Ancient Coins for Education (ACE), Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which distributes genuine ancient coins and related materials to students, through programs ACE sponsors for teachers and schools. ACE has programs for elementary, junior, and senior high schools, both public and private. They also sponsor college level classes where resources permit. The primary mission of ACE is to introduce young people to the wonder and fascination of ancient coins and the ancient cultures that produced them.
Ancient Coins for Education is Born - ACE was founded in 2001 after several leading members of the online ancient coins community discussed the subject via an email discussion list. Although ancient coin dealer Joe Sermarini of Forum Ancient Coins had been giving uncleaned coins to teachers for years, the folks on the email list thought that it would be a great idea to formalize this idea, and Ancient Coins for Education was born.
The ACE Founders - The founding members of ACE include:
- Mike Dalka - First proposed the idea for ACE; became its first chairman; currently Chairman Emeritus
- Souzana Steverding - Has served as Director of Schools & Programs since ACE's inception
- William Peters - Became first Director of Web Operations; currently Chairman Emeritus
- Mark Lehman - ACE's first (and current) President; Chief Numismatist and Administrator
- John Ryan - First (and current) Vice President; ACE Legal Counsel
Additional ACE Board Members - Although the list above names the founders, (those who were willing to make a firm commitment of time and/or resources to the project at its inception,) many others have contributed materially to the success of Ancient Coins for Education, including:
- Scott Uhrick - Coin Donations Coordinator; become an ACE Director in 2003
- Cathy Scaife - Liaison to Educational Organizations; became an ACE Director in 2003
- Zee Ann Poerio - Community Outreach and Special Projects; became an ACE Director in 2004
- Kevin Ingleston - Technology Advisor and Webmaster; became an ACE Director in 2005
Major Contributors - Like any not-for-profit endeavor, without donations, Ancient Coins for Education would not be able to reach very far. ACE maintains a list of its major contributers on its web site. Potential contributors should keep in mind that all donations are tax deductible, due to ACE's 501(c)3 non-profit status with the IRS.
Ancient Coins for Education's Mission - Although ACE hasn't published a "Mission Statement" per se, ACE President Mark Lehman tells me that one of the founding objectives of ACE is to promote the inclusion of Classical Studies in the schools, as well as to expose young people to the fascinating subject of collecting ancient coins. Fewer schools today teach Latin or Classical subjects; ACE seeks to encourage teachers to cover this material by providing lesson plans and resources, and then bring these subjects to life for the students with hands-on activities involving genuine ancient coins.
In my opinion, Ancient Coins for Education is one of the most critical organizations in the entire Ancient Coin Collecting hobby. Since the schools don't teach the classics much any more, fewer young people grow up with an awareness of this rich cultural history, and therefore fewer people are entering the hobby of collecting the relics of this past: ancient coins. The fewer ancient coin collectors there are, the less demand there will be for my coins when I (or my heirs) go to sell them, thus the lower the prices will be. By bringing new collectors into the hobby, ACE is enhancing the value of all of our ancient coin collections.
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