CWTS Organization

The Civil War Token Society is organized into the following positions : The CWTS also has a Board of Governors consisting of 6 people. All officers are elected by majority vote of the members. Other positions include Publicity, Auction Management, Publishing, Legal Counsel, Verification, Reference Librarian, and Publication Distribution.


CWTS Bylaws

ARTICLE ONE             CORPORATE PROVISIONS

Section 1.1.  The name of this Society is THE CIVIL WAR TOKEN SOCIETY. The Society is a corporation of perpetual duration organized and chartered in the District of Columbia pursuant to the District of Columbia Non-Profit Corporation Act, as set forth in its filed Articles of Incorporation.

Section 1.2.  The Society is organized exclusively for educational purposes, and in furtherance of such purposes, to promote, stimulate, and advance the study of Civil War tokens along educational, historic, and scientific lines.

Section 1.3.  The fiscal year of the Society shall be from January 1 through December 31 of the calendar year.


ARTICLE TWO             MEMBERSHIP

Section 2.1.  The Society shall be composed of regular members, honorary members, life members, junior members, and associate members.

Section 2.2.  Any individual of good moral character and reputation who is interested in Civil War tokens shall be eligible for membership.

Section 2.3.  Applications for membership shall be made on forms prescribed by the Society.

Section 2.4.  Applications, together with the first year’s dues, shall be sent to the Secretary who, upon finding no objection to admitting the applicant, shall issue the proper form of membership card. Should the Secretary have reason to question the admission of any applicant, the application shall be submitted to the Executive Board for final decision.

Section 2.5.  Regular membership annual dues, payable in advance, shall be established or changed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.

Subsection 2.5a.  Junior memberships shall be half the regular membership dues and shall enjoy all rights of regular membership except the right to hold office and vote. Junior membership will end at the end of the fiscal year the member becomes 18.

Subsection 2.5b.  Life memberships shall be 20 times the regular membership dues and are non-transferable. Minor deviations from this formula during a transition to a new dues level may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.

Subsection 2.5c.  Associate members shall live in the same household as a regular or life member. Associate members will not receive a Journal, and dues will be half the regular membership dues.

Section 2.6.  Honorary membership may be conferred by the Executive Board upon the written nomination by at least three members thereof, upon any person who has rendered the Society or the field of numismatics a particularly noteworthy service and who is considered deserving of this honorary title.

Section 2.7.  Regular, junior, or associate members more than 30 days in arrears may be dropped for non-payment of dues after two notices. Members dropped for non-payment of dues may be reinstated by the payment of the current year’s dues.

Section 2.8.  Any member violating these By-Laws, committing any unfair act in his/her dealings with fellow numismatists or against this or any other numismatist organization, unjustly defaming the character of any other member of the Society, interfering with the activities of the Society, being convicted of a felony, or engaging in conduct unbecoming to a member, shall, by a majority vote of the Executive Board, be expelled from membership. Such action shall not be taken without first notifying the accused in writing of the complaint against him/her and allowing him/her a period of 30 days to present in writing such evidence and/or arguments as may be desired in defense, for consideration by the Board. All complaints are to be submitted to the Board in writing and signed by the complainant.

Section 2.9.  No debts shall be contracted in the name of the Society without the approval of a majority of the Executive Board, provided, however, that without such approval the President may incur debts for the benefit of the Society up to an aggregate amount of $100.00, and the Secretary, Treasurer, and Auction Manager may purchase and pay for stationery, postage, and supplies incidental to their offices, and the Editor may incur the normal expenses incidental to his/her office. Such expenditures shall be accounted for in the report of the Treasurer to be rendered at the annual meeting of the Society.

Section 2.10.  All members, except associate members, shall receive the Society’s official publication, The Civil War Token Journal, without cost beyond their annual dues. Non-member subscriptions shall be available for an annual payment equal to the regular membership annual dues.


ARTICLE THREE             OFFICERS AND GOVERNORS

Section 3.1.  The Society shall have a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and an six-member Board of Governors, to be elected in accordance with the provisions set forth herein. No person shall simultaneously hold more than one elected position.

Section 3.2.  The foregoing elected officers, elected Board of Governors members, and the Immediate Past President shall constitute the Executive Board which shall manage, operate, and conduct the affairs of the Society.

Section 3.3.  The officers and the Board of Governors shall have the usual and customary duties for their respective offices, as well as those specifically prescribed herein, in order to conduct the affairs of the Society. They shall serve without compensation, except as may be authorized by the Executive Board.

Subsection 3.3a  The President shall supervise generally all matters of business or of interest to the Society. He/she shall preside at all meetings of the Society and the Executive Board and shall be responsible for making arrangements for the annual meeting of the Society.

Subsection 3.3b  The Vice President shall support the President in the performance of his/her duties, and shall perform the duties of the President during the absence of the latter.

Subsection 3.3c  The Secretary shall handle the routine business and communication of the Society, including the maintenance of a list of all members in good standing and the submission of an annual membership report to the Executive Board. He/she shall maintain the permanent records of the Society, including incorporation papers, minutes of Board and annual meetings, and election results, and is responsible for the required periodic reports to the Government of the District of Columbia.

