President and Master of the Austrian Mint Dietmar Spranz was given a Numismatic News Numismatic Ambassador Award Aug. 8 during a dinner sponsored by the mint at the American Numismatic Association World?s Fair of Money in Milwaukee, Wis.
Numismatic News editor Dave Harper, left, presents the Numismatic Ambassador Award to Dietmar Spranz.
Making the presentation was editor David C. Harper.
Spranz began collecting coins when he was 12 years old and took a job at the Central Bank of Austria when he was 14, continuing to study as he worked. He worked his way up and is now on the verge of retirement, but not before being recognized for his significant contributions to the introduction of the euro to the dozen European Union members that first adopted it in 1999.
The logistics of introducing a whole new currency physically in 2002 and retiring all of the old coins and notes were daunting, Harper noted, Spranz helped make it happen.
Spranz is ?a board member and head of the collector coin sub-group of the Mint Directors Working Group in Brussels, which coordinates all European mints in euro decision making,? Harper said.
