The International Association of Professional Numismatists, founded in 1951, is a non profit organisation of the leading international numismatic firms. The objects of the association are the development of a healthy and prosperous numismatic trade conducted according to the highest standards of business ethics and commercial practice.
The IAPN was constituted at a meeting held in Geneva in 1951 to which the leading international numismatic firms had been invited. There were 28 founding members. The objectives of the association are the development of a healthy and prosperous numismatic trade conducted according to high standards of business ethics and commercial practice, the encouragement of scientific research and the propagation of numismatics, and the creation of lasting and friendly relations among professional numismatists throughout the world.
Membership
Membership is vested in numismatic firms, or in numismatic departments of other commercial institutions, and not in individuals. Today there are more than 110 numismatic member firms situated in five continents and twenty one countries. The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the association and is convened annually, normally in a different country.
Governance
The Executive Committee is composed of twelve to fifteen persons from at least six countries and includes the President, two Vice Presidents, the General Secretary and the Treasurer. There are subcommittees dealing with membership, discipline, publications, anti forgery work and government relations.
Activities
In pursuit of the objective to encourage numismatic research the association has published or assisted in the publication of a number of important numismatic works. It maintains a close liaison with the International Numismatic Commission, and individual members take an active interest in the work of their national numismatic organisations.
In 1965 the IAPN held an international congress in Paris to consider the study of and defence against counterfeit coins, and in 1975 the association established the International Bureau for the Suppression of Counterfeit Coins. This bureau maintains close links with mints, police forces, museums and collectors with the publication of specialised reports on counterfeits. Since January 1997 information about new dangerous counterfeits and scanned photos of the pieces has been available on the Internet. The Bulletin of Counterfeits and Internet access are restricted to members only.
Members of the IAPN guarantee the authenticity of all the coins and medals which they sell, which is a condition of membership. Collectors may purchase numismatic material from any of the firms from the membership list in the knowledge that if any item proves to be counterfeit or not as described, the piece can be returned and the purchase price will be refunded regardless of the date of purchase.
Membership of the association is not lightly acquired. Applicants must be sponsored by three members and the vetting of applications involves a rigorous and sometimes protracted procedure. Applicants must have been established in business as numismatists for at least four years and must be known to a number of members. The committee must be satisfied that applicants have carried on their business in an honourable manner and that they have sound general knowledge of numismatics as well as expertise in their speciality.
Medal of Honour
The Medal of Honour of the association was established in 1963 in memory of its first president, Leonard S. Forrer. It is awarded by the President to persons of distinction whom the association wishes to honour or for distinguished services to the association.
The IAPN Book Prize was established in 1982 to encourage the publication of books of scientific and general interest. It is an annual prize for a numismatic work published the previous year.
Recipients of the IAPN Book Prize
1982, M. J. Price, Coins, 650 BC to the Present Day
1983, David R. Sear, Greek Imperial Coins
1984, E. R. Duncan Ellis, The Anglo Gallic Coins
1985, D. M. Metcalf, Coinage of the Crusades and the Latin East
1986, D. Eustache, Corpus des Monnaies Alawites
1987, Philip Grierson and Mark Blackburn, Medieval European Coinage I
1988, Romolo Calciati, Corpus Nummorum Siculorum I to III
1989, D. R. Cooper, The Art and Craft of Coin Making
1990, R. D. Van Arsdell, Celtic Coinage of Britain ISBN9780907605249
1991, G. K. Jenkins and M. Castro Hipolito, Catalogue of the Gulbenkian Collection, Part II
1992, Dennis Gill, The Coinage of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Italian Somalia ISBN978 0962750304
1993, Robert Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World
1994, M. C. Caccamp Caltabiano, La Monetazione di Messana
1995, Stephen Scher, The Currency of Fame
1996, U. Klein and A. Raff, Die Wurttembergischen Medaillen von 1496 bis 1797
1997, Sabine Bourgey, Tresor, Legendes et Realites
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