By Numismatic News October 22, 2009

Flooding the governor’s office with phone calls, e-mails and letters objecting to the possible repeal of a sales tax exemption on investment coins and bullion seems to have worked in Pennsylvania.

When a budget bill was signed Oct. 9 by Gov. Edward Rendell, the repeal that his office had sought as a revenue raiser was noticeably missing, according to Kathy Sarosi, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists.

The exemption had only just been won in 2006 with the help of lobbyist Rosemary Chiavetta in Harrisburg, the state capital.

She went back into action in August when the new threat materialized. PAN then contacted its members, the Industry Council for Tangible Assets and prominent individuals.

ICTA appealed to its members to contact the governors office. They did, according to Diane Piret, the ICTA Industry Affairs director.

Also asked for help were Larry Shepherd, executive director of the American Numismatic Association; David Crenshaw, who organized the new Whitman Philadelphia show; Mayor Greg Erosenko of Monroeville, (where PAN holds two shows each year); and Philadelphia’s mayor, Michael Nutter.

All stressed the revenue generated for Pennsylvania from the dollars brought into the state by the coin conventions. These outweighed revenue that might have been generated by repeal of the sales tax exemption.

Sarosi thanked everybody who offered their help.