Subsection 3.3d  The Treasurer shall preside over the financial activities of the Society, and shall collect all membership dues and other revenues. He/she will establish and maintain bank accounts as needed for the Society, and maintain all required accounting and bank records. Funds of the Society shall be disbursed as its business may require, and as the Executive Board may approve, and the Treasurer shall render an annual accounting of all funds to the Executive Board. The Treasurer is responsible for submitting any required tax returns to the appropriate authorities and maintaining records of such returns.

Subsection 3.3e  The Immediate Past President shall serve as the Election Commissioner for conducting the elections of officers and members of the Board of Governors as specified in Section 3.6.

Section 3.4.  The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected from the membership at large according to the provision of Section 3.6. Candidates for election to the offices of President or Vice President shall have prior service on the Board of Governors or as an elected officer of the Society.

Section 3.5.  Three members of the Board of Governors shall be elected each year from the membership at large in accordance with Section 3.6. The three candidates receiving the most votes shall be declared elected.

Section 3.6.  The President shall be elected for a period of three years. All other officers and governors shall be elected for a period of two years on the basis that election to the Board of Governors shall be staggered, with three elected one year and three elected the following year, to allow for a continued personnel carry-over in the administration of the Society. All officers and board members may be re-elected, except the President. If a tie vote should occur in any election, the winner shall be decided by a lottery conducted by the Election Commissioner.

Subsection 3.6a.  The Society officers (ref.: Section 3.1) shall be elected in the even-numbered years and shall take office on January first of the following odd-numbered year.

Subsection 3.6b.  One-half (3 members) of the Board of Governors shall be elected in the even-numbered years and shall take office on January first of the following odd-numbered year. The other half (3 members) of the Board of Governors shall be elected in the odd-numbered years and shall take office on January first of the following even-numbered year.

Subsection 3.6c.  The annual election of the Society shall be by a mail or email ballot so as to reach the largest number of members, and shall be conducted according to the following schedule:

      1.  The summer issue of the Journal (V xx N 2, mailed 1 June) shall carry a call for nominations for the elective offices becoming vacant at the beginning of the following year. All nominations are to be sent to the Election Commissioner in accordance with the instructions of the call.

     2.  The fall issue of the Journal (V xx N 3, mailed 1 September) shall include a mail-in ballot for all electable positions. This ballot is to be marked and returned to the Election Commissioner in a manner and within the time limit set forth on the ballot.

     3.  The results of the election shall be published in the winter issue of the Journal (V xx N 4, mailed 1 December).

Section 3.7.  All elected officers and governors must be regular or life members in good standing in the Society, and shall hold office until their successors take office.

Section 3.8.  In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of President, the Vice-President shall succeed. A vacancy in any other elective office or on the Board of Governors shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Board for the remainder of the term for that position.


ARTICLE FOUR             COMMITTEES AND APPOINTMENTS

Section 4.1.  The President may establish such committees as he/she deems necessary or proper for the conduct of the affairs of the Society and appoint persons to serve on such committees. When a committee’s task is completed, the President may discharge the members and disband the committee.

Section 4.2.  The President may appoint other personnel in non-elected posts required in the Society such as Editor, Librarian, Historian, Curator, Legal Counsel, or others, as may be designated by the Executive Board as necessary. Appointees shall serve at the pleasure of the President. Service shall be without compensation, except as may be specifically authorized by the Executive Board.


ARTICLE FIVE             MEETINGS

Section 5.1.  The Society shall hold its annual meeting each year during the time and at the place of the annual convention of the American Numismatic Association.

Section 5.2.  The Executive Board shall meet in open session during said convention to conduct the affairs of the Society. Four members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum at any of its meetings. A majority vote of the Executive Board members present, or in the case of a vote by mail or email, of the entire Executive Board, shall be required to approve a measure except as set forth in Section 2.5, Subsection 2.5b, and Section 7.1.

Section 5.3.  Special meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the President when such meeting, in his/her opinion, is considered necessary.

Section 5.4.  Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply at all meetings.


ARTICLE SIX             DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 6.1.  It shall be the duty and responsibility of all members of the Executive Board and committee personnel to keep paramount the purpose and objectives of the Society and to devote their energies to the accomplishment of these aims.


ARTICLE SEVEN             AMENDMENTS

Section 7.1.  Alterations and amendments to these By-Laws shall be by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.



[These By-Laws were amended at Sections 3.6 and 3.6b May, 2013 amending the by-laws accepted for submission to the entire Executive Board, for approval by email vote, at the Executive Board’s meeting on July 20, 2008, and approved in the following week. They supersede the previous version of the By-Laws adopted at a meeting of the Executive Board on August 26, 1987, as reported in The Civil War Token Journal, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Winter 1987), pp. 20-21. That version superseded the original By-Laws published in the Journal of the Civil War Token Society, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Summer 1973), pp. 50-52, as amended according to Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring 1974), p. 28; Vol. 13, No. 4 (Winter 1979), p. 115; and Vol. 19, No. 4 (Winter 1985), pp. 7-8.]