A large and enthusiastic contingent comprised the USA Delegation to the 25th Congress of the Fédération Internationale de la Médaille (FIDEM), held in Neuchâtal, Switzerland, from June 11 through 15. Alan Stahl, ANS Curator of Medals, led the delegation and participated as a member of the Comite Executif of the international organization and a member of the prize jury. ANS Fellow Cory Gillilland was vice-delegate, and Fellows Ira Rezak and Ralph Sonnenschein were delegates. Former ANS staff member George Cuhaj was also in the delegation, as were Associate Members Richard Giedroyc (covering the event for Coin World), Beverly Mazze, Richard Mole, Joseph Veach Noble and Thomas W. Sheehan.

As in past years, the unofficial opening of the Congress was the reception hosted by the USA delegation, held in the formal gardens of Hótel DuPeyrou, a gracious eighteenth-century mansion. The heads of the other delegations, officials of FIDEM, and members of the organizing committee were given examples of the medal made for the occasion by Amanullah Haiderzad, recently elected President of the American Medallic Sculpture Association. Other American sculptors participating in the Congress were James MaloneBeach, Mashiko and Marika Somogyi.

June 12 was the official opening day at the Congress, called to order by FIDEM President Mark Jones. The biennial exhibition of medals at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire opened that evening; it was mounted by Marguerite Spoerri, Curator of the Numismatic Collection of that museum. The show, featuring the work of 480 artists from 35 countries, will remain on exhibit through October 20. The week included a series of historical talks on medals organized around the theme "Medallic Series," as well as workshops by artists and a visit to a school for applied arts. The Saltus Medal Award Committee of the ANS took advantage of the event to hold a special meeting, at which earlier Saltus winners Ewa Olszewska-Borys and Jiri Harcuba joined committee members in viewing the exhibit.

The next FIDEM congress is scheduled for October of 1998, in The Hague, Netherlands. A few remaining examples off this year's USA Delegation medal are available for a $50 donation to the delegation; checks for that amount made out to the ANS should be sent to Alan Stahl at the ANS.

In the George F. Kolbe sale of June 1, the library was able to purchase several items thanks to Joseph R. Lasser, who made a generous contribution to the library fund. Among these were Okudairo Masahiro's Toa senshi (A numismatic record of Far Eastern coins), considered the outstanding Japanese work on coins of the Far East. Also acquired was the journal "Sovetskii Kollektzioner" (Soviet Collector), Nos. 1-29, 1963-93 and a unique manuscript of an extensive American coin collection, which bears the handwritten title, "Family Expenses &C. Book 2. Commencing Sept. 9th, 1834." This item is described as "The Earliest such Record known to be in Private Hands."

Anthony Terranova of New York City has donated two items, both of which will enrich our collection and prove of great use to the specialist researcher. The first of these consists of 67 negatives and contact proofs of the Kenneth W. Lee collection of California fractional gold coins, including the Kroll hoard. The second item consists of correspondence, photographs, and photocopies compiled by George Fuld in his research on Benjamin Franklin medals.

As usual, the Graduate Seminar students and the visiting scholar, Prof. Andrea Saccocci, University of Udine, have kept the library staff busy with bibliographical queries. With very few exceptions, we have been able to provide most of the numismatic references requested. Prof. Saccocci has also made extensive use of the library's auction holdings in his research on Paduan coins of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. For most of the Summer, the library has had the assistance of two part-time employees who have helped with photocopying, filing, shelving and other library routines. Assisting are Alejandra Serrano of Bennington College and Lisa Rosario of Fordham College.

