An open meeting was held by the board of governors of the American Numismatic Association Jan. 4 during the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando.
Chaired by President William H. Horton Jr., the meeting provided members with an opportunity to speak to various ANA issues, including the current process to change and update the bylaws.
At the end of January, revised bylaws proposals will be posted on the ANA Web site, www.money.org, and they will also be published in the March issue of Numismatist Magazine, the official ANA monthly publication.
?I thought the meeting was very positive. It went well. People asked questions. People are concerned about the nominating committee.?
Horton said the draft proposal would be revised and posted by the end of the month.
?We?re learning. We?re trying,? Horton said. He added he believed that whoever was qualified should be on ANA election ballots. ?That?s it. Open it up more than it is now.?
Gov. Patti Finner, who is a candidate for vice president, said, ?Thanks to the public attendance, it was extremely productive. We?ve opened the door to better communication between the membership and the board.?
Seven of the nine members of the board attended. Alan Herbert was ill. Brian Fanton was absent. When Horton was asked if Fanton was being excluded from executive sessions, he said yes.
The board also decided to seek more input from commercial grading services after a tepid response to its proposal to have more than one official grading service. The contract with the current official grading service, Numismatic Guaranty Corp., which is exclusive, expires in February.
This issue and the bylaws will be dealt with at the March board meetings in Charlotte, N.C.
