The JRCS Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to our knowledge of the early U.S. silver and gold coinage — it has two “wings” for inductees. The Veteran Category is for efforts in the Pre-JRCS era, while the Modern Category is for efforts in the JRCS era.
Daniel W. Valentine was born in New York City, on March 7, 1863. Little is known of his early years, except that he was educated in public and private schools, and later received his D.D.S. from the New York College of Dentistry in 1887. With the exception of one year spent in Vienna, he practiced dentistry in New York City from 1887 to 1896, and later moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where he practiced for another thirty-five years.
He married Ada Belle Colwell in 1896, with whom he had two daughters, Marion and Margaret Beattie Valentine.
Dr. Valentine became interested in numismatics very early in life, and although he was a general collector, he confined himself primarily to United States issues. He was very active in several numismatic organizations, including the American Numismatic Association, American Numismatic Society, and the New York Numismatic Club, for which he served as President for two terms, in 1918 and 1920. He was commemorated on a New York Numismatic Club Presidential medal, designed by J. M. Swanson, of which there were eight silver and fifty bronze medals struck.
Valentine assembled several notable collections, including a comprehensive collection of United States fractional currency, for which he published Fractional Currency of the United States in 1924. This publication was issued in a cloth bound edition of 225 copies at $5.00 each, and in a limited, leather bound edition of twenty-five numbered copies at $15.00 each. He also assembled a collection of United States one dollar gold coins, complete by mintmark.
Dr. Valentine is perhaps best remembered for his extensive collection of United States half dimes, which he exhibited at the American Numismatic Society in 1914. He published his monograph United States Half Dimes in 1931, with the American Numismatic Society, as #48 in their series Numismatic Notes and Monographs. This work has been reprinted twice, in 1975 by Quarterman Publications, and again in 1984 by Sanford J. Durst. In each of the reprints, the original photographic plates were copied, but were printed as ‘screen’ prints, comprised of a series of dots, like a newspaper photo, which cannot be magnified or enlarged for greater detail. Collectors and researchers are advised to locate a copy of the original ANS NNM #48 for its quality ‘collotype’ prints of the photographic plates, which like a photograph can be magnified for detailed study. For the Liberty Seated series alone, Valentine identified 257 different die marriages, greatly expanding upon the previous work of Will W. Neil, published in The Numismatist in 1927. While some of the die descriptions in the Valentine half dime reference are vague and ambiguous, and it often appears that he was unaware of the distinction between die marriage and die state, he provided us with the most comprehensive reference on the series to date. Critics might argue that his die descriptions, particularly for the post Civil War dates, are so brief as to be almost meaningless, but I suspect that some of this brevity might be attributed to an imposed publishing deadline. Valentine published his monograph late in 1931, and died, evidently of apoplexy, or stroke, on January 24, 1932. As a medical professional, he would have been acutely aware of his declining health, and apparently rushed to complete his work before health issues would no longer allow him to continue.
All of Dr. Valentine’s collections were sold at public auction prior to his death by Thomas Elder, in three sessions, on December 8, 9, and 10, 1927, in New York City, except for his remarkable collection of half dimes, which remained intact at the time of his death.
(Inducted 2010)
Ard Browning wrote The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States in 1925 with an appreciation of the die marriages used in the production of the coins at the first US Mint uncommon for his time. He assembled a reference collection and described 88 of the now known 96 die marriages of the series — a remarkable accomplishment in the early 20th century. Walter Breen was quoted describing his book as “the most perfect numismatic book written on the first try.”
Despite his accomplishments his life history was largely forgotten by numismatics. Popular opinions, at one time, were that Ard W. Browning was actually a nom de plume — most likely of the publisher of Early Quarter Dollars, Wayte Raymond. Ard was eventually rediscovered by Carl Herkowitz, and others, nearly 60 years after his death. Born on January 12, 1869 in Chicago he migrated to New York where he was employed as a stenographer at Central Islip State Hospital. He remained at his post till just days before his death, May 24 1933. His obituary did not mention his life’s numismatic accomplishments.
Aside from his membership in the ANA and The New York Numismatic club few numismatic contacts were reported by this reclusive outstanding author. His reference collection also disappeared from numismatic references until Rory Rea and David Perkins discovered and photographed many of the original Browning Plate Coins in the Eric Newman-Col. Green collection. These plates are referenced in the deluxe version of the Early Quarter Dollars of the United States Mint by Rory Rea, Glenn Peterson, Brad Karoleff, and John Kovach. These Browning/Newman coins then sold for record prices through Heritage Auction. For further description of these coins the reader is referred to Dr. Glenn Peterson’s article in the John Reich Journal, Volume 24, Issue 1, whole number 72.
(Inducted 2011)
Relatively little has been published over the last century pertaining to J. Colvin Randall. Randall was a Philadelphia rare coin dealer and collector, starting as best we can tell in the late 1850s to early 1860s. Rather than host his own sales he typically consigned coins to other auction houses of the time; his name appeared on numerous sales from the 1860s until approximately 1885 when W. Elliot Woodward cataloged the Randall Collection of gold and silver coins for sale at public auction by Bangs & Co. of New York City, NY.
