Anyone who’s interested in high-quality ancient and Italian coins will be familiar with the auction house Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC) located in London, Zurich and Milan. It is one of the world’s most important auction houses, especially when it comes to high quality ancient and Italian coins. Here’s a good example to illustrate this: NAC is responsible for seven of the ten best results ever achieved for Roman gold coins at auction.
Originally based in Naples, the company’s founder Roberto Russo decided to relocate to the Swiss city of Zurich, which was the center of the international coin trade at the time. A decade ago, NAC opened its London office. Now, his sons Arturo and Giuliano Russo are going a step further: they are founding an additional NAC location in Chicago. And as a partner, they’ve secured one of the best-known and most creative personalities in the American trade in ancient coins: Shanna Schmidt.
From a very young age, Shanna Schmidt has known the world of numismatics inside out, and she’s been working in the coin trade for several decades. She also has an academic background. Her Master’s thesis covered the cultural property debate, with a particular focus on ancient coins. Shanna Schmidt has been working as an independent coin dealer in Chicago since 2016. She has excellent connections and represents some of America’s most prominent collectors at auctions around the world.
Shanna Schmidt is committed to a vision: she wants to bring the European and American markets closer together. You might say that she was predestined to follow this path: after all, in addition to her first language, she also speaks fluent German.
Together, Numismatica Ars Classica and Shanna Schmidt have developed a concept that will offer American customers a whole new dimension of service. Consigning coins to and buying them from NAC will be as easy as doing business with a U.S. company. There are no longer any problems with money transfers or customs formalities. NAC USA organizes everything for the customer. Payments can be made in dollars within the USA. The coins are sent straight to the customer from Chicago. NAC USA enables customers to purchase coins in auctions in Europe, while at the same time enjoying the service of an American company. The same applies to consignors. They have the option of consigning their coins for NAC floor auctions and the NAC’s online format Naville straight to Shanna Schmidt in the USA – whether at a coin fair or at the NAC premises. NAC USA will take care of all formalities and practical arrangements for consigners. This makes it much easier for customers in the USA to consign to one of the most successful auction houses in Europe, which has an extremely affluent clientele.
NAC USA will be opening its own gallery in October. It will be offering customers coins at fixed prices, from both NAC’s and Shanna Schmidt’s stock. Moreover, NAC USA will be present at most major coin shows in the U.S. in order to get in touch with collectors all over the country. Shanna Schmidt will share her extensive expertise, in order to assist collectors in making the most of their budget when buying and the most of their collection when consigning.
NAC USA combines the best of the American and European coin trade. The gallery will be opened in October 2022. Office and gallery are open on appointment only.
NAC USA
8 South Michigan Ave
Suite 3600
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: +1 (312) 883-8541
E-Mail / Website
Shanna Schmidt Numismatics Inc.
805 Lake Street, PMB 321
Oak Park, IL 60301-1031
E-Mail / Website
Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG
Suite 1 Claridge House, 32 Davies Street, GB-London W1K 4ND
Niederndorfstrasse 43, CH-8001 Zurich
Via Brera 4, IT-20121 Milano
E-Mail / Website
