Washington — United States Mint Director David J. Ryder announced that Sculptor-Engraver Joe Menna has been named chief engraver of the United States Mint. Menna joined the Mint in 2005, and he brings 32 years of professional experience and classical training to the position. He was the first full-time digitally skilled artist hired by the United States […]
Bowers on Alexandre Vattemare and the Numismatic Scene
Alexandre Vattemare was quite the character and personality. He lived two lives, and was famous in both. However, few people in the 1820s through the 1850s, when he was most active, knew they were the lives of a single man. Q. David Bowers explores this juxtaposition in a fascinating new book, Alexandre Vattemare and the […]
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin appoints Thomas J. Uram to succeed Mary N. Lannin as CCAC chair
Thomas “Tom” J. Uram has recently been appointed by Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to succeed Mary N. Lannin as chair of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for a term of one year. Lannin will continue to serve as an active member of the CCAC. Uram has been a committee member of the […]
Gijsbertus Willem de Wit,1926-2018
On December 1, 2018, Gijsbertus Willem de Wit passed away. He was first and foremost known to numismatists because of his extensive collection of medieval coins, which was sold in three parts by the auction house Künker in 2007-2008. According to Bernd Kluge and his work on medieval numismatics, it is regarded as “the most […]
Lunch with. . . David Fanning
Welcome to the third installment of our series, “Lunch with. . .,” where we interview some of the most prolific authors, collectors, and other noteworthy hobbyists in the field of numismatics — and satiate your appetite along with your hunger for knowledge! “Lunch with. . .” dives into the coinage-related aspects of some of the […]
Don Bailey, dean of Mexican numismatics, has passed away
On August 10 the numismatic community lost one of its pioneers, Don Bailey, a prominent dealer and specialist in Mexican numismatics, who worked tirelessly to expand interest in this area of the hobby over the past half-century. Born and raised in Michigan, Don left the state during the Korean War to join the U.S. Marine […]
Once obscure, American Civil War tokens now take the spotlight
In the early 1940s, young George J. Fuld was first bitten by the coin-collecting bug (as were many other Americans, during a boom in hobby interest that started in the Great Depression). His conversations with two collectors at the 1947 American Numismatic Association convention sparked a lifelong interest in an unusual and intriguing field: that […]
Lunch with. . . Barry Sunshine
Welcome to the second installment of our series, “Lunch with. . .,” where we interview some of the most prolific authors and other noteworthy hobbyists in the field of numismatics — and satiate your appetite along with your hunger for knowledge! “Lunch with. . .” dives into the coinage-related aspects of some of the hobby’s […]
Bowers on collecting: Coins of the presidential administrations — Thomas Jefferson
This week I give another overview of the coins issued during the administrations of various presidents from George Washington to date with a small selection of illustrations. To include all of the design types—never mind different dates and varieties—would far exceed the space available. For that information see A Guide Book of United States Coins. […]
Ken Bressett — my friend and mentor
Jeff Garrett, recent past president of the American Numismatic Association, has been named senior editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins (popularly known as the “Red Book”). Here he pays tribute to Kenneth Bressett, the book’s longtime editor, as Ken retires this year into the role of editor emeritus. In 1974 I had […]