Woodward noted in the Preface to the Randall sale catalog, “Handling vast quantities of coins, he has for the last twenty-five or thirty years been a most earnest and persistent collector, and has make it a constant practice to reserve the finest and rarest pieces which have fallen into his hands during all this period, until his collection is now unrivaled in those specialties to which he has given particular attention, notably the gold coins and the larger coinage of silver. The collection now offered for sale is remarkable in these particulars: First, for variety … Second, for condition … Third, Rarity.”
Randall was one of the first numismatists to classify and collect the early U.S. silver dollars, half dollars, and quarters by die variety. In fact, many researchers today believe Randall was responsible for much of the research that was published as the Haseltine Type Table Catalog for early silver dollars, half dollars, and quarters. There is ample evidence of this, with R (Randall Numbers) and HR (Haseltine-Randall Numbers) having been used in auction catalogs prior to the 1881 Haseltine Type Table, along with publications stating that Haseltine and Randall were “engaged in a descriptive list of the United States Silver Dollars, Half Dollars, and Quarters, a work and thorough knowledge of the subject eminently qualifies them.”
Randall passed away in 1901. The December 1901 issue (Volume 14, page 341) of The Numismatist under the heading “Obituary Notes” states,
The old veterans are passing away. From The Curio, published by Chas. Steigerwalt, we extract the following: “J. Colvin Randall, the old-time dealer, passed away during last summer. Mason died in September. Both had reached a good old age. Through Randall’s hands in bygone years passed many of the finest gems that now grace the older collections.”
(Inducted 2012)
Albert Charles Overton, was born May 1, 1906 in Coos Bay, Oregon. His family relocated to southern Colorado where he was raised on a ranch, spending his youth working cattle.
Al Overton married Canzada Johnson in 1928, with whom he had two daughters, Etta Lee and Bonnie. To support his family during the depression, he worked in a meat packing plant, and later worked at the Pueblo Army Depot where he was put in charge of munitions during World War II.
Overton joined the American Numismatic Association in 1938, and placed his first ad in The Numismatist. In time, his hobby became a full-time vocation, doing business as the Overton Coin Company in Pueblo, Colorado. He later became nationally known for his mail bid sales.
In 1952, Al Overton “rediscovered” the 1817/4 Bust half dollar, first described by E.T. Wallis, owner of the California Stamp Company, in the October 1930 edition of The Numismatist. He acquired this great rarity from the Pratt collection, and offered it in his January 1953 mail bid sale where it went unsold. Later that year, he sold the coin privately to Louis Eliasberg for $1,500.
The rediscovery and eventual sale of the 1817/4 half dollar kindled Overton’s deep interest in the early half dollar die varieties from 1794 to 1836. He closely examined, checked, and compared over 10,000 lettered edge half dollars before ultimately publishing the first edition of Early Half Dollar Die Varieties in 1967. While the first edition met with mixed reviews, the revised second edition published in 1970 became the standard reference work for a generation of early half dollar collectors. In the process, his personal collection became one of the most complete known.
The American Numismatic Association recognized Al Overton as one of their most staunch supporters. He was chosen to conduct the national auctions at the ANA convention in 1963 and again in 1965. His many hours of work raising money for the home and headquarters building fund in the early 1960s and his strong support for the Colorado Springs homesite resulted in the relocation of the ANA national headquarters to its present location in 1967.
For his many years of service, the ANA awarded Overton the ANA Medal of Merit in 1967. He was also a recipient of the ANA Gold Medal Award, the ANA Distinguished Service Award, and he was enshrined in the ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame in 2012.
Al Overton was a member of multiple numismatic associations, a past director of the Professional Numismatists Guild, and was appointed to the 1971 U.S. Assay Commission. He was the author of many numismatic articles, and the recipient of many educational and exhibit awards.
Al C. Overton passed away on February 11, 1972 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is interred at Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, Colorado.
(Inducted 2013)
Stewart “Stew” Witham was described by Bowers and Merena, in the company’s catalog for a September 14-15, 1992 auction, as “one of America’s best known numismatists.” That catalog is a source for this biographical sketch of Stew Witham.
Stew Witham was born in 1916 in New York City. He graduated from Miami University of Ohio in 1938. He then went on to a career in property and casualty insurance, with his last eleven years in the industry as president of the Leonard Agency in Canton, Ohio.
Stew and his spouse, Merriam (Myers), were married in 1942. They had one son, Walter Todd Witham.
Outside of numismatics, Witham was active in many organizations, including the board of trustees of The Presbyterian Church, chairman and president of offices within the YMCA, campaign chairman for the United Way, Man of the Year for the Jaycees, and club president, district governor, and recipient of the Paul Harris Award with Rotary International. Witham provided several years of military service during World War II.
