The medal came as a surprise and honor to Harper.

"I returned from the World Money Fair in Berlin to find the medal and a nice note from the former Mint director in my mail," he said. "He thanked me for giving the Mint fair coverage. I would hope that this is every journalist's intent, but if I am being given a medal for it, perhaps not."

The 2-1/4-inch diameter, black and gold color medal depicts the U.S. Treasury Department seal on one side along with the words UNITED STATES MINT DIRECTOR'S COIN FOR EXCELLENCE. The other side features a motif of six raised stars and four banner stripes with the words TO BE RECOGNIZED AS THE FINEST MINT ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD.

Harper, also executive editor of World Coin News and editor of U.S. Coin Digest and North American Coins and Prices, has been with Krause Publications for more than 30 years.