New day at ANA

It’s over.

Unlike a baseball game, we will not know the score.

The lawsuit Larry Shepherd filed against the American Numismatic Association after he was fired has been settled.

Part of the terms was the sealing of everyone’s lips.

Yesterday, the ANA issued a statement. It reads as follows:

“The American Numismatic Association (ANA) and former ANA Executive Director Larry Shepherd jointly announce that all claims arising from a lawsuit filed by Mr. Shepherd against the ANA and various individual defendants have been settled to the mutual satisfaction of all parties. Terms of the settlement will remain confidential, by agreement of the parties.

“Mr. Shepherd served as the Executive Director of the ANA from April 2008 through September 2011. The ANA acknowledges Mr. Shepherd’s leadership and accomplishments in helping improve the financial position of the ANA, resolving litigation that was pending at the time of his hire, investigating thefts from the ANA, and promoting the ANA’s membership benefits and conventions.

“The ANA is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to numismatic education and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA serves the academic community, collectors and the general public with an interest in numismatics. Mr. Shepherd remains a member of the ANA, and is supportive of the ANA’s mission.”

That’s it.

The membership is spared the divisiveness of the public airing of more dirty laundry.

This is a good thing.

The cycle of “hire, fire, get sued, repeat” that the ANA board has been on over many years I hope is now at an end.

That is what fresh starts are for.

I hope that is what this is and not just a pause before the next round.