He started his foray into numismatics in 1960 when he began collecting Capped Bust half dollars by Beistle varieties. His interest soon spread to Capped Bust half dimes by Valentine numbers, and then to Assay Commission and American Numismatic Society medals, early half dollar patterns, and medals relating to engraver John Reich and his father, Johann Christian Reich, who was also an engraver.
Witham authored many articles in numismatic publications, including eight articles in the John Reich Journal, and contributed to the publications of many other authors. In 1993, Witham wrote and published the only known biography of John Reich, Johann Matthäus Reich, Also Known as John Reich.
Witham was active in many numismatic organizations, including the American Numismatic Association, the American Numismatic Society, and the Token and Medal Society. Witham also held membership number one in the Bust Half Nut Club! Witham also specialized in material relating to President William McKinley and Treasury / Mint medals.
Those interested in the coins of Stew Witham will find two auction catalogs especially helpful. The first included Witham’s half dimes: 1977 Central States Numismatic Society Annual Convention Auction Sale, Featuring the Harley L. Freeman Collection, Milwaukee, WI May 13-15, 1977, conducted by Rarcoa. Of note, there is no printed attribution of the half dimes in the catalog to the Witham collection. The second catalog included Witham’s counterstamped half dollars, Assay Commission medals, and Washington tokens and medals: The Witham and Sansoucy Collections and other Important Properties, Bowers and Merena, September 14-15, 1992.
(Inducted 2014)
In 2015, Martin Luther Beistle was elected to the John Reich Collectors Society’s Hall of Fame in the veteran category. Many numismatists do not know who Martin Luther Beistle was or why he is noteworthy to the JRCS and to numismatics. “ML,” as he was and is now known, made significant contributions but his accomplishments have mostly been forgotten and credits to him are only an occasional auction catalog citation.
Born in Walnut Grove in southcentral Pennsylvania, his only formal education was in a one room local schoolhouse. He became a successful businessman starting both the Pittsburg Calendar Company and, later, The Beistle Company. The Beistle Company still exists today with four generations of the Beistle family in the Company senior management; the company employs over 265 people and manufactures an extensive line of decorations and party goods. ML died in 1935 from a heart attack while at home for lunch from work.
Throughout the first two decades ofthe 20th century, ML’s interests in numismatics developed. By 1929, he researched and wrote A Register of Half Dollar Die Varieties and Sub-Varieties, the first reference book on bust thru commemorative half dollar die varieties — it was the only authoritative reference available to bust half dollar collectors from 1929 until the Overton book in 1967. His book exists today in four versions: De Luxe leather-bound, green cloth covered, black card-cover, and 1964 BeBee reprint.
By 1928, ML amassed 8,289 half dollars in his personal collection which he described as grading VF to Uncirculated. By today’s standards, this meant anything from extremely fine to uncirculated. He sold his primary half dollar reference collection to Col E.H.R. Green to fund his reference book. As part of the sale, ML agreed to give credit to Col Green as he says “…it was my intention to give you full credit as having owned the entire collection as described in the book. I, of course, will take credit as the author of the book.”
ML’s other contribution to numismatics is his “Unique Coin Holder,” a cardboard holder he invented to house his half dollar collection. It later morphed into the “Wayte Raymond” holder; Wayte marketed ML’s holders before and after his death.
Martin Luther Beistle can best be described as a classic self-made man. He rose from a modest background to a very successful businessman, husband, father, and prominent numismatist. In one of his letters, ML stated that he wanted to make a mark on American numismatics. I believe he accomplished that goal.
(Inducted 2015)
Harold P. Newlin, an attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published a limited-edition monograph (just 100 copies were printed), A Classification of the Early Half Dimes of the United States, in 1883.
(Inducted 2017)
Mark Borckardt of Heritage Galleries, in a letter to bidders in the 2006 Heritage catalog of the Jules Reiver collection, described Jules Reiver as “a collector's collector.” He was “a specialist who shared his knowledge and collections with anyone willing to learn, knowing that through sharing, numismatic knowledge was more than doubled.”
Jules Reiver was born to parents Hyman and Ethel Rothman Reiver on September 25, 1916. A lifelong Wilmington, DE resident, Reiver was a mechanical engineer with DuPont until called to the US Army in 1942. Jules rose to the rank of Major by the end of the war. Notable accomplishments in World War II include commanding the first anti-aircraft battery to land on Omaha Beach in Normandy in June 1944; turning back a German offensive aimed at a gasoline dump during the Battle of the Bulge (for which he earned the Bronze Star Medal); and being in the vanguard of the liberation of Paris. Reiver continued to serve post-WWII in the Army Reserve, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1966.
Jules and his wife Iona raised four children in Wilmington, DE while Jules worked with the family flooring and window covering business (he was President of the Hyman Reiver & Company until his retirement in 1978). Jules was known as a dedicated father and a family man.
Reiver’s hobbies included photography, convertible cars, and coins. Although he started collecting coins at age seven, his interest in coins changed over time. His collecting focus shifted to die marriages and die states of all United States copper and silver coinage minted during the period 1793 to 1839. Interestingly, grades of coins were mostly irrelevant to Reiver. He was interested in owning any coin he could find that was a different marriage or die state from those he already owned.
