Mary Sauvain Named New ACEF Executive Director

She succeeds Beth Deisher, who is stepping down after serving in the executive role since April of 2024.

“The ACEF Board of Directors welcomes Mary in her new capacity and thanks Beth for her leadership and work during the past two-plus years,” said ACEF President Barry Stuppler. “Beth will serve as a consultant for a month as needed to ensure a smooth transition,” Stuppler added.

The new executive director will represent ACEF at the upcoming World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh and be located at a section of Great Collections on the bourse – tables 1001, 1003, 1005, 1100, 1102 and 1104.

Since January 2024 Sauvain has served on the ACEF Board of Directors. An expert in counterfeit detection, she is a long-time leader in the numismatic community, both as an educator and as a professional numismatist.

Sauvain began her career in 1979 at Kagin’s. In 1984 she joined the staff of ANACS, then located at the American Numismatic Association’s headquarters in Colorado Springs. At first, she was grader; then became a grader/authenticator; and later worked as a grader/authenticator/finalizer.

She has taught courses in authentication and grading for many years both at the ANA’s Summer Seminar and at various coin shows and coin clubs throughout the nation. She has written numerous counterfeit detection articles for The Numismatist and authored the monthly column “Coin Detective,” published in Coin World for a number of years.

Upon leaving ANACS in 1990, Sauvain formed her own company, Mary Sauvain Numismatic Services (MSNS), specializing in Early American Coinage, primarily Colonials.

She is a Life Member of the American Numismatic Association, was one of three founding members of Women In Numismatics (WIN), was a member of the formation steering committee of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) and is a past regional representative of C4. She is a life member of the National Silver Dollar Roundtable, and has held memberships in the Central States Numismatic Society, Florida United Numismatists, the American Numismatic Society, the Professional Numismatist Guild, the Numismatic Literary Guild, Early American Coppers, Inc., and C4.

Awards she has received from the ANA include: Glenn Smedley Memorial Award, 2000; Presidential Award, 2003; Honorary Doctorate of Numismatics, 2009; and Medal of Merit, 2011. In 2003 the NSDR named her Woman of the Year and in 2016 she received the Numismatic News Ambassador Award.