The German collectors thus intend to light a beacon that hundreds of thousands of coin collectors in this country do not want a law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage that makes the bureaucratic due diligence procedures impossible to follow, to the effect that any collecting will be rendered impossible. The new legislation must not have the effect that objects, whose provenance cannot be ascertained for the past 20 years, diminish in value significantly and sometimes cannot even be traded anymore.

Affected are not only ancient coins, with items worth 100 euros and more requiring special due diligence procedures, but all coins above a value limit of 2,500 euros.

The wording of the petition reads as follows:

For preserving the right to privately collect

The stipulations of the amendment of the law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage threaten the collecting of cultural objects by private individuals. This law will effect everybody specialized in traditional collecting fields, such as books, stamps, furniture, ceramics, coins, classic cars and paintings. Retroactively, this new law will impose due diligence guidelines that are impossible to follow even for the most meticulous collector. When it comes to a dispute, the law will require, by reversing the burden of proof, the owner of a “cultural good” with a value of at least 2,500 euros to provide proof as to the item’s provenance for the previous 20 years; this affects “archaeological cultural goods” with a value as low as 100 euros.

This is an unrealistic demand which misrepresents most of the objects that are currently traded on the domestic and the international art market in full accordance with the law as being illegal, and will result in a considerable decline in value of the objects in question.

We therefore demand a law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage that observes the following principles:

No retroactive effect of the law

No reversal of the burden of proof

A clear definition of the term “national cultural heritage” and a limit to claims by the state to “national cultural heritage” only

Free movement, unimpaired by bureaucratic obstacles, of cultural goods which are not classified as “natural cultural heritage”, EU-wide, according to the free movement of goods

An appropriate participation by the parties representing collectors and dealers in the law-making process

For centuries collectors have protected cultural heritage. Private collecting adds to national efforts and promotes the tradition’s preservation in all its variety, in a way museums alone could never accomplish. Collecting is an immaterial cultural heritage that is currently threatened by the latest drafts of the new German law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

It is important that the German government notes that this petition is appreciated abroad. Add your name to the online petition the matter of which we explicitly support. It will only take you a few minutes. You can sign either by name or anonymously.

So please support your fellow collectors by signing, too, and distributing the link as widely as possible.

Actively participating in this petition and informing as many collectors as possible is the only chance for us of getting a hearing from the politicians. It is high time that the collectors gain the government’s attention again, not just some fanatic archaeologists.

Visit the online petition. (https://www.openpetition.de)

Minnesota Law – Bullion Coin Invoice

IAPN Webmaster — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 16:23:50 GMT

Mail from Marc Breitsprecher to IAPN Member Ed Waddell (13 August 2014)

Hi Ed,

I have attached a copy of the “bullion coin invoice” that I developed to meet the standards of the law and thought you might be interested. I think all dealers and collectors need to be vigilant as the Minnesota Attorney General, Lori Swanson, plans on spreading this to other states….she feels it’s landmark legislation.

Here in Minnesota there were only a small handful of dealers who said a word about this. Collectors were silent and most dealers were silent. Part of the problem was that the legislature kept the entire thing as quiet as they could and then passed it through both houses and got it signed by the governor in 3 days. There were no alerts sent out by the numismatic community and other than Gary Adkins, the ANA knew nothing about the law even after it passed. I called them and they had no idea what I was talking about. The only response came from Ebay who sent their attorneys to Minnesota with a bushel of cash and successfully carved out an exemption for themselves. Money bought eBay a voice in committee while my voice as a citizen was ignored by our “representative” Republic.

All the best, Marc

Download [PDF]

Minnesota Bullion Law

IAPN Webmaster — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 16:19:22 GMT

Dealers to reject Minnesota clients

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Pat Heller

The nation's coin dealers are saying no to Minnesotans. Their choice is to reject these clients or comply with a draconian new state law.

It might surprise some that it has come to this, but there has been a long lead time in reaching this point of decision to stop doing business with people in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Last year the Minnesota legislature and governor, in response to what were considered a large number of incidents of coin dealers taking advantage of customers in that state, enacted what was supposed to be a consumer protection solution. That law took effect on Tuesday, July 1.

Minnesota Bullion Law – Download [PDF]

http://www.numismaticnews.net/author/pat-heller

International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) General News

The 54th Annual NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL NUMISMATIC CONVENTION at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel

IAPN awards Annual Book Prize at National Library of France

IAPN's Executive Director Testifies Before US Cultural Property Advisory Committee

World's Fair of Money-- Oklahoma City Convention Center, August 19-23, 2025

IAPN Welcomes its New Members for 2025

IAPN Conducts Successful Congress in Madrid

IAPN Names Book on French Gold Coins Best Numismatic Publication of 2024

IAPN Comments on Proposed Renewals of Cultural Property MOUs with Italy, Chile, and Morocco and Proposed New MOU with Vietnam

Please Help Protect Roman Coin Collecting!

Meet IAPN Members at the 2025 New York International Numismatic Convention

Meet the I.A.P.N. this week at the ANA – World's Fair of Money in Rosemont (Chicago), IL

Visit the I.A.P.N. in Chicago during the ANA's - World Fair of Money® at Booth #1632

Please Support HR 7865, a bill to facilitate the lawful trade of coins.

IAPN Executive Director attends CINOA Annual General Meeting in Portugal

IAPN at MADrid 2024 Evento Numismatico

MADrid 2024 - Roundtable: How to improve the interaction between public, the coin market, and museums.

IAPN’s Executive Director Participates in Second Meeting of the European Commission’s Expert Sub-Group on the Dialogue with the Art Market

The IAPN Conducts a Successful Congress in San Francisco, California.

IAPN Executive Director attends High-level event with European Commission officials

The International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) names Peter K. Tompa as its New Executive Director.

Peter K. Tompa presents during the 52nd Annual NYINC

IAPN Executive Director, Peter K. Tompa greets participants at the IAPN table during the 52nd Annual NYINC

Peter Tompa attends inaugural EC expert subgroup meeting in Brussels

The IAPN Announces the relaunch of its website

Suggested reading: Why Rare Coin Security Is So Important by Jeff Garrett

Statement of the IAPN Regarding Criminal Complaint Brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Against Richard Beale, the Proprietor of Roma Numismatics

The IAPN joins CINOA as an Associate Member

Ancient Coin Import Restriction (Pub. by the ANA)

Statement of Arthur L. Friedberg on the Proposed Renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Hellenic Republic and the USA

New website: German group for the Defense of collecting rights

The International Numismatic Council and the IAPN launch a job portal at MuenzenWoche/CoinsWeekly

Ministerial draft of the amendment of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property published

CoinsWeekly – New Internet Presence of IAPN

Online petition for preserving the right to privately collect

Minnesota Law – Bullion Coin Invoice

Minnesota Bullion Law