The ANA listed a new round of missing pieces from their museum and CoinWorld published an article yesterday about the presumed thefts. These pieces are not assumed by the ANA to have been stolen by the former employee who was arrested recently. Ugh.
The coins may be hard to get rid of, but a little over 86 10 ounce bars will not, which is what I figure will occur to the silver if it hasn't already. Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
If the ANA cannot keep trakc of their inventories, whats the point of donating? I would have thought that at the very minimum, annual inventories would be taken. Especially for the high dollar items that have been reported missing.
This isn't looking real good for the ANA.
I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
<< <i>It seems like the issues are piling up for the ANA as of late. >>
I'm not sure the term of "as of late" accurately applies here. In both the Yeager theft and these reported missing coins, the loss happened 3-5 years ago. As indicated in the press release following the Yeager announcement, a number of security systems and policies have been updated as a result.
Remember that many other museums, including the American Numismatic Society, have had similar incidents in their past.
Greg
Greg Lyon, ANA Board of Governors 2011-2017 -- The views represented here are my own personal opinions and do not represent those of the American Numismatic Association.
<< <i>It seems like the issues are piling up for the ANA as of late. >>
I'm not sure the term of "as of late" accurately applies here. In both the Yeager theft and these reported missing coins, the loss happened 3-5 years ago. As indicated in the press release following the Yeager announcement, a number of security systems and policies have been updated as a result.
Remember that many other museums, including the American Numismatic Society, have had similar incidents in their past.
Greg >>
There is quite a bit of truth to this. However, this also made me think about how or why the ANA should still be in a "loss mode" for acquisitions as recently as 3-5 years ago. In my opinion, this is frighteningly too recent to have these losses. After all, video surviellance, bar codes and other technological security systems have been around for quite a while and might have stopped or at least reduced the amount of apparent theft that has taken place in the recent past. It seems that an organization that cannot control its donated inventory for its museum has several options.
1) Shut the museum down and, where practical, return the donations or sell them off.
2) Cease to accept donations and definitely halt the active solicitation of donations until proper procedures are in place.
3) Hire a bonded, professional security and procedures firm to develop and implement secure processes.
4) Perform a regular auditing of specimens with a firm trail to determine who handled what, when and where.
The idea that similar events have happened at other institutions in the past should not provide comfort or an escape from responsibility for any ANA official.
<< <i>The idea that similar events have happened at other institutions in the past should not provide comfort or an escape from responsibility for any ANA official. >>
Very Well Said.
I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
<< <i> It seems that an organization that cannot control its donated inventory for its museum has several options.
4) Perform a regular auditing of specimens with a firm trail to determine who handled what, when and where.
>>
That would be ungodly expensive because the auditors have to be academic professionals, unless you are going to trust Joe's Coin Shop to attribute ancients and other esoterica.
A lot of museums don't even have their items fully catalogued so how the heck are you going to do a qualified audit. They get these bequests that sit in boxes for years because they don't have the funding to process them.
But they should do this for items of a certain dollar value and up. That would weed out a lot of the dreck.
. i am not certain if the previous threads still exist, but in one of them was a link to a VERY extensive listing as to the items being reported as missing/plundered.
that listing had a lot of images if memory serves. .
Comments
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
If the ANA cannot keep trakc of their inventories, whats the point of donating? I would have thought that at the very minimum, annual inventories would be taken. Especially for the high dollar items that have been reported missing.
This isn't looking real good for the ANA.
The name is LEE!
<< <i>It seems like the issues are piling up for the ANA as of late. >>
I'm not sure the term of "as of late" accurately applies here. In both the Yeager theft and these reported missing coins, the loss happened 3-5 years ago. As indicated in the press release following the Yeager announcement, a number of security systems and policies have been updated as a result.
Remember that many other museums, including the American Numismatic Society, have had similar incidents in their past.
Greg
<< <i>
<< <i>It seems like the issues are piling up for the ANA as of late. >>
I'm not sure the term of "as of late" accurately applies here. In both the Yeager theft and these reported missing coins, the loss happened 3-5 years ago. As indicated in the press release following the Yeager announcement, a number of security systems and policies have been updated as a result.
Remember that many other museums, including the American Numismatic Society, have had similar incidents in their past.
Greg >>
There is quite a bit of truth to this. However, this also made me think about how or why the ANA should still be in a "loss mode" for acquisitions as recently as 3-5 years ago. In my opinion, this is frighteningly too recent to have these losses. After all, video surviellance, bar codes and other technological security systems have been around for quite a while and might have stopped or at least reduced the amount of apparent theft that has taken place in the recent past. It seems that an organization that cannot control its donated inventory for its museum has several options.
1) Shut the museum down and, where practical, return the donations or sell them off.
2) Cease to accept donations and definitely halt the active solicitation of donations until proper procedures are in place.
3) Hire a bonded, professional security and procedures firm to develop and implement secure processes.
4) Perform a regular auditing of specimens with a firm trail to determine who handled what, when and where.
The idea that similar events have happened at other institutions in the past should not provide comfort or an escape from responsibility for any ANA official.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
<< <i>The idea that similar events have happened at other institutions in the past should not provide comfort or an escape from responsibility for any ANA official. >>
Very Well Said.
The name is LEE!
<< <i> It seems that an organization that cannot control its donated inventory for its museum has several options.
4) Perform a regular auditing of specimens with a firm trail to determine who handled what, when and where.
>>
That would be ungodly expensive because the auditors have to be academic professionals, unless you are going to trust Joe's Coin Shop to attribute ancients and other esoterica.
A lot of museums don't even have their items fully catalogued so how the heck are you going to do a qualified audit. They get these bequests that sit in boxes for years because they don't have the funding to process them.
But they should do this for items of a certain dollar value and up. That would weed out a lot of the dreck.
The list of missing coins can be found at http://www.money.org/ana_custom/MissingCoinsList.aspx.
I notice that many of the items on the list are supposed to have photos, but the links do not work.
I guess the pics were stolen too.
i am not certain if the previous threads still exist, but in one of them was a link to a VERY extensive listing as to the items being reported as missing/plundered.
that listing had a lot of images if memory serves.
.