The American Numismatic Association’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum will sell redundant items from its collection, mostly low-value examples of pieces already well-represented in the collection.
The process, also referred to as deaccessioning, was approved by the ANA board in open session in February. The sales, to be conducted on eBay, are expected to start in June. Nothing in the Money Museum’s permanent collection is included.
This is the very first job ANA has worked on with eBay. Explaining the ANA Museum Committee’s selection of eBay, the museum’s curator and manager, Doug Mudd, said,”We believe that the fairest method to market our duplicate specimens is through open auctions together with the broadest possible reach.” Among options considered, he said,”eBay not only has a grand online auction platform, but its low overhead costs and administrative attributes will streamline the daily logistics of running auctions.”
The eBay auctions will allow for low starting bids and no reserves to ensure that collectors of all means have an opportunity to obtain items, according to the ANA.
The auctions will focus on world coins, paper money, tokens and medals, but some American duplicate coins, Mint places and stock certificates will also be included. The auction project will eventually expand to include duplicate books and catalogs from the ANA Library and ANA-branded items from the Money Museum shop.
Only duplicates are being considered for sale, Mudd describes. “This will allow the ANA to clear space for future items, whereas the revenue generated will help support our continuing mission of promoting and advancing the hobby of numismatics.”
“Finally, we are doing what’s ideal for our associates as well as our collection,” Mudd added.
ANA members will have the ability to acquire deaccessioned items at a discounted price as a benefit of membership.
The American Numismatic Association’s set was made in 1928 and placed in the Smithsonian Institution until 1966, when the ANA moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, also created a permanent place for the Money Museum. Since that time, the group has grown to encompass hundreds of thousands of objects, many of which are a number of duplicates of what is required to fit with the museum’s educational mission.