Beth Deisher Returns to ACEF Board to Fight Coin Counterfeits
One of numismatics’ most influential journalists and anti-counterfeiting advocates has returned to a leadership role at the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF) elected Beth Deisher to its Board of Directors effective September 15, 2026.
Deisher succeeds Mary Sauvain on the board. Sauvain moved into the position of ACEF Executive Director on August 1. She had served as a board member since January 2024.
For Deisher, the move marks a quick return to ACEF leadership. She stepped down as executive director on August 1 after serving in that position since April 2024. According to ACEF, the change gave her more time to pursue other interests.
However, Deisher’s decades of experience in journalism, numismatic education, and the fight against counterfeit coins will remain part of the foundation’s leadership.
ACEF President Barry Stuppler said Deisher’s previous experience working inside the organization will provide a significant asset to ACEF and the numismatic community.
From Coin World Editor to Numismatic Hall of Famer
Long before Deisher began working directly against counterfeiters, she helped shape modern numismatic journalism.
Deisher served as editor of Coin World for 27 years. She took over the publication’s editorial leadership in 1985 and retired in 2012.
During that period, she became a prominent voice on issues involving U.S. coinage and the collector marketplace.
She also testified before congressional committees on numismatic issues. Her appearances included testimony involving proposed changes to circulating coin designs, problems surrounding commemorative coin programs, and legal questions concerning ownership of historic U.S. numismatic material.
Her influence also reached beyond journalism.
In 2001, Ohio Governor Bob Taft appointed Deisher to the committee that helped evaluate designs for Ohio’s State Quarter. That public process generated approximately 7,200 design ideas. She later served on a special committee that helped recommend the design for Ohio’s 2003 Bicentennial medal.
ACEF also reports that Deisher served on a committee connected with medals commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary.
Meanwhile, her work as an author and editor continued. Deisher has written or served as lead editor on 13 numismatic books.
Her honors span several decades. The Numismatic Literary Guild awarded her its prestigious Clemy Award in 1995. ACEF credits her with receiving more than 200 NLG awards during her career.
In 2013, the American Numismatic Association inducted Deisher into its Numismatic Hall of Fame.
Then, in 2026, the ANA honored her with the Elvira Clain-Stefanelli Memorial Award for Achievement in Numismatics, an award that recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the field.
Deisher Took the Fight Directly to Coin Counterfeiters
Deisher’s career eventually moved from reporting on threats to the coin market to confronting one of the largest threats directly.
Industry leaders recruited her in 2017 to help organize and lead the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force for the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA). The organization now operates under the National Coin & Bullion Association name.
The task force brought together numismatic specialists with expertise in identifying fake coins, counterfeit holders, deceptive packaging, and other material entering the marketplace.
Deisher coordinated specialists and helped develop educational programs for federal law enforcement agencies. Those programs focused on identifying counterfeits and disrupting the importation and distribution of fake coins in the United States.
The effort later transitioned to ACEF.
Today, ACEF says its anti-counterfeiting task force has assisted law enforcement with investigations involving more than 70 cases.
That work has become increasingly important as collectors encounter coins and other numismatic material through online marketplaces where buyers may have little opportunity to inspect an item before purchasing it.
Her Experience Returns to the ACEF Board
Deisher’s return gives ACEF a board member who understands the organization from several perspectives.
She has worked as a journalist covering the hobby. She has educated collectors. She has worked directly with numismatic specialists and law enforcement. Most recently, she managed ACEF’s day-to-day operations as executive director.
Deisher is also a Fellow of the American Numismatic Society and a member of the American Numismatic Association, Numismatic Literary Guild, National Federation of Press Women, and Society of Professional Journalists. She also belonged to Women in Numismatics until that organization dissolved.
Her return to the ACEF board therefore adds another chapter to a career that has moved from covering America’s coin market to helping protect it.
Meanwhile, Sauvain continues that mission as ACEF Executive Director. Her move from the board to the organization’s top operating position on August 1 created the opening that Deisher now fills.
About the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation
The Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, Inc. operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. Donations provide all of the organization’s funding.
ACEF works to educate collectors, dealers, investors, and law enforcement about counterfeit coins, paper money, and related numismatic material.
Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, Inc.
17891 Cartwright Road
Irvine, CA 92614
Email: [email protected]
Website: acefonline.org
