(Baltimore, Maryland) — Seldom-seen early American coins from the Smithsonian’s collections, the triumphant return to Baltimore of a previously missing $3 million nickel and a $1 billion U.S. Treasury Department display will be among the many historic, valuable exhibits at the World’s Fair of Money® (www.money.org) in the Baltimore Convention Center, July 30 - August 3, 2008.

But it won’t cost a cent to see a billion bucks. The five-day collectors’ show and educational family event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the non-profit, 32,500 member American Numismatic Association (ANA).

United States Mint Director Ed Moy will personally unveil a new, pure gold coin at the show, the much-anticipated 2009-dated Ultra High Relief Double Eagle ($20 denomination) Gold Coin with a raised design so high you can feel it. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will display “Historic Rarities: Early United States Proof Coins,” a special traveling exhibit showcasing extraordinary objects from the National Numismatic Collection. It includes two unique coins, a pattern 1860 Double Eagle and a new variety of proof 1818 silver half dollar.

Another highlight will be the eye-opening, Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) “billion dollar display” of high denomination money, such as $100,000 bills. There will also be demonstrations of a 150-year-old, hand-turned money printing press.

Over 100 other fascinating exhibits from private collections include the famous 1913 Liberty Head nickel that was missing for 41 years until it was authenticated in Baltimore in 2003 following a nationwide search. It is returning to Baltimore for the first time since its surprising re-discovery five years ago. (more…)

The American Numismatic Association will debut a new feature, Artists & Authors Alley, at the 2008 World’s Fair of Money® in Baltimore. Located in aisle 900 of the convention’s bourse floor, Artists & Authors Alley gives artists and writers a chance to display their craft and discuss their work with visitors. The area will feature premier numismatic engravers, scholars and publishers.

Located within Artists & Authors Alley, Collector’s Corner will feature book and artwork signings, demonstrations, and informal discussions with some of the top experts in numismatics.

“I’m happy to be adding this new and exciting element to our show,” said ANA Meeting Services Manager Brenda Bishop. “Hobbyists will be able to meet, interact and learn from several of the most respected professionals in the field.”

The following is a schedule for Collector’s Corner presentations:

Wednesday, July 30
1-2 p.m. – Joel Iskowitz, master designer, United States Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program
3-4 p.m. – Mercer Bristow, American Philatelic Society: C.S.I. Philatelic (more…)

The pending litigation between the American Numismatic Association and John Nebel and former employees Susie Nulty, Lawrence Lee, Ph. D. and Wayne Abraham has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, Executive Director Larry Shepherd announced today.

The resolution followed several meetings between the ANA and John Nebel in which the ANA agreed to dismiss all claims against Nebel, Nulty, Lee and Abraham.

The litigation started in July, 2005 when Christopher Cipoletti and the ANA filed suit against Nebel, Nulty, Lee, Abraham and Nebel’s corporation, Computer Systems Design Company. The case was scheduled for trial in September, 2007, but was rescheduled to August 14, 2008 after the ANA’s former legal firm withdrew from the case in August 2007. Since that date the parties engaged in continued discussions in an effort to resolve their differences.

The ANA Board of Governors voted unanimously to dismiss all claims against Nebel, Nulty, Abraham and Lee and therefore put an end this litigation. As part of the settlement, the ANA made a payment to offset a portion of the defendants litigation costs.

The ANA and the Defendants prefer to engage in numismatics, not litigation. The ANA wishes to extend its sincere apology to the defendants for the hardship that this litigation has caused.

Jim Licaretz Receives 2008 ANA Numismatic Art Award

Philadelphia artist Jim Licaretz is the 2008 recipient of the American Numismatic Association’s Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture. He will accept the honor on Aug. 2 at the ANA World’s Fair of Money® in Baltimore.

A medallic artist at the U.S. Mint since 2006, Licaretz was a sculptor/engraver there from 1986 to 1989. He spent a year with The Franklin Mint and was a master sculptor for Mattel, Inc. for five years. In between, he taught life modeling and figure sculpture at Philadelphia’s Fleischer Art Memorial, and was a member of the faculty at Otis-Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles (1992-94) and Academy of Art University in San Francisco (1995-2000).

“Although I was familiar with Renaissance and 19th-century French medals, it wasn’t until sculptor Eugene Daub introduced me to the American Medallic Sculpture Association (AMSA) in 1985 that I realized contemporary artists were creating handheld art,” said Licaretz. “It was quite a revelation to me to see these small, personal statements in various materials that were being recognized as medals.”

His involvement with AMSA, which he now serves as president, led to his participation in the Fédération Internationale de la Médaille (FIDEM). In September 2007, Licaretz exhibited three medallic works at FIDEM’s 30th Congress and Exhibition, hosted by the ANA’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs. His recent work for the U.S. Mint includes the 2008 Bald Eagle $1 reverse and Andrew Jackson Presidential $1 obverse.

“The greatest appeal of medallic art is the freedom one has to create his or her own world on a small scale,” Licaretz said. “Though there are exceptions, most medallic sculpture has a magic and uniqueness not found in most art forms. I love that with the simplest of materials – clay, plaster and wax – an artist can birth something very personal.” (more…)

Gene Hessler to Receive the Farran Zerbe Award

Gene Hessler is the 2008 recipient of the American Numismatic Association’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for Distinguished Service. He will be presented the accolade Aug. 2 during the Awards Banquet at the World’s Fair of Money® in Baltimore. Hessler, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is best known in the numismatic world as a paper money expert, who coined the term “syngraphics.”

He is the author of The Comprehensive Catalog of United States Paper Money, which garnered the Nathan Gold Memorial Award and the Robert Friedberg Award; An Illustrated History of U.S. Loans, 1775-1898; U.S. Essay, Proof & Specimen Notes; The Engraver’s Line: An Encyclopedia of Paper Money and Postage Stamp Art; and The International Engraver’s Line. A prolific writer for numismatic periodicals, he edits Paper Money, the Society of Paper Money Collectors’ journal.

From 1967-77, Hessler served as curator of the Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum in New York’s Rockefeller Center. He also became the first full-time curator of the Mercantile Money Museum in St. Louis, where he worked from 1986-88.

An active advocate for the hobby, Hessler has been an expert source of numismatic information for publications including Time, Newsweek and the Encyclopedia Britannica; appeared on radio and TV shows such as “The Today Show,” “Wonderama,” “Voice of America” and “What’s My Line?.” His scripts for “Money Talks,” a daily National Public Radio broadcast, earned him a Peabody Broadcasting Award nomination in 1993. (more…)