July 24, 2014 – The International Association of Professional Numismatists (I.A.P.N.) held its 63rd General Assembly in Monte Carlo, May 29th-June 1st 2014 in the Principality of Monaco. A total of thirty eight of the world’s leading numismatic firms met to attend the congress, with an additional twenty one 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 firm Editions Victor Gadoury from the Principality of Monaco. The I.A.P.N. would like to extend a special thank you to the organizers, the Pastrone family (Frederico and Giovanna) and the staff of Editions Victor Gadoury (Moira, Emanuele and Muriel) for a successful and well planned congress. This marks the third I.A.P.N. congress to be held in Monaco; the 12th general assembly was held there in 1963 and the 38th in 1989.
In his welcoming address, I.A.P.N. president Arne Kirsch discussed the city’s numismatic history and historical sites. The first coin he discussed in relation to Monaco was a denarius of the Roman Emperor Augustus struck in 15 B.C. at Lugdunum (current day Lyon, France), to commemorate the campaign over the Alps by Drusus and Tiberius. During this campaign the Romans conquered numerous local tribes, gaining control of the vital coastline. The Roman monument “Tropaeum Alpium” or Victory Monument of the Alps” was erected in 6 B.C. a few kilometres from Monaco in commemoration of this campaign.
The first coinage types issued in the Principality of Monaco were produced during the reign of Honore II. A few types were issued during the Spanish protectorate in the early 1640s; these are quite rare today. Later Monaco was granted the concession to produce coinage by the King of France in 1643, and by 1648 the mint was fully functional, producing coinage on a regular basis.
The principality of Monaco has a rich numismatic history associated with the study and collecting of coinage. In fact the standard reference “History of the Monies, Medals and Tokens of Monaco” by Raymond de Vos was based in part on the collection of His Serene Highness Prince Rainier III, now housed in the Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies.
The congress opening ceremonies were further graced by the presence of His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II. The prince was gracious in addressing the members of the organization, welcoming them to Monaco, after which food and beverages were served.
President of the I.A.P.N. Arne Kirsch presented His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince of Monaco with the official medal of the organization featuring a portrait of famous numismatist and author and first I.A.P.N. president, Leonard Forrer. Quite possibly the medal will find its way into the royal collection housed in the Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies as a reminder of the 63rd annual numismatic congress which was held in Monaco.
A moment of silence was observed for three I.A.P.N. members who had recently passed. Former I.A.P.N president Paul Divo was among those remembered. He served as a member of the executive committee for more than 20 years, including as secretary and president.
His name is well known among dealers and collectors for his impact on the community and for his many numismatic works. His specialized works on the coinage of Greece and Liechtenstein as well as French medals remain standard references, as do his collaborations on Swiss and German coinage.
Also remembered was Robert Schulman of the world famous Amsterdam numismatic firm of the same name. The Schulman family has a long tradition of numismatics dating back to the company’s founding in 1880. Robert served on the I.A.P.N. executive committee and was president of the organization from 1985-1991.
The organization also lost former member, numismatist and coin dealer Romolo Vescovi. An all-around warm hearted person and good friend, Vescovi was largely responsible for the planning and organization of the 53rd annual congress held in Rabat, Morocco.
Among the many topics discussed at this year’s congress, were the recipients of this year’s book prize award. As usual, several excellent numismatic publications and references were submitted for consideration, 15 in total, all of which were voted on by the membership, some ranking very closely in the final outcome. As per 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. The I.A.P.N. would like to thank all of the contributing authors and recognize their hard work in publishing these excellent references. Following is a list of the submitted works in order of first through third place with the remainder listed alphabetically.
