An acquisition fund managed by a committee of the ACCG will help small museums in England and Wales to retain local finds under the Treasure Act.
A newly formed Ancient Coin Collectors Guild Museum Fund has been established to help provide funding to small museums in England and Wales that wish to purchase local finds of ancient coins offered to them in accordance with provisions of the Treasure Act.
Many small museums have inadequate find purchasing budgets and although there are schemes such the Headley Trust which might award a portion of the price for purchases of ₤500 or more, amounts lower than this must be entirely raised by the local museum. If the museum fails to raise the money, the coins might be purchased by a larger museum and leave the area where they were found. Local museums will place such finds on display to be enjoyed by the local population.
Many ancient coin collectors support both the Treasure Act and voluntary reporting systems in England and Wales and would like to express their appreciation by donating money to help keep some of these ancient coin finds in the area in which they were found.
Accordingly, the ACCG has set up the Museum Fund to receive donations and to make funding available to local museums where the purchase price will be less than ₤500. This fund will enable small museums to be able to display local finds without overtaxing their limited financial resources. It will serve the established goals of the ACCG to broaden its visibility among non-coin collecting groups and will provide a vehicle for collectors to “give something back in appreciation”.
To apply for an acquisition grant, local museums should send an email to accgmuseumfund@wgs.cc requesting an application and noting any impending deadlines. Approval will be based on the availability of funds, the number of current requests and the importance of the find as described in the application. Time permitting, the Museum Fund Committee may also seek individual donors for certain projects. The Committee will post details of any awards and a link to the museum home page on the ACCG web site along with photographs of the museum and the finds.
Individuals wishing to support this project may make donations through PayPal to accgmuseumfund@wgs.cc or send a personal check or money order in U.S. funds made out to "ACCG Museum Fund" to:
ACCG Museum Fund
P.O. Box 911
Gainesville, MO 65655
USA
Donations to this dedicated fund will be used only for the purpose described. All committee actions are performed by unpaid volunteers with only minimal and direct grant processing expenses, such as bank fees and postage. Further information may be obtained at accgmuseumfund@wgs.cc.
The ACCG (http://accg.us) is a non-profit organization promoting the free and independent collecting of coins from antiquity. It advocates protection of cultural resources through programs like the United Kingdom’s Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme that recognize public participation.
The appearance of the coin is old and rugged, with a woman on one side with the words,” LADY OF THE LAKE” around her and on the other side, a sword emanating from a pool of water. It seems to be a coin depicting the sword “Excalibur” and the woman who gave it to him, Viviane.
On a much more factual note, the dimensions of the coin are as follows: Width is 0.5 centimeters and diameter is 2.5 centimeters. The coin appears to be silver and has no rust spots but is dented and worn.