Reiver wrote many books, pamphlets, coin auction catalogs, and articles on a host of topics in numismatics. He was also known as a frequent speaker at coin shows and local and national coin club meetings. Reiver hosted a weekly radio show in Wilmington, DE in which he would answer questions about coins for anyone who called.
Jules was part of the team that organized the JRCS. He recruited many of the early members to the society and contributed with articles for the journal. His commitment to sharing numismatic knowledge is recognized by the JRCS. The Society’s annual award for the best article published in the John Reich Journal is named “The Jules Reiver Literary Award.“
Reiver passed away on February 11, 2004. Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers sold thousands of Reiver’s numismatic treasures in “The Jules Reiver Collection“ in 2006. The three catalogs of Reiver’s collection are still treasured by collectors who seek die marriages and die states of early US copper and silver coins.
(Inducted 2009)
Russ Logan needs no introduction to the current members of JRCS; however there comes a time when new members only know of our HOF members by the remembrances we leave.
The space here is limited and I encourage anyone interested in knowing more about Russ to obtain a copy of the sale of his collection by Bowers and Merena Galleries November 6-9, 2002 as well as whole numbers 43 and 44 of the John Reich Journal.
Russ’ professional life began as a graduate of Choate (Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, CT in 1959 followed by a degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1963. He interned at Sonoco Products Company and later was employed at ALCOA in Massena, NY. He later transferred to their headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA.
His move to Cleveland, OH in 1976 to take the chief engineer position at Chase Brass & Copper in their narrow strip division was fortuitous for numismatics. It brought Russ to the Midwest where he would soon meet David Davis and John McCloskey. He left Chase in 1982 to begin his own consulting engineering firm, Inovent Engineering, with his old friend Clark Hungerford.
He married his wife Brenda in 1963 after his graduation from RPI. He had two children, Robert Russell Logan (1965) and Harriett Russell Logan (1967).
Russ was introduced to collecting by his father James who also “discovered” the Bust Half Nut Club which resulted in Russ’ membership in that organization. Russ avidly collected the Capped Bust Half dollars and eventually began to assemble collections of the other Capped Bust series.
This interest in the Capped Bust half dollars and the Bust Half Nut Club soon brought Russ in contact with fellow Ohio resident Stewart Witham, also a JRCS HOF member. Stew was a renowned researcher of the bust series and the engraver who designed them, John Reich. Stew assembled a magnificent collection of the half dimes, as well as the half dollars. He was also very interested in error coins of the time period. Stew became Russ’ mentor and his interest in the errors passed to Russ who eventually purchased his bust error coins.
There was no standard reference for the dime series, and after meeting David Davis and John McCloskey (two other HOF members) they decided to author a book identifying the dimes by die marriage. Bill Subjack and Allen Lovejoy were added to the team, which published the standard reference Early United States Dimes 1796-1837 in 1984. The five authors subsequently founded the John Reich Collectors Society.
Russ and John McCloskey eventually decided to publish a new work on the half dimes to replace the outdated Valentine reference. Mark Smith was asked to contribute, but he passed away suddenly before the book could be finished. Mark added much expertise to the final work which is dedicated to his memory. The work, Federal Half Dimes, 1792-1837 was published in 1998 to universal numismatic acclaim.
Russ was an accomplished engineer and put his inquisitive nature to work for the advancement of numismatics. “Logan Engineering” was a common refrain for his unique brand of problem solving. It was used to describe his production of a Castaing Machine model as well as the recovery of half dimes from a hotel room sink drain.
He had an affinity for studying the “third side” of the coins. It began with the lettered edge half dollar errors caused by the improper use of the Castaing Machine. This led to counting the reeds on half dimes. He was able to come to conclusions the rest of us never considered, based on this research.
Russ was also a proponent of identifying and collecting die remarriages as an essential part of each series. Oftentimes, dies would be used, removed from the press, and then reinserted with a different mate to produce coins. On occasion they were later re-paired with the original die. This produced die remarriages that were identifiable by the deterioration of the individual dies in the sequence. The half dime series was especially prone to these interruptions. He and John included the remarriages as an integral part of collecting the half dimes in their book.
To give you a perspective of Russ’ collection, it included all 91 die marriages and 30/31 remarriages. His dimes were complete at the time, as the 1827 JR14 had not yet been discovered. His Capped Bust quarters were the newest of his collections but still he had accumulated 68 of the 73 known die marriages. The half dollar series has 453 die marriages of which Russ had obtained 447! His collection included more examples of bust coin errors than had ever been offered for sale in one auction in numismatic history.
In addition to being a founder of JRCS, Russ was Treasurer, webmaster, and census keeper for all the series until his death in 2002. He frequently contributed articles to the JR journal, totaling 53 submissions which garnered him 4 Reiver awards for best article.
