The Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) will host a security symposium for dealers on Jan. 3 at the 69th annual Florida United Numismatists (FUN) convention in Orlando, Fla.
A 90-minute presentation will feature “veteran security experts who will provide crucial safety advice,” according to organizers of the symposium, which will be open to all dealers, including non-members of the PNG. “Dealers attending the symposium will get essential tips about protecting themselves and their inventories at their shops, offices, at coin shows and when travelling to or from a show,” said PNG Executive Director John Feigenbaum, who added the symposium speakers will also give advice about cyber security.
The speakers include Robert Wittman, the president of Robert Wittman Art Security Consulting, and Jeff Garrett, a former PNG president who owns Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries. “There have been a number of recent high-value distraction thefts from coin shows all over the country,” said Wittman, who authored the New York Times 2010 best-selling book Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures. “Dealers must have security awareness at shows and when travelling to increase their safety.”
The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session with former Texas police chief Doug Davis, the founder of the Numismatic Crime Information Center, and Kenny Mullins, the vice-president of Positive Protection. The event will mark the first in a series of PNG symposia to be held at the FUN convention each January.