The International Association of Professional Numismatists (I.A.P.N.) held its 62nd General Assembly May 23-26 2013 in Leipzig Germany. A total of thirty four of the world’s leading numismatic firms met to attend the congress, with an additional twenty six firms represented via proxy.
The I.A.P.N. meets annually to conduct its congress, which is held in a different city and country each year as voted on by its members. This year the congress was hosted by the German firm Leipziger Münzhandlung.
The I.A.P.N. would like to extend a special thanks to the Höhn family — Saskia, Christina, and Manfred as well as their staff for a successful and well planned congress. The last I.A.P.N. congress held in Germany was in Munich 10 years ago and this marks the first congress conducted in Eastern Germany.
During the welcoming address, outgoing president Eric McFadden, mentioned many of the city’s historical sites, including the monument to the Battle of the Nation’s (Völkerschlacht in German). The monument was completed in 1913 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle of Leipzig where Napoleon was defeated in 1813.
The monument to the Battle of the Nations is not an unfamiliar site to numismatics as it is the prominent design featured on the 1913 Saxony commemorative 3 mark, struck by the Muldenhutten mint. The Battle of Leipzig was fought by the armies of Austria, Prussia, Russia and Sweden against the army of Napoleon Bonaparte and was the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I, involving more than 600,000 troops.
New Members
Among the many topics discussed by the organization were the applications for new membership. Of the applicants, two new firms were voted into the I.A.P.N. as members. The I.A.P.N. is pleased to announce and welcome the following firms as new members:
Marti HERVERA
Calle Aribau 45 08011
Barcelona
Spain
LONDON Coins Ltd. (Stephen LOCKETT)
4-6 Upper Street South
New Ash Green, Kent
Great Britain, DA3 8QH
Annual Book Prize
As usual, several excellent numismatic publications were submitted for consideration for this year’s annual book prize. This year, a total of 15 works were submitted for consideration, all of which were voted on by the membership, some ranking very closely in the final outcome.
In custom with I.A.P.N. tradition, after voting the submitted books are donated to an institution or library in the country in which the congress is being held. This year’s numismatic works were donated to the coin cabinet of the University of Leipzig.
The I.A.P.N. would like to recognize and thank all of the contributing authors for their hard work in publishing these excellent numismatic references. The following lists the submitted works with first through third place and the remainder alphabetically.
First Place:
RONACHAI KRISADAOLARN – VASILIJS MIHAILOVS
SIAMESE COINS – FROM THE FUNAN TO THE FIFTH REIGN
Published by River Books co. Ltd, Bangkok 2012
272 pages, hardbound, retail price 2,495 Baht – 100 $
ISBN 978-974986354-1
Second Place:
ANTONIO ARCANGELO VESSELLA
GREEK COINS CAMPANIA COMPULTERIA-CAIATIA-ACERRAE-FENSERNIA-IRNTHII-ATELLA-CALATIA-VELECHA
Published by the author, Aversa 2012
Third Place:
RAFAEL TAULER FESSER
ORO MACUQUINO Catalogo Imperio Espanol 1474 a 1756 1,2,4 y 8
Escudos Cecas del Viejo y Nuevo Mundo
Published by: Zugarto Ediciones, Madrid 2011
572 pages, hardbound, retail price € 100
ISBN 978-84-88155-99-3
The remaining references submitted for consideration are as follows, listed in alphabetical order by author
RON CHURCHILL
MINTS & MONEYERS DURING THE REIGN OF HENRY III
Published by: A. H. Baldwin & Son Ltd, London 2012
426 pages, hardbound, retail price £ 60
ISBN 978-0-906919-24-8
GERD DETHLEFS – ARENT POL – STEFAN WITTENBRINK
NUMMI DOCENT! – MUENZEN-SCHATZE-FUNDE
FESTSCHRIFT FUER PETER ILISCH ZUM 65. GEBURTSTAG 28.APRIL 2012
Published by: Verlag F.R.Kuenker, Osnabruck 2012
572 pages, hardbound
ISBN 978-3-941357-02-0
JAROSLAW DUTKOWSKI
TALARY JANA KAZIMIERZA (THE TALERS OF JOHN CASIMIR)
Gdansk 2012
220 pages, hardbound
ISBN 978-83-927453-8-9
NIKLOT KLUBENDORF
KLEINE MUENZ-UND GELDGESCHICHTE VON HESSEN IN
MITTELALTER UND NEUZEIT
Published by: Historische Kommission fuer Hessen-Marburg, 2012
184 pages, hardbound, retail price € 20
ISBN 978-3-942225-16-8
BERND KLUGE
DIE MUNZEN KONIG FRIEDRICHS II VON PREUSSEN 1740-1786
Published by: Mann Verlag Berlin, 2012
400 pages, hardbound, retail price € 50
ISBN 978-3-7861-2667-6
BERND KLUGE – MICHAEL ALRAM
GOLD GIGANTEN DAS GROBE GOLD IN
DER MUENZEN UND MEDAILLE
Published by: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 2010
384 Pages, hardbound, retail price € 30
ISBN 978-3-88609-689-3
JOSEPH LINZALONE
ELECTRUM AND THE INVENTION OF COINAGE
Published by: Dennis Mc Millian Publications, 2011
231 pages, hardbound, retail price $ 85
ISBN 978-0-939767-62-5
WERNER HELMUT STAHL
MARKEN & ZEICHEN DES 14. BIS 19. JAHRHUNDERTS
Published by: Ges.F. Int. Geldgeschichte, Frankfurt a.M. 2012
526 pages, hardbound,
ISBN 978-3-89282-053-6
ALESSANDRO TOFFANIN
MONETE ITALIANE REGIONALI: MILANO
Published by: Numismatica Varesi, Pavia 2012
486 pages, hardbound, retail price € 120
ITALO VECCHI
ETRUSCAN COINAGE PART I
1-TEXT 2-PLATES
Published by: Ennerre Milano 2012
590 pages, 134 plates, hardbound, retail price € 240
ISBN978-88-87235-76-0
CHRISTIAN WINTERSTEIN
DIE BASLER MEDAILLEN KLEINKUNST AUS VIER JAHRHUNDERTEN
Published by: Christoph Merian Verlag, Basel 2012
340 pages, hardbound, retail price € 36
ISBN 978-385616-546-8
COWRI TO TAKA EVOLUTION OF COINS AND CURRECIES OF BANGLADESH
Published by: Triune –Monitor Publications Dhaka 2011
132 pages hardbound
ISBN 978-984-33-3181-6
I.A.P.N Elections
This was an important congress for the I.A.P.N., as it was an election year. This included the election and appointment of a new president, vice president and executive committee.
