The American Numismatic Society (ANS) raised more than $219,000 during its Annual Gala January 11 at the Harvard Club of New York City. The Gala, which was attended by more than 150 guests, celebrated the 2024 Trustees’ Award presented to Mark Salzberg, who served for more than 35 years as the Chairman of the Certified Collectibles Group (CCG).
The ANS Trustees’ Award recognizes those who have helped to advance the mission of the Society for the study and appreciation of numismatics. Salzberg served as the Chairman of CCG until his retirement in 2023 and is a leader in the collectibles certification industry. In her remarks, Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan, ANS President, noted: “Mark has achieved a truly American field of collecting, those things that make the United States so famous all over the world, and he has a way of finding people who are both conscientious and creative in their work.”
Upon accepting the award, Salzberg said: “When CCG started grading comic books in 1999, if you had invested a dollar, it’s worth $33 today. Grading and encapsulating items make people comfortable that it has been authenticated and protected, so that it can be traded worldwide. I have high hopes for our collectibles industry, and especially coins as a worldwide phenomenon.”
The Gala concluded with a spirited live auction in support of the Society, with the lots including an engraving of Dürer’s Saint Sebastian Bound to the Column, and a signed print of Whistler’s The Long Gallery, Louvre, from “The Studio”, both donated by Harlan Berk, an ANS Fellow.
The ANS, founded in 1858, is a non-profit organization based in New York dedicated to the study of coins, medals, and all other numismatic objects. The Society has one of the foremost research collections and library in numismatics and is among the oldest cultural institutions in the United States.
For more information about the American Numismatic Society, visit www.numismatics.org, or contact membership@numismatics.org.