Dear Madam, dear Sir,
Dear exhibitors,
With the beginning of the 1970s, the world of modern and classical numismatics started to change. The anniversary of Berufsverband des Deutschen Münzenfachhandels (German Numismatic Trade Association), celebrated in May 2010, is one of the sign of that development.
We gladly take this as an occasion to tell you more about the work of this strong professional body and present a brief review of its history.
The four decades of the association's activity are closely linked to the history of the World Money Fair. Next year, we too will celebrate our 40th anniversary, and we are very happy that the positive relations with our colleagues from the association have not deteriorated in the least.
Happy Birthday, Berufsverband!
We look forward to bringing out a toast to our common history at the 40th World Money Fair which again will provide a professionally organized platform for numismatic trade in Germany.
Hoping to see you again in Berlin!
The organizing team
of the World Money Fair
40 Years of Berufsverband des Deutschen Münzenfachhandels e.V.

The somewhat bulky name of “Verband der Münzhändler im APHV” (Association of Coin Dealers at APHV), inscribed in the German register of associations on May 22, 1970, tells a lot about the changes in international numismatics at the start of the 1970s. What the 20 founding members who established the association, initially under the umbrella of APHV (General Association of Stamp Dealers), had in mind was nothing less than a fundamental change of perspective within numismatics. According to their modern approach, contemporary gold and silver issues should, besides classical and antique coins, become the subject of numismatic interest and study.
Prior to this initiative, the silver crisis of the 1960s had hit the world. As the prices of precious metals were soaring, it had become possible to make quick gains by buying undervalued circulation coins. Thus, coin collecting became increasingly interesting from a commercial point of view in the early 1970s and the trade of modern coins was booming. Correspondingly, the number of active members of the young association grew. Only four years after its founding, 65 firms had joined, among them many dedicated to classical numismatics as well as auctioneers and coin wholesalers, who actually wanted a stand-alone organization to represent their interests. Therefore, in 1980, they amicably stepped out of the APHV community and finally adopted their own articles of association, the completely independent rules and standards of the new “Berufsverband des Deutschen Münzenfachhandels e.V.” based in Bonn.

President Michael Becker (on left) and Honorary President Carl Buhr (on right) at the anniversary held on May 29, 2010
40 Years of Successful Cooperation
In the past 40 years, the association and its member firms in their joint effort have successfully mastered not only the challenges of a dynamically evolving collectors market, but also several ups and downs of the international financial markets. As Europe's largest numismatic lobby, the association today participates in many national and international events, always providing counsel and advice to coin dealers and collectors. At the same time, the Berufsverband is in close contact with other renowned organizations, cooperating, among others, with the Bundesverband des Deutschen Briefmarkenhandels – APAV e.V. (Federal Association of German Postage Stamp Trade) and the Verband der deutschen Münzenhändler (VDDM/Association of German Coin Dealers) to which it is closely related, as both are members of FENAP, the Federation of European Numismatic Associations. On the political level, it actively cooperates with the German Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Bank and the Federal Finance Agency.

Cake on occasion of the anniversary celebration on May 29, 2010, at Hotel Krone in Assmanshausen
Reason Enough to Celebrate
40 years after the founding of Berufsverband des Deutschen Münzenfachhandels, the association's logo today stands for competence, reliability and guaranteed authenticity of coins, medals and bank notes – in Germany and far beyond its borders. Not only its members but also thousands of passionate collectors benefit from its high quality standards. At any time, they can all rely on the knowledge of the numismatic experts united in the association. On that note, the association also acts as a shareholder of the World Money Fair, the leading numismatic trade fair, where it traditionally has its own booth, offering comprehensive advice and an attractive supporting program.
The World Money Fair congratulates Berufsverband des Deutschen Münzenfachhandels on its anniversary. We are looking forward to many more joint projects!
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