Ancient Coin Collectors Guild was founded in 2004 as an advocacy group

Advocacy group

Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...

 for private collectors of ancient coins

Numismatics

Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...

. The ACCG is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization chartered in the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state of Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

.

Mission

According to its bylaws, the purpose of the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild is to promote and nurture the free and independent collecting of coins from antiquity. This is undertaken by volunteers through education, political action, and consumer protection. The goal of the ACCG is to foster an environment in which the general public is able to confidently and legally acquire and hold, for personal or professional use, any numismatic item of historical interest regardless of date or place of origin.

Governance

The ACCG is governed by an elected board of seven Directors. Daily business of the guild is managed by an Executive Director. The guild has no paid employees. Membership categories range from Friend to Benefactor with varying levels of contribution distinguishing the membership level. The ACCG is an umbrella organization for 20 Affiliate Member organizations boasting a total membership of nearly 6,000 collectors.

Activities

Activities of the ACCG have mainly been directed toward legislative or governmental agency lobbying and educational programs related to cultural property management or youth programs. For example, the ACCG opposes any changes to the Memorandum of Understanding

Memorandum of understanding

A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...

 that the State Department

United States Department of State

The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

's Cultural Property Advisory Committee has with Italy, that would mean ancient coins no longer have unrestricted entry into the United States.

2010 federal lawsuit

In July 2010, the ACCG filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland

United States District Court for the District of Maryland

The United States District Court for the District of Maryland is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland....

 against U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...

. The lawsuit sought to recover 23 ancient coins that the ACCG had ordered from a coin dealer in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and which were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

on April 24, 2009. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit on August 8, 2011, and the ACCG may file an appeal.