Pearlman Named Numismatic Literary Guild Acting Executive Director

The Board of Directors of the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) www.NLGonline.org, a nonprofit organization composed of over 400 writers, editors, authors and content producers, has selected award-winning author, journalist and former CBS broadcaster Donn Pearlman of Las Vegas, Nevada to be its Acting Executive Director.

He succeeds legendary journalist Ed Reiter of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania who served as NLG Executive Director from 1990 until his death this past August 24, 2017.

Since its founding in 1968, the NLG has promoted numismatic education and recognizes outstanding achievements in numismatic journalism, books, newsletters and auction catalogs. The organization conducts an annual symposium, as well as a dinner and awards ceremony, "The Bash," at the American Numismatic Association (ANA) World’s Fair of Money® convention.

Pearlman is a longtime stalwart of the organization, having served as an NLG director for various terms since the 1980s, and from 1978 through 1989 served as emcee and organizer of its annual Bashes. He has continued through the decades to also serve NLG as a judge, member sponsor and awards presenter.

"I am honored to be selected by the NLG Board. Ed Reiter was a long-time friend and a respected leader in the numismatic community," said Pearlman who is president of Donn Pearlman & Associates Public Relations in Las Vegas.

Pearlman has written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and columns promoting the numismatic hobby and profession, and was a columnist for years in The Numismatist magazine, official publication of ANA. He is the author of books on broadcasting, baseball cards and coins.

Pearlman received the NLG’s highest honor, the Clemy, in 1984, and was recipient of the ANA’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Award, in 2015.

Other honors the incoming Acting Executive Director received include the 2017 Burnett Anderson Award for Excellence in Numismatic Writing, presented jointly by the ANA, American Numismatic Society and the NLG; the Professional Numismatists Guild’s Art Kagin Ambassador Award (2011), Significant Contribution Award (2005) and Sol Kaplan Award (1977); ANA Glenn Smedley Award (1993) and Medal of Merit (1996). He also served two terms as an ANA Governor, 1989 to 1993.

In the late 1970s to mid-1980s Pearlman was producer and narrator of a weekly series of numismatic-related educational programs for CBS Radio. He also was the script writer for the acclaimed, joint PNG-ANA 1995 video documentary, Money: History in Your Hands, narrated by actor James Earl Jones.

"I first learned of the NLG in 1977 when I attended my first ANA convention. NLG founding Executive Director Lee Martin invited me to join, and I promptly did. When I returned home, Lee told me that I was named the master of ceremonies of the next year’s Bash. I happily remained MC for about a decade," recalled Pearlman.

Membership in the Numismatic Literary Guild is open to authors of numismatic books; publishers and editors of recognized numismatic periodicals or club publications in the numismatic field; staff writers or columnists of such periodicals; writers whose work has been published in such periodicals or club journals; published research numismatists; auction catalogers; curators of recognized numismatic museums; broadcasters and numismatic online content producers, and others deemed worthy by the NLG Membership Committee. A membership application is available online.