The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is bestowing its highest honor – the Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award – and inducting a new Numismatic Hall of Fame collector at the Pittsburgh World’s Fair of Money during the ANA 132nd Anniversary Banquet on Friday, August 12.
Dr. Mike Fuljenz, an unflagging promoter of numismatics, is the recipient of the 2023 Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor conferred by the ANA. The Beaumont, Texas, precious metals dealer has devoted much of his energy over the past four decades to collectors and dealers who have been victims of numismatic fraud, combating counterfeits in the marketplace, and assisting law enforcement agencies in solving numismatic crimes. He has worked diligently to educate novice collectors on how to make smart purchases and has served as an expert numismatic consultant to several state and federal agencies, including the Texas Attorney General, the United States Mint, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The foundation of Fuljenz’s numismatic career was laid in the early 1960s, where as a child his grandfather began rewarding him with coins for As – mostly in the form of Morgan dollars. He purchased his first gold coin – an Indian Head $5 gold piece for $50 at the age of 12 – by mowing lawns. In 1981, Fuljenz joined the ANA and soon became an authenticator and grader at ANACS, which was the ANA certification service at that time, and continued to serve the Association afterwards in a volunteer capacity teaching grading and counterfeit-detection courses for 20 years at the organization’s popular Summer Seminar – mentoring numerous collectors he met there.
In 1994, Fuljenz became President of Universal Coin and Bullion, a 29-year tenure that continues to this day. Along the way, he’s managed to host a 20-year numismatic radio show, write six award-winning books, author the bimonthly “Market Report” column for COINage magazine, and contribute to articles in a host of national publications. The Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) has recognized him with more than 60 NLG awards since 1986.
Fuljenz serves on numerous boards – including the National Coin & Bullion Association (NCBA), the NLG, and the Gold & Silver Political Action Committee. He is also a founding member of the Friends of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. He’s won more awards from numismatic organizations than there are cents in a dollar.
A longtime philanthropist, Fuljenz has donated generously to the ANA in support of membership recruitment, young numismatists, award programs, and the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, along with gifting to many other nonprofits close to his heart.
Joseph Boling Inducted into ANA Hall of Fame
In an effort to perpetuate the names of the most important hobbyists of all time, the ANA honors them with entry into the Numismatic Hall of Fame (HOF) at its Colorado Springs headquarters. Individuals are recognized annually, alternating “modern” numismatists in odd years with “historic” figures in even years. In 2023, ANA Vice President Joseph E. Boling joins the HOF’s ranks in the modern category.
Known for his hard work and dedication, Joseph E. “Joe” Boling has been an ANA stalwart for almost 50 years and has garnered nearly every honor the Association has to offer. He is the recipient of the Medal of Merit (1991), a Presidential Award (1995), the Howland Wood Memorial Award for Best-of-Show Exhibit (1995), the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award (2000), the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service (2005), and an Exemplary Service Award (2013). He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Numismatics for his many years teaching at the ANA’s Summer Seminar.
Boling has served as the Association’s chief exhibit judge four times since 1992 (totaling 25 years). Since 1986, he has trained new judges in the art of competitive numismatic display judging, an accomplishment recognized in 2007 with the creation of the Joseph E. Boling Award for Excellence in Judging. He also served previously as an ANA governor in 2007-11.
An internationally recognized paper-money expert, Boling has written or edited multiple books and articles. He was inducted into the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Society of Paper Money Collectors’ Hall of Fame in 2018. In 1989, Krause Publications named him a Numismatic Ambassador, and in 2019, Marquis’ Who’s Who honored him with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
A resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, Boling studied at MIT, graduating in 1964. He was commissioned as a U.S. Army second lieutenant and retired as a colonel in 1992. He has resided overseas in Japan, Morocco, Germany, and Vietnam, and also served four years as Assistant Deputy Director of the Worldwide Command and Control System Defense Communications Agency in Reston, Virginia, followed by three years as Deputy Chief of Staff for Computer Architecture with the U.S. Army in Europe.
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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, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information, call (719) 632-2646 or visit money.org.
