To help fight fake numismatic merchandise in the marketplace, the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) recently donated $15,525 USD (about $21,150 Cdn.) to the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA) Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (ACTF).
The donation was announced by PNG President Barry Stuppler at the PNG awards banquet, which was held at the American Numismatic Association (ANA) 2018 Philadelphia World’s Fair of Money on Aug. 13. A five-case exhibit of counterfeit material was also displayed at the show.
“Counterfeiting is a problem that potentially confronts every dealer and every collector, and certainly can be a problem for every member of the general public who unsuspectingly buys a fake coin or bank note from a non-PNG member dealer at a flea market or online,” said Stuppler.
“This donation is part of PNG’s ongoing support for ICTA’s anti-counterfeiting efforts. We applaud ICTA’s Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force for arranging with the Department of Homeland Security to exhibit recently confiscated fakes that could have caused millions of dollars of grief for unwary buyers.
PNG Board members donated $10,500 USD while the remainder of the money came from a portion of the fee for PNG members who took tables at the 2018 PNG/ANA Numismatic Trade Show in Philadelphia, added PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman.
FUNDED BY DONATIONS
ICTA Director of Anti-Counterfeiting Beth Deisher thanked PNG for its donation and noted the ACTF is funded entirely by donations.
“All of the money we receive goes directly to educating law enforcement and policy makers about the rising threat of counterfeiting, mobilizing law enforcement to attach counterfeiters where they are most vulnerable, and providing expertise and other resources in the investigation and prosecution of those who buy and sell fakes. ACTF is also developing programs to inform dealers, collectors and the general public about how to avoid being deceived by fakes and defrauded by those trafficking in counterfeits.”