His loss to numismatics was immeasurable. Q. David Bowers wrote in the forward to his auction catalog of Russ’ collection that “Russ Logan was a collector’s collector (he) will be long remembered.” His friend and co-author John McCloskey wrote, “The sudden death of JRCS board member Russell J. Logan on March 2002 was a real tragedy, not only for his family and friends but also for hundreds of collectors of early federal coinage.” I wrote “The Logan family has lost a husband, father, and brother. The hobby has lost an ardent supporter and noted researcher. The JRCS has lost a founding father and leader. I have lost a mentor, friend, and confidant. There will always be an empty feeling in those of us fortunate enough to call him friend…Russ enriched our lives, increased our knowledge, and inspired others to test their limits. He left a legacy of integrity and passion for collecting that will far outlive the short time he was with us.”
Words never seem to be enough to express what someone means to posterity, but it is all we have to give.
Russ’ legacy will live on in JRCS and numismatics, as long as there are collectors of the early Federal coins he loved.
(Inducted 2010)
David Jerome Davis was born in Toledo, Ohio, on August 3, 1938, the son of Courtney Jerome Davis (1913-1997) and Evelyn Elizabeth Hepp (1919-2011). He married Janet E. Sachs on November 25, 1970, and had two daughters.
Davis served in the U. S. Navy for four years, 1959 to 1963. He was employed as an engineer with Ford Motor Company for 33 years.
Davis was JRCS member #1 and served as president 1985 to 2011. He was also editor of the John Reich Journal 1985 to 1992. His book, Early United States Dimes 1796-1837, written with Allen Lovejoy and William Subjack, was published in 1984.
He collected Capped Bust half dimes, dimes and half dollars by die variety. He also collected Michigan obsolete currency and national bank notes.
He died of cancer in Manchester, Michigan, on November 2, 2011. His body was donated to the University of Michigan Medical School. He was inducted into the JRCS Hall of Fame in 2011.
(Inducted 2011)
(Inducted 2012)
Dr. John “Jack” W(illiam) McCloskey, PHD March 2, 1938, December 15, 2018.
Eldest of three sons of John H. and Helen McCloskey, husband of Norma (Monnin), he married his high school sweetheart on August 6, 1960, father of Susan (Jim) Anderson 1963, John Thomas (Marianne) 1965, Lisa (Todd) Johnson 1966, and Mark William 1972. Loving grandfather of 4 grandsons and 4 granddaughters.
John was a graduate of Chaminade High School in Dayton, Ohio, Class of 1956. He continued his education at the University of Dayton, graduating in 1960 with a degree in Mathematics. He and his new bride then set out for East Lansing, Michigan, where he attended Michigan State University, receiving his master’s degree in statistics in 1962 and his PHD in 1965.
The family then returned home to Dayton, Ohio, where John joined the faculty of the University of Dayton as a Mathematics Professor. He eventually became Chairman of the Mathematics department, a position he held for 12 years, 1976-1988. He then returned to teaching until his retirement in 2001, having served the University for 40 years. John was held in high regard both by his University peers and his students.
John’s other hobbies besides numismatics included golf and hiking, becoming quite proficient at both. John recorded 7 holes-in-one during his golfing career, quite an accomplishment by any standards. He climbed thirty-two 14,000-foot peaks, the most challenging of which was Mount Whitney in Lone Pine California, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. This hike was a challenging 21.4-mile round trip. His lifelong companion and wife Norma, who enjoyed their western trips together, joined John on two of these ascents.
John also enjoyed family vacations, traveling throughout the United States.
John’s numismatic interests began in 1948 with a jar of Lincoln cents from his father’s desk drawer. His inquisitive mind led him to collect coins from the Liberty Seated series that had not been extensively researched. Virgin territory was a challenge for John. Seated coins soon became his passion, beginning with the dimes. This interest led him to a friendship with Kam Awash, the leading authority on Seated Dimes. Kam mentored John in his collecting, allowing him to return the favor to many future collectors of both seated and bust coinages.
Kam was the force behind the founding of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC), and John became a charter member of the club in 1974. The following year, Kam traveled to Dayton to visit the McCloskey’s and to study John’s collection, which served as many of the plate coins in Kam’s dime encyclopedia. John soon became the president of the Society and editor of the Gobrecht Journal, a position he held for almost 40 years. During that time, he authored over 200 articles, educating the membership as well as keeping the journal on its quarterly schedule.
John’s interest in coins continued to expand into collecting other series by die marriage, including seated quarters, bust dimes and half-dimes. This interest led him to a friendship with Russ Logan. Their mutual interest in the bust coinages eventually resulted in the publication of books on both Bust Dimes and Half-Dimes, which became the standard reference for each series.
John’s inquisitive mind refused to rest after publication of the Dime book in 1984 and he actively sought a new, unexplored, area of numismatics for his next project. He soon settled on the Classic Head gold quarter and half eagles. In 1989, he presented his research at the Coinages of the America’s Conference hosted by the American Numismatic Society in New York City. Here he met Harry W. Bass, Jr., the famous Texas collector of United States gold coins. Harry shared his extensive collection with John which helped advance his research in this area.
