Tough Times Continue For ANS

We all go through situations where it may appear there are more questions than answers.

The American Numismatic Society in New York has been experiencing this recently as the management is trying to clean up the organization's finances by making cutbacks while Fellows of the society continue to barrage them with questions regarding their efforts to clean things up fiscally.

A stormy meeting of the Fellows was held in early December 1999 during the New York International Numismatic Convention. Another meeting is planned for mid-January.

Dr. Ute Wartenberg, executive director of the ANS, has announced cutbacks in the hours the facility is open, staff and other areas in an effort to rectify a 10-year problem where money has been taken from endowments to pay for budget deficits. Instead of being greeted with approval to the fiscally responsible steps, some Fellows of the society appear to be fighting the decisions every inch of the way, regardless of whether or not the money is in place to correct these problems.

Questions have arisen regarding the direction the ANS may be taking and if the focus of the organization may change. The recently published ANS newsletter includes a long letter in which some of these questions are addressed. It is important these questions be fielded and answers be presented in writing since although ANS membership is only about 2,000, the research and services offered by the organization affect so many people in the coin-collecting hobby.

ANS President Donald G. Patrick offers a statement reading, "It is the case...that one of our priority goals is to make the ANS the premier organization for the U.S. collector, just as it has become the premier organization for collectors and scholars of numismatics in other areas over the course of its nearly 150-year history...We will continue to seek ways to make numismatics as a whole more accessible to both specialized scholars and the general public."

Elsewhere in the ANS newsletter it says, "The ANS wants to become more actively involved in the study of U.S. numismatics....ANS members interested in U.S. numismatics make up over 25 percent of the total ANS membership." Regarding staff cutbacks the newsletter states, "It [ANS] has made curatorial and certain other staff members a generous voluntary early-out proposal, the objective of which is to reduce recurring personnel costs by asking for volunteers for early termination." The letter points out that the new building at 140 Williams Street in New York to which the society plans to relocate is not formerly owned by Partrick.

Since some Fellows claim to have been ignorant of the 10-year deficit, this is addressed in the letter. According to the newsletter, "A report commissioned in 1993 from Pierpont & Wilkerson concluded that ANS is not currently prepared to conduct a campaign for a goal of approximately $12 [million]." Location, lack of a U.S. curatorial department, an educational department and an attractive museum exhibit were sited as reasons.

It is also pointed out the ANS failed to be re-accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1998 due to its internal problems. The letter continues, "Decisions related to closing the operating deficit include reducing operating costs (both personnel and non-personnel related costs) across the board. They include raising money from council, all of whom have contributed or pledged funds. They include a major fund-raising campaign. For reasons connected to the Society's own statement of ethical standards, general museum practice and considerations involving potential concerns of the New York State Attorney General, the Society has decided not to consider any sale from the collection that goes beyond its current practice of selling die-duplicates only."

Other important points made include that, "The ANS will continue and improve its publication program...The distribution and sales of all books will be improved to provide more revenue to the Society."

Further in the newsletter it says, "The Summer Seminar has not been eliminated. It has been canceled for the summer 2000 in order to allow staff to organize the move to its new headquarters."

More information on the ANS and its current situation can be viewed at www.amnumsoc.org.

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