New York, NY – January 7, 2008 – R.M. Smythe & Co. and Jason W. Bradford jointly announced today that effective January 21, 2008, Mr. Bradford will be joining forces with R.M. Smythe, in the capacity of Executive Vice President – Auctions. In this capacity, Mr. Bradford will bring his significant expertise in U.S. paper money, coins and auction management to the Smythe family of auction clienteles.

Commenting, Mr. Bradford stated “Having spent my entire working career in numismatics, I am delighted to bring a wide spectrum of experiences to bear on the opportunity that a full service, multi-collectible auction and retail house represents. Smythe’s long-standing reputation for integrity, their wide variety of clienteles, and the collectible fields represented in-house all combine to provide a delightful opportunity for future growth in their auction activities. I am excited about the multiple possibilities that lie ahead.”

Mr. Bradford, a career numismatist, began collecting coins and currency at the age of 8 and started in the field as an independent coin dealer at the age of 15. He joined the Heritage organization in 2000 as a coin cataloger, and was later asked to head up Heritage’s Internet currency auctions. Under his direction, the weekly Internet Currency auctions at Heritage grew from $250,000 in sales in 2000 to more than $2.7 million in sales in 2004. He played a crucial role in the integration of Currency Auctions of America into the Heritage organization when they were acquired in 2001. In January, 2005, he was asked to begin PCGS’s currency grading division, and has since built PCGS Currency into its current status as a pre-eminent player in the highly competitive grading services field

Mr. Bradford is a member of numerous hobby and professional organizations, incuding the Professional Currency Dealers Association, SPMC, FUN, CSNS, ANA, and is a lifetime member of the Tennessee Numismatic Association. He is an avid collector of Arkansas National Bank Notes, and brings his hobby enthusiasm to the business side of the hobby. He is a 1998 graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, with a B.A. degree in Economics, and was awarded a Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, in 2003.

John Herzog, Chairman of Smythe, stated, “We could not be happier to make this announcement today. As our discussions with Jason have proceeded, we have come to see our alliance with him as the perfect next step in further developing Smythe’s numismatic activities and overall auction presence. The firm has a long history of outstanding auctions in the paper collectibles field, such as U.S. and world banknotes and antique stocks and bonds, and we are now looking forward to continuing to grow that business and developing additional market share in other important numismatic fields.”

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