ANA Museum Disagreement Successfully Resolved

Disagreement Successfully Resolved: Joint Statement by Krause, Mishler & ANA

Back to the Coin News Index

The following news release was jointly issued by Chester L. Krause, Clifford Mishler, William H. Horton, and Christopher Cipoletti following a Monday, December 5, 2005, meeting in Iola, Wisconsin.

Over the last several weeks a misunderstanding arose between officials of the American Numismatic Association, Chester L. Krause, Founder of Krause Publications, and Clifford Mishler, former Krause Chairman, over the naming rights to the museum at ANA headquarters in Colorado. Mishler and Krause, both of Iola, Wisconsin, and an anonymous donor contributed $500,000 to name the museum in honor of Ed Rochette; however, ANA officials acknowledged naming rights only to the upper gallery.

The disagreement publicly escalated, culminating in Krause submitting a resignation of his life membership from the association. ANA President William H. Horton and ANA Executive Director Christopher Cipoletti requested a meeting to resolve the issue, and the meeting was held in Iola on December 5. The ANA Board and Cipoletti were made aware of a November 2000 press release indicating that a $500,000 donation would result in the donor’s name being prominently associated with the museum. As a result, the Board has determined that the entire museum now will be named in honor of Rochette.

“Friends sometimes have disagreements and misunderstandings, but committed friends can resolve their differences,” said Horton following the meeting in Wisconsin. “We are grateful for the assistance of Chet Krause and Cliff Mishler, and happily can announce the following mutually satisfactory arrangement: The American Numismatic Association Money Museum at ANA headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado will be named in honor of Edward C. Rochette, a distinguished former Executive Director and former President of the association.”

Recognition of the museum naming will be conducted this coming July when hundreds of collectors from across the country attend the annual ANA Summer Seminar. “I’ve known Ed since 1963 when he was Editor of Numismatic News, and then he went on to serve the ANA beginning in 1966. It is appropriate that the museum be named in his honor,” said Krause who now has rescinded his earlier resignation of his ANA membership.

Mishler said: “For all of its 114 years, the ANA has had warts. But, warts and all, the ANA is still the best collector’s organization in the hobby.” Mishler is Chairman of the ANA World’s Fair of Money® convention to be held in Milwaukee in August 2007. “One of the lessons we learned from this is the difficulty of fund-raising on a national level,” said Cipoletti. “The ANA now will move forward to raise funds for various exciting, new and continuing programs and ambitious initiatives to fulfill the association’s education mandate. We want to attract new collectors to the hobby and assist current collectors.” ###