Among the publications generously donated by authors and publishers are Hans J. Colin's Die Münzen von Perge in Pamphylien aus hellenistischer Zeit; Charles J. Culleiton, National bank notes of Allegheny County, donated by the Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society, Pittsburgh; John Davenport, East Baltic regional coinage; Kenneth W. Harl, Coinage in the Roman economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700; George Hosek, 1996 Iowa merchant trade token town rarity list. 4th ed.; Heinrich Kalvelage and Hartmut Trippler, Die Münzen der Grafen, Herzöge and Grossherzöge von Oldenburg; Oscar Marotta and Miguel A. Morucci, Catalogo de monedas de plata columnarias y de busto ceca de Potosi 1767 a 1825, received from Fundacion de los Corrales Viejos, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mechtild Overbeck, Romische Bleimarken in der Staatlichen Münzsammlung München: Eine Quelle zur Social und Wirtschaftsgeschichte Roms; Maurice Prou, Catalogue des monnaies françaises de la Bibliothčque Nationale: Les monnaies mérovingiennes. Introduction - Georges Depeyrot (Reprint); Reinhard Suchier, Die Mnzen der Grafen von Hanau. (Reprint), received from Werner Kurz, Hanau, Germany; Scott A. Travers, One-minute coin expert, 2nd ed. From Laurens Schulman, b.v., Bussum, Netherlands, we have been presented with D. A. Wittop Koning, De Gelderse Munt te Harderwijk, 1584-1806; W.K. de Bruijn, De nederlandse florijn in al zijn facetten; and Erik van Scheepen, Universiteit op de penning. Penningen van Athenaeum illustre en Universiteit van Amsterdam 1632-1992.

The ANS will again this year participate in "Uptown Treasures," the day long event that showcases northern Manhattan cultural institutions and their collections to the general public. The event is scheduled for October 20 and this year is part of the first annual "Washington Heights and Inwood Week," celebrating the many and varied attractions at the northern end of Manhattan.

At the ANS, visitors will be greeted by staff and volunteers, including our regular Uptown Treasures docent, Henry Bergos; a favorite for visitors is the opportunity to strike a copy of an ancient Greek coin during demonstrations at 1:00 and 2:00 PM.

ANS members interested in assisting as volunteers for Uptown Treasures are asked to contact ANS Development Officer Stephanie Cohen by phone.

Stanley N. Katz has announced his intention to retire as President of the American Council of Learned Societies in 1997 when a successor is identified. President since 1986 of the ACLS, the pre-eminent private humanities organization in the U.S., Katz has been a vigorous advocate for humanistic scholarship throughout his tenure. Under his leadership the number of learned societies affiliated with the Council increased from 45 to 58 and the value of the ACLS endowment, which supports a variety of grants and fellowships in the humanities and social sciences, grew from $16 to $37 million. Katz will return to full-time teaching and research at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

The ACLS, of which the ANS is a constituent member, was founded in 1919 to "advance humanistic studies in all fields of learning in the humanities and social sciences and maintain and strengthen relations among national societies devoted to such studies."

September

6-7       "Coinage of the Ancient World, Travelers Through Time,' Joint SHN/ANS Conference, Swissotel, Boston

October

9         AIA-Princeton (IAS) Meeting, Carmen Arnold-Bincchi to lecture on Selinus, Sicily NYC Museums Council dinner meeting at Audubon Terrace; Alan Stahl to host ANS visit

12       Arab-Byzantine Forum at ANS, 10:00 AM

18       Saltus Medal Award Committee Meeting at ANS

18-20   Annual South Asia Meeting, Madison, Marie H. Martin to attend

25       ANS Finance Committee Meeting, 2:00 PM Gala Tribute Dinner Honoring Eric P. Newman, Explorers Club, NYC, 7:00 PM  

26      Meeting of ANS Committee on Far Eastern Coins, 10:30 AM ANS Council Meeting, 12:30 PM ANS Annual Meeting, 3:00 PM

31-2    ACLS CAO Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Leslie A. Elam to attend

November

1          Meeting of NY Classical CLUB at ANS; William E. Metcalf to speak on "Looking at Roman Coins"

9         COAC 1996: "America's Large Cents," program of illustrated talks and special exhibits at the ANS

13      Alan Stahl to speak at Center for Medieval Studies, Fordham University, on "The Mint of Venice in the Middle Ages"

22-24    Middle East Studies Association Meeting, Providence, RI; Michael Bates to speak on "The Abbasid Coinage System, 833-946" and host ANS reception for Seminar alumni and friends

28-30   Society closed for Thanksgiving holiday

December

6-8      NYINC, Vista WTC Hotel; ANS to host Information Booth; special exhibit: "Greek and Roman Treasures from Members' Collections," curated by Dr. Arnold-Peter C. Weiss

Fond memories of the Society's Spring outing to Kikuit, the famous Rockefeller home recently opened to the public.  Enjoying the Hudson River cruise en route to the May 11 house tour are: Anthony J. Terranova of New York, and in the other picture, Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Newman, Springdale, CT, and Catherine Bullowa-Moore of Philadelphia.

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