The Bust Half-Dimes were the next series that captured John’s attention. He and Russ Logan, co-authors of the dime book, with Davis, Lovejoy and Subjack decided the Valentine reference desperately needed updating. They soon formed a partnership and published a book on the die marriages, and re-marriages, for the series. This is still the seminal reference for half-dimes.
Still not satisfied with the state of current research on U.S. numismatics, he soon began studying the branch mint gold coins, specifically the Liberty Head quarter eagles. He was a valuable contributor to Douglas Winter’s book on gold coins of the Dahlonega mint. Study on the Charlotte and Carson City Mints was conducted concurrently, and the information was published in books on the series.
John never collected the Capped Bust Half Dollars as there was already a reference guide published for the half dollars. We often talked about that and he would continually tell me that there was not much left to discover in that well researched series. He loved discovering the unknown!
Among John’s innumerable numismatic discoveries was the 1829 curl base 2 bust dime, the type II reverse of Seated Liberty Dimes first used in 1876, the use of reed counts to authenticate Carson City and New Orleans coins and the 1836 script 8 half eagle. Additionally, it was John’s idea to publish the works of the Gobrecht Journal in collective volumes, making it much easier to research the series.
John served JRCS as the vice-president from the club’s inception in 1984 through 2008. He then became a director of the organization until his death. John was a prolific author and contributed 18 articles for the JR Journal during his career.
John’s influence in numismatics over a wide spectrum of coin series is evidenced by his election to the Hall of Fame from both the Liberty Seated Collectors Club and the John Reich Collectors Society, to date (2019), the only person so honored.
(Inducted 2013)
Henry Hilgard was born in Palo Alto, California, on October 9, 1936. His father was Ernest Ropiequet Hilgard (1904-2001), a Stanford professor and authority on hypnosis. His mother was Josephine Rohrs Hilgard (1906-1989), also a Stanford professor.
He graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard in 1956 and an M.D. from Stanford in 1962. He worked with Nobel laureate Sir Frank Macfarlane-Burnet in Australia. Later he received a Ph.D at the University of Minnesota in 1970. He was a Lieutenant Commander in the navy during 1968 to 1970. He was married for 53 years to Galen Howard Hilgard and had three daughters.
He was an assistant professor of biology at Crown College. After 1967 he was a professor of biology at the University of California at Santa Clara and during 1989 to 1992 chairman of the department. He retired in 1994. In 1995 he received the UCSC Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award. He was the co-author with Sam Singer of The Biology of People, published in 1978.
Hilgard collected Capped Bust half dollars and was an active member of the Bust Half Nut Club. That collection included more than 440 of the 453 known varieties.
He had a strong interest in errors found with the early coins and studied the Mint processes and equipment used to produce the coins.
He died of a heart attack in a hospital in Santa Cruz on April 13, 2013. In 2014, he was elected to the JRCS Hall of Fame.
(Inducted 2014)
Allen was a native of Janesville, Wisconsin where he enjoyed the pleasures of childhood including the beginning of his legendary coin collection. As a youth in the early 1930’s he began his lifelong love affair with United States dimes. Later in life when his daughter asked, “Why dimes?”, he responded that one of his brothers had collected cents and another nickels. That left him with the dimes.
Allen graduated from Yale in 1941 with honors, and soon thereafter spent time in the military during WWII. He went to England where he met his future wife, Betty. They were married in 1944, and later had two sons and a daughter. Allen fought in France during the war, attaining the rank of Major and was the recipient of two Purple Heart medals.
Upon his return from the war he began his law career in 1948 at the Manhattan offices of Breed, Abbott and Morgan, specializing in corporate law. He was named Partner in 1958, and continued his career until retiring in 1987.
Allen’s law career in New York afforded him not only the funds for his collection, but also access to many dealers as well as the American Numismatic Society where he eventually became first vice president and a member of the executive committee.
His dime collection, began in the 1930’s, initially consisted of a date and mintmark set. As he collected the early date dimes, Allen began to notice differences in coins minted in the same year. By 1973 his collection consisted of over 100 die marriages of the early dimes along with notes that he planned on someday publishing. In 1976 he was introduced to the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) where he met Kam Ahwash and John McCloskey. Kam was the leading expert on the Seated Liberty dimes at that time, and Allen learned much about that series from him. John became a leader in the LSCC and Allen’s conduit to meeting David Davis, Russell Logan and William Subjack, the men who would become the co-authors of Early United States Dimes (EUSD) with Allen and the founders of the John Reich Collectors Society.
In 1980 the decision was made to research and publish a book on the early dimes. The group had a copy of Breen’s research on the dimes obtained by Dave Davis. This, along with the individual notes that each author had been compiling on their own, became the basis for EUSD. The book was finally published in 1984, and many of the coins plated in the volume came from Allen’s high grade collection. The authors also founded the JRCS at the same time to promote the collecting and knowledge of the silver and gold series before the Liberty Seated coins.
