American Numismatic Association

Brian Fanton Receives Adna G. Wilde Jr. Memorial Award

American Numismatic Association life member Brian E. Fanton will be honored with the 2012  Adna G. Wilde Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence during ceremonies Aug. 9 at the  World's Fair of Money^SM in Philadelphia.

The award recognizes ANA members who dedicate their time and resources to further the educational purposes of the Association and the hobby, and who set an example for others.

Fanton has been a coin collector for more than 55 years and a full-time coin dealer since 1999. A certified coin grader, he owns BE's Coins in Hiawatha, Iowa.

He began teaching introductory and grading courses at the ANA Summer Seminar in 1995 and taught almost every year since. Dedicated to the ANA's educational mission and outreach programs, Fanton makes numismatic presentations to more than 1,000 students annually.

An ANA life member since 1989, Fanton also belongs to the Central States Numismatic Society and several Iowa coin clubs, including the Hiawatha Coin Club (which he started in 2004), the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Coin Club and the Iowa Numismatic Association.

He has been named an ANA Outstanding District Delegate (1994, 1998), Adult Advisor of the Year (1998) and Outstanding Club Representative (2002); he also has served on the ANA Board of Governors (2005-07) and chaired the ANA Education Committee (1993-96). He was honored as a Numismatic News Numismatic Ambassador in 2003. The ANA awarded him an honorary "Doctorate of Numismatics" at its 2011 Summer Seminar.

The World's Fair of Money is the nation's premier money show. The event features more than 1,000 numismatic dealers with the best inventory anywhere; the ANA Museum Showcase exhibiting some of the world's most valuable and beautiful coins and paper money; a Mint Promenade with mints from around the world; the Collector Exhibits area; a world-class auction by Stack's Bowers Galleries; educational presentations and seminars; and special events including the ANA's annual awards banquet.

The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 28,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of education and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or go to www.money.org.