John Dannreuther Named ANA’s 2007 Numismatist of the Year
John W. Dannreuther is the recipient of the American Numismatic Association’s 2007 Numismatist of the Year Award. He will be presented the award Aug. 10 at a membership reception in his honor during the World’s Fair of Money® in Milwaukee, Wis.
Dannreuther learned the business of numismatics from his coin-dealer father, Victor. After graduating from the University of Mississippi with degrees in Chemistry and English, Dannreuther worked as a rock ‘n’ roll guitarist in Memphis, Tenn. Realizing his love of numismatics and his need for a more stable income, he went back into the coin business, becoming a full-time dealer in 1973.
Today, Dannreuther is considered one of the top coin experts in the world. He has written prolifically about U.S. coins, with a particular emphasis on rarities and die varieties. He was the principal author of “The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection,” the Numismatic Literary Guild’s “Book of the Year” award winner for 1998. His research has been published in many publications, including ANA Journal, which featured his groundbreaking article, “An Era of Change: Common, Proof-Only Reverse Dies of the 1840s Used for All Denominations,” in fall 2006.
“He’s an expert, but he’s also one of numismatics’ greatest students,” said ANA President Elect Barry Stuppler, who nominated Dannreuther for the award. “He absorbs knowledge: If you tell him you have something interesting, he’ll study it until he can tell you exactly what it is.”
One of Dannreuther’s most noteworthy numismatic accomplishments was co-founding Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) in 1986. It began as a book project when he, David Hall, Bruce Amspacher and Gordon Wrubel met after coin shows to discuss writing a series of numismatic texts on each denomination. Instead, they decided the coin business needed guarantees of authenticity and grading to combat the abundance of overgraded coins, altered and repaired coins, and fakes at shows. “Although many collectors are experts, many others are novices, and certified grading has made it possible for them to buy with confidence,” Dannreuther said. “With so many new collectors, the power of a group will be necessary in the future to help shape numismatics.
Hopefully, the ANA can lead the industry, along with the support of its collector base.” The ANA Numismatist of the Year Award is given annually for career achievement in the field of numismatics. Past winners include Q. David Bowers (1995), Eric P. Newman (1996), Chester L. Krause (1999), and Kenneth E. Bressett (2004).
Originally Release Date: July 27, 2007
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