The Nicholas P. Brown Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of Chinese Numismatics ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel at 18:30 p.m., 12th August 2015. It was organized by the Nicholas P. Brown Award for the Advancement of Chinese Numismatics Committee, with Robert Mish of Mish International serving as the committee chairman, Michael Chou (CEO of iAsure Group), David Camire (President of NCS), Publisher of Pricepedia Peter Anthony and senior researcher of modern Chinese commemorative coins King Chan as the committee members. Mr. Zhang Weiyan, worked in Shanghai Mint and Hong Kong Po Sang Bank, served as senior consultant of the committee. The ceremony was also sponsored by Mish International, iAsure Group and the Spungen Foundation.
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| (from L) King Chan, Michael Chou, David Camire, Robert Mish, Masahiro Oka, Martin Weiss |
(1st row 4th-7th, from R) Martin Weiss from Panda America, Deputy Governor of PBC Qiu Qing, Masamichi Oka from Taisei, VP of PBC Dong Wenchao |
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| Award dinner | Chairman of NGC Mark Salzberg |
The winner of this year's Nicholas P. Brown Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of Chinese Numismatics was Masamichi Oka (1924 – 1997). Mr. Oka graduated in Tokyo University in 1948 and established Taisei Stamps & Coins Co., Ltd. in 1967. He was the Chairman of the JNDA (Japan Numismatic Dealers' Association) and the Vice Chairman of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), Japan. Taisei is the most important panda coin distributor in Japan. He was author of Silver Crowns of the Far East; one of the major contributors to the standard reference book, Gold Coins of the World authored by Arthur L. Friedberg, as well as to the new edition of Modern World Coins authored by Richard S. Yeoman. Mr. Oka’s son Masahiro Oka, the president of Taisei Coins Corporation, was present to accept the award on behalf of his father.
The distinguished guests includes, but were not limited to: the former president of Panda America, Martin Weiss; distributor of China Gold coins / former president of PNG (Professional Numismatists Guild), Fred Weinberg; president of Korea Hwadong, J.C. Lee; Ulrich Kunker, director of the German auction house Künker; the former president of International Bank Note Society (IBNS) /governor of ANA Joseph Boling; Neil Shafer, the former president of International Bank Note Society (IBNS) /chief editor of Standard Catalog of World Paper Money by Albert Pick; chairman of NGC, Mark Salzberg and David Camire, president of NCS; incoming president of ANA Jeff Garrett; and the famous American numismatic researcher Ron Guth and 2015 ANA Numismatist of the Year winner Fred Schwan.
The Nicholas P. Brown Award Medal is sponsored by Mish International and iAsure Group to recognize those people who contribute significantly to the advancement of numismatic research and collecting. The medal, designed by Han Xiaosheng and Jin Yaxuan, was struck in copper, silver and silver with gold gilt by the Shenyang Mint. The silver with gold gilt medal is proof in quality, 80mm in diameter, 99.9% in fineness, 500g. in weight, pure silver. The mintage is limited to 6 pieces, numbered from 0 to 5. The silver medal is proof in quality, 80mm in diameter, and is pure silver at 99.9% in fineness, 500g. in weight. Its mintage is 14 pieces, numbered from 0 to 13. The copper medal is proof in quality, 80mm in diameter. The mintage is limited to 200 pieces, numbered from 1 to 200. The No. 0 silver with gold gilt medal and silver medal were presented to Nick Brown’s family, while the No.1 silver with gold gilt medal and silver medal was awarded to Marty Weiss (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Danny Spungen (Person of the Year Award) in 2013. No. 2 and 3 silver with gold gilt medals were awarded to Yang Binchao and Zhu Chunde (Lifetime Achievement Award). No. 2 silver medal was awarded to Wang Shihong (Person of the Year Award) in 2014. No. 4 silver with gold gilt medal was awarded to Mr. Oka this time. Person of the Year Award of this year was held in Macau, December.
After the award ceremony, Charlotte Krueger, the granddaughter of Bernhard Krueger, made a presentation on Operation Bernhard. Operation Bernhard, which is named after Major Bernhard Krueger, was a secret German plan to destabilize the British economy by flooding the country with forged Bank of England £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes.
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| Fred Weinberg (L) and partner of M. Louis Teller Numismatic Company, Gus Wing |
Ulrich Kunker and prominent American coin dealer, Joe Lang |
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| "Operation Bernhard" presentation | Ms. Charlotte Krueger and Danny Spungen made a presentation of Operation Bernhard |