From Queen Marie Antoinette in the French Revolution through Emperor Josef II after World War One, the ruling Habsburg Dynasty of Austria was dogged by tragedy, untimely death, and personal misfortune. The Viennese Mint issued six coins from 1997-1999 honoring these unfortunate leaders.

Robert "Bob" Bair has been involved in numismatics since 1956, first as a collector, then as a coin dealer starting in 1987. As a boy growing up in northwestern Wisconsin in the 1950's he began collecting coins that he received from his newspaper route and a lifelong passion was born. Bair holds master's degrees in U.S. History (1970) and Educational Administration (1994)

Many new collectors attend a coin show wondering if a coin they have in their collection is some kind of error. Error coin dealer Jon Zampedro, a full-time dealer since 1992, can answer those questions with authority. His program is focused on how error coins are made and what they may be worth. It’s PERFECT for the new collector of errors or varieties!

Jon Zampedro, owner of J Edwards Collectibles, has been assisting collectors since 1992. A 1982 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he specializes in error coins and small copper coins. Jon was born in Warren, OH, and is a retired member of the United States Air Force (USAF).

This talk will explore the ever changing and evolving personification of Liberty on American coinage and the values, norms, and mores that were reflected on circulating U.S. coinage before the era of “dead Presidents” on money.

Russ Bega began collecting U.S. coins when he was eight years old after a trip to his local coin shop in Northern Colorado. He was previously employed by Heritage Auction Galleries, before departing on a decade-long career as a U.S. Army Infantry Non-Commissioned Officer. In 2021 he joined the Harlan J. Berk team in Chicago, IL, where he is now the store manager. His specialty is Liberty Seated coins and 19th century numismatics.

What began at the end of the last century as an idea to increase numismatic and bullion sales, and as an attempt to introduce young collectors to numismatics, has morphed into an international search for new impactful artistic images for the 21st Century. This talk will explore the artistic use of pop culture on world coins. We will discuss the objectives of the American Liberty gold coin program and the upcoming use of comic art on United States coins. We will place these programs in the context of contemporary world coins that draw upon images from fables, folktales, food and commercial products. Those appealing world coins that draw upon national cultural icons have more artistic support and merit then most people think. This presentation aims to provide some background and information that may change the way you think about these coin designs.

Donald Scarinci is a lawyer in NY and NJ. He is a life member of the American Numismatic Association and a Fellow at the American Numismatic Society. Donald is the longest serving member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and he has served as a nominator of the Coin of the Year Award for over a decade.

Donald has one of the largest privately held collections of art medals in the United States, but his numismatic interests go far beyond medallic art. He is a serious collector of coins ranging from Ancient to medieval hammered to contemporary world coins. He also collects United States and world banknotes.

This presentation will show how the artists of the period (1870 to 1900) used money as their subject, and what the public (and the government) had to say. As might be expected, fights over money would make an impression on popular culture.

Dr. Karell is a lifelong collector of paper money, coins, and stamps. He is a veteran of the submarine force, and now a retired nuclear chemical engineer for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Program. In his free time he is an amateur artist and has devoted time to practicing the art of engraving, letterpress printing, and painting. He loves to be able to say he studied under Christopher Madden, chief engraver of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving – even if it was for only a week at the ANA Summer Seminar! Dr. Karell has been a prior Sundman lecturer, presenting a talk entitled “The Masterpiece in Your Wallet – Paper Money as Art.”

The humble penny has long been associated with affordable entertainment, from Victorian England’s penny dreadfuls to the rise of the American comic book industry. This presentation explores the remarkable influence of this small coin on popular culture, tracing its legacy from 19th-century serialized fiction to the birth of Superman.

Penny dreadfuls—sensational, inexpensive novels filled with adventure, crime, and the macabre—captivated working-class readers in Victorian England. Their affordability, at just one penny, made them a staple of popular entertainment, despite criticism from the upper classes. The penny itself played a crucial role, serving as the accessible price of escapism for the masses.

As we follow the evolution of this coin through time, we’ll uncover its role in shaping American publishing trends. The American equivalent of penny dreadfuls, often found in dime novels and pulp magazines, carried the tradition of affordable storytelling forward. By the 1920s and 1930s, the emergence of comic books—similarly available for a single cent—would transform popular culture once again. And with that transformation came the most iconic superhero of them all: Superman.

Through this journey, we will explore how a seemingly insignificant coin became a key driver in the development of mass-market storytelling, ultimately paving the way for the Man of Steel himself. Superman, like his literary predecessors, owes his existence to the power of the penny.

A lively presentation about some of the biggest trends in coin collecting and the rare coin market right now. This talk will also cover how the stories making news today might impact the way we collect coins tomorrow. From record-setting gold, new U.S. Mint issues, changes and consolidations within the coin industry, and how collectors gather and share—there’s a lot to chat about!

Steve Roach joined the ANA in 1991 and was editor-in-chief of Coin World. He’s a numismatist and appraiser with a focus on fine art, rare coins, and medals. Steve is a certified member of the International Society of Appraisers where he teaches appraisal ethics and methodology. He received the ANA’s YN of the Year in 1997, its Medal of Merit in 2024, and writes the ANA’s Collecting Friends blog with Dennis Tucker.

This presentation is a high-level overview of German hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic with a focus on the local notes and coins that emerged surrounding the collapse of the national monetary system. The objective of this presentation is to understand the lasting impact of German hyperinflation which marked a unique chapter for numismatics.

The following topics will be discussed: 1910-1914 Value of the Reichsmark, 1918-1922 Inflation Rising, 1922-1924 Peak of Hyperinflation, and conclude with a high-level overview of the 1924 Rentenmark conversion. It wraps up with the discontinuation of the different monies that embodied a unique chapter in numismatic history. Examples of the local community notes and coins made from clay, leather, silk, aluminum, linen, etc. will be presented and the connection each material had to its community will be discussed.

Alexander started collecting in 1998, has been an adult member of the ANA since 2013, and pursued his Master's in European History with a focus on Numismatics where he wrote his Master's Thesis on "The Socioeconomic Impacts and Importance of Inflation and Hyperinflation in Europe During The Early 20th Century."