Ancient Coin Collectors Guild Celebrates Seven Years of Defending Ancient Numismatics

GAINESVILLE, Mo., July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This month marks the seventh anniversary of the non-profit Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG). The guild was formed in 2004 when it became apparent that cultural property issues might adversely affect private collectors, independent scholars and dealers in ancient coins – the infrastructure that has advanced numismatic knowledge since the eighteenth century.

In Paul Revere fashion, Washington D.C. lawyer and cultural property specialist Peter Tompa raised early alarms; he, himself, being a numismatist specializing in ancient coins. Tompa recognized that foreign interests were being supported, in opposition to domestic interests, from within the heavily archaeologist-influenced U.S. State Department's Cultural Heritage Center. Many collectors perceived that complete control of the ancient past was the goal of archaeologists who depended on foreign favors to pursue their livelihoods. All other interests, including those of cooperating disciplines like art, history and numismatics, were being subordinated to a group largely unfamiliar with the science and traditions of numismatic research and preservation.

Although many numismatic societies exist around the world, the ACCG was the first, and remains the only, organization created specifically to defend and promote the private collecting and study of ancient coinage. In its first days, the guild successfully opposed legislation that would have created unnecessary import restrictions on antiquities originating from Iraq and Afghanistan.  State Department agreements that do not require Legislative Branch approval, and are often shrouded in secrecy, have been more difficult for collectors to oppose.  This has led to ongoing challenges by the guild in U.S. Federal Court.  Broad reaching restrictions on coins by "type" concern collectors because of the vast number being traded daily in a licit world market.  Archaeologists call for a record of transfer, or provenance, for even the most humble coin that trades for only a few U.S. dollars. These restrictions do not, in the view of collectors, reduce problems of looting at archaeological sites.  Alternatively, the guild advocates solutions like the British Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure Act.

The ACCG (http://www.accg.us), mainly through volunteer efforts, has made significant progress in raising awareness of these issues among collectors and the general public.  Because of its many supporters over the years, from politicians and university professors to elementary school teachers and young novice collectors, the guild continues to grow and to engage the opponents of individual freedoms.

Contact: Wayne G. Sayles, 417-679-2142, [email protected]

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SOURCE Ancient Coin Collectors Guild