First Place:
ITALO VECCHI. ITALIAN CAST COINAGE – A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE CAST BRONZE COINAGE AND ITS STRUCK COUNTERPARTS IN ANCIENT ITALY FROM THE 7TH TO 3RD CENTURIES BC. ITALO VECCHI 2013. ISBN978-0-9575784-0-1
Second Place:
KIRK BENNETT, A CATALOG OF GEORGIAN COINS FIRST EDITION. 2014 STEPHEN ALBUM RARE COINS. ISBN 978-0-578-13771-1
Third Place:
HEINZ WINTER, DIE MEDAILLEN UND SCHAUMUENZEN DER KAISER UND KOENIGE AUS DEM HAUS HABSBURG IM MUENZKABINETT DES KUNSTHISTORISCHEN MUSEUMS WIEN – BAND I. VERLAG DER OESTERREICHISCHEN AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN WIEN 2013. ISBN978-3-7001-7502-5
The remaining references submitted for consideration are as follows, listed in alphabetical order by author:
- PETER ANTHONY, GOLD AND SILVER PANDA COIN BUYER’S GUIDE 2. 2013 XIONGMAO JINYINBI SHOUCHANG ZHINAN. ISBN 978-7-5049-5946-1
- Q. DAVID BOWERS WITH ROBERT GALIETTE, US. LIBERTY HEAD $20 DOUBLE EAGLES THE GILDED AGE OF COINAGE 2014 STACK’S BOWERS GALLERIES. ISBN978-0-9887403-1-0
- ALESSANDRO CAVAGNA, PROVINCIA DACIA I CONI CON UNA PREFAZIONE DI ADRIANO SAVIO. EDITO DA SOC.NUMISMATICA ITALIANA 2012. ISBN 9788890674402
- HOWARD A. DANIEL, CAMBODIA COINS AND CURRENCY. SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM 2012. ISBN 978-1-879951-00-6
- HOWARD A. DANIEL. LAO COINS AND CURRENCY. 2014 THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN TREASURY. ISBN 987-1-879951-01-3
- GERD DETHLEFS, PETER ILISCH UND STEFAN WITTENBRINK. WESTFALIA NUMISMATICA 2013. FESTSCHRIFT ZUM 100-JÄHRIGEN BESTEHEN DES VEREINS DER MÜNZFREUNDE FÜR WESTFALEN UND NACHBARGEBIETE. FRITZ RUDOLF KÜNKER 2013. ISBN978-3-941357-03-7
- SVEIN H. GULLBEKK, MONEY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD-A HISTORY OF GOLD COINS AND GOLD CURRENCIES. SCRIBENDARIUS 2014. ISBN 978-82-999453-0-1
- ULRICH KLEIN UND ALBERT RAFF, DIE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN DER WÜRTTEMBERGISCHEN NEBENLINIEN MÖMPELGARD, NEUENSTADT, ÖLS UND WEILTINGEN. VERLAG DER MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLENHANDLUNG STUTTGART 2013. ISBN 3-936047-03-0
- JEAN LECOMPTE, MONNAIES ET JETONS DE L’INDOCHINE FRANCAISE. EDITIONS VICTOR GADOURY 2013. ISBN 978-2906602-42-7
- ROBERT P.PUDDESTER, MEDALS OF BRITISH INDIA VOLUME TWO – PART III. PUBLISHED BY ROBERT & NORMA PUDDESTER NUMISMATIC FOUNDATION. ISBN 978-0-9920141-0-0
- ANTONIO ARCANGELO, VESSELLA CORPUS OF CAMPANIA-GREEK COINS PART 1. COMPULTERIA-CAIATIA-ACERRAE-FENSERNI-IRNUM-ATELLA-CALATIA-VELECHA-CAPUA-KAMPANOS-SUESSA AURUNCA. A CURA DELL’AUTORE 2013.
- THE BENTLEY COLLECTION. THE ULTIMATE BRITISH SOVEREIGN COLLECTION SOLD BY AUCTION IN LONDON IN THREE PARTS 2012-2013. COMPLETE IN A LIMITED EDITION VOLUME. BALDWIN’S 2013. ISBN 978-0-906919-25-8
Following the general assembly all books that were submitted for the book prize award were donated to the library of L’Association Numismatique de Monaco.
Among the topics discussed during the business sessions were the applications for new membership. Of the applications submitted, two new firms were voted in as new members of the I.A.P.N. The association is pleased to welcome its two newest members:
CIVITAS Galleries, Ltd. (Benjamin Bell)
6800 University Ave
Middleton WI, 53562
U.S.A.
SINCONA AG (Jürg Richter)
Pelikanstrasse 11
Zurich CH-8001
Switzerland
Each year the I.A.P.N. raises money for a charity in the city where that year’s congress is conducted. This year the association raised a total of 2200 Euros to be donated to Association Les enfants de Frankie. The association aids disadvantaged and sick children in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France. The organization has helped children in hospitals and orphanages since its founding in 1997. During the holiday season the association conducts an event called “The Christmas Frankie” where 4,000 children and their families are welcomed for a special day in Monte Carlo. The event includes a giant parade and Christmas with snacks and gifts for all.
For more information on Association Les enfants de Frankie visit their website.