Allen loved the dimes. He sold most of the rest of his collection, holding onto the dimes until finally consigning them to Stack’s 55th Anniversary sale in October, 1990. Allen continued to upgrade his collection nearly to the end, as his last purchase was recorded in 1988. At the time of the sale it was complete by JR numbers known at that time, many in condition census states of preservation. Stack’s published a separate catalog consisting of only Allen’s dime collection, listed as part 1 of their anniversary sale.
The sale began with a copper 1792 disme VF/XF selling for $26K (all prices are hammer, buyer’s premium was 10% at this time) followed by a mint state 1796 JR1 with the cud at $40K. Lot 85, the exceedingly rare 1827 JR10 in proof sold for $85K, and his 1894-S Barber dime also brought $85K. Many other magnificent coins sold for record prices in the 649 lots of his collection. I highly recommend dime collectors to obtain one of the Stack’s 55th Anniversary auction catalogs to fully appreciate Allen’s accomplishment.
Allen was elected to the JRCS Hall of Fame in 2016 where he resides with the other authors of EUSD and founding fathers of the society. Without his dedication and leadership our society would not be the organization it has become.
(Inducted 2015)
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Received B.S. from Virginia Tech in 1966. Married to Joyce August 6, 1966. They have two daughters and a son. Employed in chemical engineering with Merck & Co. since 1966.
Subjack collects U.S. Bust Dimes, late Roman coinage and European coinage of 5th to 9th century AD.
With Allen F. Lovejoy contributed “Early Dimes 1796-1837” to America’s Silver Coinage 1794-1891 for the 1986 ANS COAC. Co-author with Davis et al. of Early United States Dimes 1796-1837 published in 1984.
(from American Numismatic Biographies by Pete Smith, bio by correspondence, 1994)
(Inducted 2016)
(Inducted 2017)
(Inducted 2018)
Stephen Alan Crain (1949-2019) was a consummate numismatist. After collecting a variety of coins in his early coin collecting days, including a set of two-cent pieces of which he was rather proud, Steve found his true love: half dimes. Steve collected half dimes with a goal of obtaining every die marriage and even every die state for each year that half dimes were produced, 1792-1873. Steve not only collected the coins themselves, but he avidly sought information on half dimes from any source he could find, including the US Mint, other researchers, pop culture, numismatic colleagues, books, magazines, and coin shows.
Over the years, Steve’s in-depth knowledge, willingness to share that knowledge, and thirst for even more information about half dimes earned him the moniker, “Mr. Half Dime.” Other collectors could read any one of the nearly hundred articles that Steve wrote for the John Reich Journal or the Gobrecht Journal and instantly recognize that THE authority on half dimes had written the article. Steve made countless other contributions to the study of half dimes via correspondence with other collectors, researchers, and auction houses. When internet communications and forums became more popular, Steve’s contributions grew and he helped hundreds of other collectors better understand his niche of half dimes.
Steve was proud to have obtained all 92 known die marriages of capped bust half dimes and to identify and own hundreds of additional die marriages of seated half dimes above and beyond those noted by Daniel Valentine in his monograph, “United States Half Dimes,” published by the American Numismatic Society in 1931. As proud as he was of his numismatic accomplishments, nothing brought greater pride or joy to Steve than being a devoted father for his five children. Steve set a great example for his children with hard work (40 years as an audio engineer with exacting standards), personal responsibility, and loyalty to family. Family, half dimes, history, genealogy, story-telling, and the New England Patriots were Steve’s passions. He would happily correspond with friends and family or tell detailed stories about any one of these topics.
As long-time Secretary of the John Reich Collectors Society, Steve willingly took on the often-thankless tasks necessary to smooth operation of the JRCS, such as receiving dues payments and processing them for the Treasurer; tabulating vote counts for the Jules Reiver Literary Award; taking notes and producing minutes for the annual JRCS membership meeting at the American Numismatic Association summer show. Additionally, Steve was the long-time census-keeper for capped bust and early half dimes. Steve set the standard in producing and reporting accurate, interesting, and useful information for collectors. A single census article would take months of work, yet Steve cheerfully did it approximately every two years so that other collectors would benefit.
No matter if someone else becomes expert in all things half dime and writes and speaks volumes to share with other like-minded numismatists, there will never be another “Mr. Half Dime” like JRCS member #326 Stephen A. Crain.
(Inducted 2019)
(Inducted 2020)
David Finkelstein was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 1, 1956. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1979 with a degree in Math and Information Sciences. Between 1977 and 2001 he worked as a computer systems project manager for CIGNA, Digital Equipment Corporation, and General Electric Aerospace, and as a manufacturing systems consultant on assignment at Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Motors, and Owens-Illinois.
