At the recent American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) World’s Fair of Money hosted in Pittsburgh, members who have contributed to the hobby in profound ways were recognized during two events.
On August 10, the Member Awards and Donor Celebration provided the ANA the chance to bestow awards to the Outstanding District Representative and this year’s Glenn Smedley Memorial Awards.
August 11 saw the presentation of the Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture and the Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing at the 132nd Anniversary Awards Banquet.
ANA Outstanding District Representative Award
Each year, the Association honors an Outstanding District Representative who sets the standard for promoting the hobby and ANA-member clubs throughout the country. This year’s recipient is 81-year-old Ronald Macfarlane.
Born in Montreal, Canada, and an ANA member since 2010, Macfarlane has served as a district representative for Tennessee since 2017. Friendly and outgoing, he especially enjoys meeting new people and promoting the hobby through its members clubs.
After graduating high school in Westport, Connecticut, Macfarlane joined the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, serving in Puerto Rico where he worked for the Armed Forces Network (a radio and television service) as a writer and broadcaster. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in English and history at the University of Connecticut. After graduating, Macfarlane worked with General Foods Corporation for 20-plus years, retiring as a district manager for the state of New York. After a brief stint with Quaker Oats, he spent 20 years in the mutual funds and insurance business at Aid Association for Lutherans.
Macfarlane collects $5 gold coins from several early United States branch mints: Dahlonega, Charlotte, Carson City, and New Orleans. He is grateful for the guidance and friendship of Grant Campbell, owner of Dalton Gold and Silver Exchange, who he describes as a key mentor who has helped him in the hobby over the past 40 years.
Macfarlane has always enjoyed working with people, and he loves to help build the hobby by going to shows and establishing clubs in new areas. He has done an exceptional job of expanding the hobby in Tennessee. An enthusiastic advocate of the Association, he received a 2021 John and Nancy Wilson Member Booster Award for his success in recruiting new members.
Glenn Smedley Memorial Award
Seven exceptional ANA members were recognized with the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award. These highly involved hobbyists demonstrate a strong commitment to elevating numismatics among collectors and the general public.
Tony Bonaro promotes numismatics through his youth outreach efforts as a member of the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) and the Greater Jacksonville Coin Club. He writes a quarterly column for FUNTopics geared toward young collectors and was named a Numismatic Ambassador in 2019. He has helped more than 1,800 Boy and Girl Scouts earn their coin collecting merit badge.
MPCFest auctioneer David Frank’s collections of prisoner-of-war and internment camp material are among the best in the world. In 2013, he completed the ANA’s rigorous Numismatic Diploma Program. He has held numerous leadership roles in local clubs for more than 30 years and delivered upwards of 60 educational programs throughout the Midwest.
John Riley has served on the host committee for the seven World’s Fair of Money conventions held in Chicago since 2011. During that time, he has also arranged the annual meeting of the Philippine Collectors Forum. He recruits the speakers, sets the agendas, and conducts the meetings – the forum might not exist if it wasn’t for his devoted leadership. He has served as an officer in the Chicago Coin Club for the past four years and is currently the group’s president.
For the past 13 years, Richard “Rick” F. Schulz has coordinated the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association’s exhibit and activities at the Washington State Fair – a herculean task that requires many hours of dedication. He is also the tireless custodian of the club’s penny press, which travels around to local shows for demonstrations.
Max Spiegel is president of the Certified Collectibles Group (CCG), which includes Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), Paper Money Guaranty (PMG), and other leading third-party grading services. A passionate numismatist, he frequently offers his expertise to the ANA and other hobby organizations, including as a member of the ANA Marketing Committee and a member of the board of directors of the National Coin & Bullion Association (NCBA). In 2005, he was named the ANA’s Young Numismatist of the Year, and has recevied other honors as well.
Dennis Tucker has served as publisher at Whitman Publishing since 2004. He’s published more than 300 books and written hundreds of articles as well as a reference on gold and silver. He is a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and a frequent ANA Summer Seminar instructor. He is also a member of the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG), secretary pro tem of the Rittenhouse Society, and past governor of the Token and Medal Society (TAMS).
The name Ralph Winter is nearly synonymous with the Original Hobo Nickel Society. His efforts on the group’s behalf are extensive, as he serves as both a director on the board and the editor of its award-winning newsletter, BoTales. He also assists with club events, including the annual auction, and he oversees fundraising projects. Winter has an outstanding ability to unite members with differing interests under one cohesive organization.
ANA Numismatic Art Award
The ANA’s Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture is an annual honor given to an artist whose lifetime work in the field rises above all others. The 2023 recipient is Romualdas Inčirauskas.
Born in 1950 in Anykščiai, Lithuania, Inčirauskas is a well-known metal artist in his home country and abroad. He attended the Higher School of Applied Art in Telšiai and Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn, where he specialized in metalwork. A member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association and International Art Medal Federation (FIDEM), Inčirauskas is a professor and head of the jewelry design program at Vilnius Art Academy.
In addition to jewelry, Inčirauskas creates monumental metal reliefs and sculptures. Many of his architectural works and interior accents can be seen in Telšiai’s Old Town. Some of his most impressive sculptural reliefs include the entrance to the Cathedral of St. Antanas Paduvietis and those on the Great Samogitian Wall. He also created several sculptures for the Vilnius Gaon Jewish Museum.
He describes the style of his work as industrial, and the materials he uses lean toward the utilitarian, including aluminum, bronze, quartz, ready-mades, and fragments of metal tools.
Inčirauskas’s works have been acquired by Lithuanian and international museums, including the British Museum in London, as well as private collections around the world. He has received several awards for his work, including being named co-winner of the Mel Wacks Judaic Art Medal Award at FIDEM Tokyo 2020/21.
Burnett Anderson Memorial Award
The Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing is presented annually to a researcher, author, or journalist in recognition of their body of work. First conferred posthumously on its namesake in 1999, the award is intended to celebrate quality and integrity in numismatic wordsmithing of every kind. The recipient is selected in a cooperative process by the ANA, the American Numismatic Society (ANS), and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG).
This year’s recipient is David W. Lange, who passed away in January.
A skilled and prolific author, Lange wrote hundreds of articles and numerous books. He was known for his thorough research and advanced knowledge in nearly every field of numismatics, and many of his references are considered hobby standards. He pioneered the study of coin-collecting boards and folders, writing three volumes and designing and maintaining a website on the subject. For more than three decades, Lange penned a variety of columns for The Numismatist.
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The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of educational and outreach programs, to include its museum, library, publications, conventions and webinars. For more information, call (719) 632-2646 or visit money.org.