This year marks the first time in the 62 year history of the I.A.P.N. that a German president was elected while the congress was conducted in Germany. Members of the I.A.P.N. executive committee serve the organization for two year tenures. A list of the newly elected officials is as follows:
President: Arne Kirsch (F.R. Kunker, Germany)
First Vice President: Kent Ponterio (Ponterio, United States)
Second Vice President: Mathias Paoletti (Bernardi, Italy)
Executive committee members:
BYFIELD, Graham (Baldwin, UK)
ELMEN, Jim (WorldWide Coins, USA)
LANG, Joe (Steve Album, USA)
McFADDEN, Eric (CNG, USA)
PASTRONE, Frederico (Ed. Gadoury, MC)
VAN DER SCHUEREN, Jean-Luc (V.d.Schueren, B)
VICO, Jesús Jr. (Jesús Vico, E)
WILKES Tim (Wilkes, UK).
Committee Reports
Several other important topics were discussed at this year’s congress, including reports from the various sub committees. The I.A.P.N. has been working diligently on several developments within the numismatic industry to better the hobby. This includes the establishment of the “Committee on International Trade” which presented an elaborate report on issues pertaining to import and export laws as well as cultural property laws. The committee is working to preserve the rights of collectors within the numismatic community.
Reports were also given by IBSCC and of the Anti Forgery Committee. The topic of forgeries within the market place is no stranger to these meetings. The IBSCC and Anti Forgery Committees meet regularly to discuss and combat these issues. Over the past year the Anti Forgery Committee has met three times since the last congress in Jerez de la Frontera Spain in 2012: London (October 2012), New York (January 2013) and Munich (March 2013). During this period of time, members of the committee examined and deliberated on several numismatic items, several of which were declared to be forgeries or non-contemporary issues.
I.A.P.N. Charity Donation
Each year the I.A.P.N. also raises money for a charity in the city which that year’s congress is being conducted. This year the association raised a total of 2700 Euros to be donated to the local charity Bärenherz. The Bärenherz organization is a children’s hospice that’s relies heavily on donations and receives no state funding. Bärenherz helps treat and diagnose children with severe illnesses and incurable diseases giving 24 hour nursing care. The organization opened in 2004 with outpatient treatment and home visits. In 2008 it started its hospice with 12 children and 5 patient homes.
Tours
A series of tours attended by members of the I.A.P.N. in Leipzig and the surrounding cities were filled with historical numismatic information. Members were given a tour of Leipzig’s Old City Hall by a member of the “Stadwache” (city guard). Since 1909, the old city hall has been a Museum of Municipal History.
Among the many objects on display is the wedding ring of Katharina von Bora, wife of the reformer Martin Luther. The museum’s coin cabinet displayed a wide variety of rare coins and medals from Saxony. One set of objects on display was an early set of dies used for hammered coinage. Early hand hammered dies of this nature were used to produce coinage for roughly 2700 years and during that time remained relatively unchanged. The bottom die or “pile” would be placed into an anvil and planchets were hammered by hand with the top die or “trussel” to produce a coin.
The University of Leipzig was also visited. Founded in 1543, it houses over four million books and bibliographic items. It also houses some 82,000 numismatic items.
The city of Leipzig has a rich musical history. The grave of Johann Sebastian Bach who worked in Leipzig (1723-1750) is located here in St. Thomas’ Church. The composer Richard Wagner was also born in this city in 1813. Its rich history has a long list of ties to famous composers and musicians.
A tour of the old Synagogue and mikveh in the almost completely intact medieval city centre of Erfurt was also offered. Here on display was a massive collection of medieval treasures, discovered during an archaeological excavation in 1998. The objects were probably buried in 1349 and are considered unique in their depth and scope. This includes a hoard of 3,140 silver coins, 14 silver ingots and approximately 6,000 works in gold from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The I.A.P.N. will conduct its 63rd annual congress in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2014, hosted by the firm Editions V. Gadoury as proposed by Federico Pastrone. In 2015 the 64th annual congress will be held in the city of New Orleans in the United States, hosted by Mike Dunigan Company.
The IAPN is a non-profit organization of the leading international numismatic firms founded in 1951. It was formed in the aftermath of WW II to help re-establish relationships amongst professional numismatists that had been badly frayed during years of conflict. The objectives of IAPN are 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.
For more information regarding the I.A.P.N. please visit their website: www.iapn-coins.org
Or contact the General Secretary & Executive Director
Jean-Luc Van Der Schueren
14, rue de la Bourse
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
>Ph: 32-2-513-3400 Fax: 32-2-512-2528
Email: [email protected]
>A full list of I.A.P.N. members with contact information can be found on the website www.iapn-coins.org