David began collecting coins at the age of 11. He would cash in the money he earned from his newspaper route and search through rolls of coins obtained from his local banks for Indian Cents, early Lincoln Cents and Buffalo Nickels. After starting his first full time job in 1976, he focused on collecting Bust Dimes, Quarters, and Half Dollars. Beginning 1987, he began buying and selling coins as a part time vest pocket dealer to pay for the acquisition of his Bust coins. Based on support of his friends Brian Greer and David Kahn, he quit his computer consulting job and became a full time coin dealer in 2002. David has been a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild since 2014. Since 2015, he has been one of four professional numismatists that have a direct pipeline to eBay and can have eBay listings removed for attempting to sell counterfeit, replica, altered, and misattributed coins.
After joining JRCS in the late 1980s, Finkelstein met fellow JRCS Hall of Fame members Russell Logan and Dr. Henry Hilgard. Logan was Finkelstein's screw press technology mentor until his death in 2002. Dr. Hilgard then assumed the role of Finkelstein's screw press technology mentor until his death in 2013.
Finkelstein has published articles in The Numismatist, Penny Wise, Coin World, and Numismatic News. He has authored / co-authored over 75 articles in the JRCS Journal and JRCS Newsletter, and has has been a winner / co-winner of five Jules Reiver Literary Awards. He has also made many JRCS presentations at the FUN and ANA WFOM coin shows, and ANA Money Talks presentations at the ANA WFOM coin shows.
Since 1990, David has researched the implementation methodologies and standards used by the Mint for creating coin dies dated 1793 – 1836. Since 2012, he has analyzed thousands of pages from Mint documents and journals that he photographed at the National Archives and Records Administration. His research has lead to a better understanding of the the workflow of the first United States Mint beginning 1792, its employees, the early depositors of silver and gold bullion, and the links between United States flags, the Great Seal of the United States, and the Heraldic Eagle / Motto Over Eagles bust coins. Since 2015, he has teamed up with fellow numismatist, researcher and author Christopher Pilliod in determining the compositional analysis of 1794 and 1795 dated silver coins and how the Mint assayed and refined silver bullion deposits.
(Inducted 2021)
(inducted 2022)
Steve was born in Trieste, Italy, in August 1953 during the time his father was serving in the U.S. Army. At six weeks of age, his family returned to Michigan. Steve became fascinated with old coins at about the age of 5 or 6, and was actively collecting coins in circulation by the age of 8. His enthusiasm for collecting never waned. In 1967, his family moved to the Denver area where Steve has resided since.
Steve graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1976 with a B.S. degree in Mineral Engineering-Mathematics. His first full-time job was with a uranium solution mining company, first as an operator of a computerized probe truck, then in data processing, and later as a scientific programmer. After that, he worked for a gold and silver mining company, an oil & gas software company, followed by a long stint as as a contract programmer for a computer-aided drafting group at the Bureau of Reclamation. After a relatively short stint with Lockheed Martin aerospace, the remainder of his working career was with an aerospace division of Raytheon Company, the last 15 years as a Senior Test Engineer.
Until the early 1980's, Steve collected mostly late 19th century and early 20th century U.S. coinage without particular focus. However, in 1983, he began assembling a date set of Capped Bust half dollars. Upon being introduced to collecting by Overton variety in 1986, his fascination with the series soon overshadowed everything else. Steve joined the John Reich Collectors Society in 1988 and the Bust Half Nut Club in 1992.
During the period between 1988 and 1992, Steve started recording information on prices realized for scarce and rare Bust Half Dollars. This led to his initial publication of Auction & Mail Bid Prices Realized for Bust Half Dollars 1794-1839 in the autumn of 1992, published on a semi-annual basis to date. Starting in December 2019, he has also published Auction Prices Realized for Early Silver Dollars 1794-1803.
Shortly before joining the BHNC, Steve began recording information regarding rare and unpublished die states. Around 2012, his curiosity turned to determining the order in which die cracks and other features formed for each of the Capped Bust die marriages listed in Overton. Steve recorded his and other's findings, and first shared the results with other members in 2017. In 2022, this accumulated knowledge was published by the BHNC as a guide to collectors, Die State Progressions of the Capped Bust Half Dollar Die Varieties 1807-1836.
After Russ Logan's untimely passing in 2002, Steve took on the responsibility of coordinating and publishing the JRCS census reports for both the Pre-Turban half dollars and the Capped Bust half dollars. Steve's involvement with JRCS eventually led to him becoming Second Vice President for the society and more recently, Secretary.
After more than 30 years of collecting the Bust half dollars, and with the support and encouragement of collecting friends and family, Steve completed the set of 450 die marriages listed in the Overton book in January 2020. He is the fourth person to have accomplished that goal, after Charlton Meyer, the owner of the Overton Collection, and Chuck Link.
In May 2020, Steve discovered a previously unknown 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar die marriage, O-133, the first new 1795 die variety found since A Register of Half Dollar Die Varieties and Sub-Varieties by M.L. Beistle was published in 1929.
(inducted 2023)
(Inducted 2024)
(Our apologies if you are not familiar with the names of our colleagues and inspirations. We are working to detail the contributions that earned each this recognition.)