IAPN General Assembly in Marseille 2023

Many topics were discussed, including international trade, counterfeit suppression, new membership, and bringing the collecting hobby into the modern era, just to name a few. There were 46 of the world’s leading numismatic firms in attendance, with an additional 16 firms represented via proxy. This was the first time the General Assembly was held in Marseille, located in the south of France and one of Europe’s oldest continuously occupied regions, in fact the oldest city in France.

New IAPN Members

This year the organization voted to add five new applicants to its roster of world class numismatic dealers and professionals. The IAPN is proud to announce that the following companies are now full members, dedicated to excellence, a high degree of integrity and longevity of the numismatic hobby for generations to come:

• ARTIFACTS Ltd. (Mr. Charles Adams), P.O. Box 723, Grand Cayman, KY1-1103, Cayman Islands.
• Briggs & Bustos (Mr. Antonio Briggs), Fuente de Pirámides I – 604, Lomas de Tecamachalco, Naucalpan, Estado de Mexico, 53950 Mexico.
• Jongeling Numismatics & Ancient Art (Mr. Hans Joengeling), P.O. Box 8013, Utrecht, 3503 RA Netherlands.
• Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries, Inc. (Mr. Jeff Garrett), 1707 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY 40503 USA.
• Sovereign Rarities (Mr. Ian Goldbart), 17-19 Maddox Street, London W1S 2QH United Kingdom.

Annual IAPN Book Prize

Throughout the year numismatists keep their eyes open for new scholarly and specialized works that further our understanding and appreciation of the many nuanced fields of this complex hobby. This year 23 titles published in 13 different countries were submitted for consideration to compete for the organization’s prestigious book award. Though many interesting and well-done titles were submitted, only the top three were chosen by the General Assembly.

• First Place: Kulikarni, Prashant. Archaic Coinage of Godavari Valley and Deccan. Eternal Arts and Coins LLP, Nagpur, India, 2022. ISBN 978-93-5526-685-9. Price: GBP £60. Order from Spink.
• Second Place: Sombart, Stéphan. Monnaies Royales Françaises de Louis XI à Henri IV. Éditions Victor Gadoury, Monaco, 2022. ISBN 978-2-906602-54-0. Price: EUR €39. Order from Gadoury.
• Third Place: McDowell, Christopher. The Early Betts Medal Companion. American Numismatic Society, New York, 2022. ISBN 978-0-89722-389-8. Price: USD $125. Order from the ANS.

IAPN General Elections

Every two years the General Assembly votes to appoint a President and members of the Executive Committee. This year it was decided to increase the committee from 10 to 12 members, for a total of 13 members including the President. There were no more candidates than positions, so an actual election was not needed.

• President: Daniel Frank Sedwick (Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, USA)
• 1st Vice President: Jesús Vico Jr. (Jesús Vico y Asociados S.L., Spain)
• 2nd Vice President: Kent Ponterio (World Numismatics, LLC, USA)
• General Secretary: Federico Pastrone (Editions Gadoury, Monaco)

Executive Committee members:

• Christopher Baker (Atlas Numismatics, USA);
• Stephen Fenton (Knightsbridge Coins, United Kingdom);
• Fabian Halbich (Fritz Rudolf Kuenker, Germany);
• Michael Hardmeier (Sincona AG, Switzerland);
• Joe Lang (Stephen Album Rare Coins, USA);
• Mathias Paoletti (Numismatica Bernardi Trieste, Italy);
• Kyle Ponterio (Stack’s Bowers, USA);
• Peter Preston-Morley (Noonans, United Kingdom);
• Sam Spiegel (Heritage, USA).

Committee Reports

Customarily during the General Assembly detailed reports are given by the chairpeople of the organization’s various sub-committees, including extensive reports on Free Trade and the I.B.S.C.C. and how the IAPN can better promote and service the hobby. For the I.B.S.C.C. many positive changes were proposed such as quicker turnaround times, more professional-looking certificates and more frequent meetings, as well as other logical and logistical updates.

Much of the Free Trade report covered subjects from the perspective of the USA with far-reaching implications abroad, including anti-money laundering laws, tariffs, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and import and export restrictions. It is also important to mention that in January 2023 the IAPN became a member of the Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d’Art (CINOA), a Belgium-based international art and antiquities advocacy group founded in 1935. Many of the ideals of CINOA align with the IAPN, as they promote and encourage public and private collecting as well as holding high professional standards and ethics.

IAPN Charity Donation

Each year the IAPN. raises money for a charitable organization in the city where the Congress is being held. This year we were able to raise 7,750 Euro in donations for Féminité Sans Abri. This charity helps homeless women all over France who have been displaced and need support. They collect and disperse hygienic products for women to feel and retain their femininity and help them get back on their feet and return some normalcy and dignity to their lives. They rely wholly on donations, without state subsidies, and have a presence in 32 departments in France with 63 volunteers, officially becoming an organization in January 2017.

Tours

Aside from the usual business sessions over the course of the four-day Congress, several activities were planned for members and their companions. This year included a tour of Château d’If, a fortress built during the 16th century that was primarily used as a prison for roughly 400 years. This is one of the most visited sites in Marseille and was made famous by Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo.

Another area explored was the ancient city of Arles, where countless monuments can be seen decorating the city. Arles has had public appreciation and awareness since around the 16th century, but it was during the 17th century that a decree was issued stating that any new discoveries were to be placed in the Museum of Ancient Arles for public access.

Special Notice

The IAPN would like to express their sincere gratitude and thanks to longtime member Jean-Luc Van der Schueren for his 26 years of hard work and service as General Secretary and Executive Director, as well as Secretary of the I.B.S.C.C. After a long and productive tenure, Jean-Luc has decided to retire and pass the flame. He will remain an active member of the organization and fulfil his duties as Executive Director until the end of the calendar year 2023. The IAPN is actively seeking a new Executive Director to start in 2024. The new General Secretary is Federico Pastrone, and the new Secretary of the I.B.S.C.C. is Joe Lang.