Exceptional Numismatic Writers Receive ANA Awards

The following is a Press Release from the American Numismatic Association (ANA) announcing its 2023 Numismatic writers awards. The awards for writers consist of multiple numismatic books and articles, as well as those from you numismatists.

The American Numismatic Association’s 2023 literary awards – recognizing articles published in the 2022 volume of its official magazine, The Numismatist – will be presented during the Member Awards and Donor Celebration at the Pittsburgh World’s Fair of Money® on Aug. 10. The Numismatist was launched by ANA founder and first editor Dr. George F. Heath in 1888.

The Heath Literary Award, introduced in 1949, acknowledges outstanding articles published in the preceding 12 months.

  • First place goes to David Schenkman for “Little ‘Bits’ of American Numismatics, Parts 1 & 2” (August and September 2022).The author will receive $250 and an engraved nickel-silver medal designed in 2013 by artist and ANA member Jamie Franki, and a certificate.
  • Joel J. Orosz earned second place ($100, an engraved bronze medal and a certificate) for “Greetings! Duke Bernhard’s 1826 Visit to the First U.S. Mint” (April 2022). 
  • In third place (engraved bronze medal and a certificate) is David McCarthy for “The Myth of the Continental Dollar, Parts 3 & 4” (March and August 2022).

The Wayte and Olga Raymond Memorial Literary Award, endowed in 1978 by the late John J. Ford Jr., is presented for articles that display original and comprehensive research in U.S. numismatics.

  • William Eckberg received first place ($400 and a certificate) for “The Artistry of Robert Scot” (July 2022).
  • Second place ($200 and certificate) goes to McCarthy for his continued coverage of the Continental Dollar series. 
  • Orosz received third place (certificate) for his article on Duke Bernhard’s U.S. Mint visit. 

Founded by an anonymous donor, the Catherine Sheehan Literary Award for U.S. Paper Money Studies includes $50 and a certificate for first place.

  • Jan Pierre Pallares took the top prize for “Captain Aaron Treat Crane & His St. Louis Post Office Paper Money” (February 2022).
  • Second place (certificate) goes to Schenkman for “North Carolina’s First Currency Printer” (February 2022).
  • Robert Alan Witmeyer received third place (certificate) for “Mummy Money: Urban Myth or Forgotten History?” (June 2022).

The Prue and Arthur Fitts Literary Award for Ancient and Medieval Coinage Studies recognizes literary excellence in those fields. 

  • Michael A. Kodysz received first place ($250 and a plaque) for “Prince of Youth: The Rise and Fall of Roman Emperor Publius Septimius Geta” (September 2022). 
  • Earning second place (certificate) is Loretta Schultz for “The Revered One: Coins of Rome’s First Emperor” (December 2022).
  • Michael T. Shutterly received third place (certificate) for “Coinage of the First Real Empress” (March 2022). 

All feature articles published in The Numismatist automatically are considered for the Heath Literary Award; likewise, all qualifying articles are evaluated for the Raymond, Sheehan and Fitts Awards. For information about submitting manuscripts for review and possible publication, visit money.org/the-numismatist/submission-guidelines

2023 Young Numismatist Literary Award Winners

The 2023 ANA Young Numismatist (YN) Literary Awards were announced during the ANA’s annual Summer Seminar Banquets. The three award categories are generously funded by Whitman Publishing and named after authors dedicated to educating the next generation of numismatists.

The Bill Fivaz Young Numismatist Literary Award honors writers who are aged 8 to 12. This year’s first place recipient was Adam Gilles for “Romulus and Remus.” Samuel T. Sternberg received second place with “The Dusk of Glory in U.S. Circulating Coins.” In third place was Caleb Black for “Chinese Silver Pandas.” 

The Q. David Bowers Young Numismatist Literary Award honors writers who are aged 13 to 17. This year’s first place recipient was Ross Koenig for “The Need for Artificial Intelligence-Based Coin Grading.” Kevin Wang placed second with “Unearthing History” and Jason Kim took third with his paper “The Original Error Coins.” 

The Kenneth E. Bressett Young Numismatist Literary Award is given to writers between the ages of 18 and 22. This year, first place was won by Rene D. Alvarenga for “Coin Grading: A Revolutionary Standard.” Third place was given to CJ Buchanan for “Gradflation by the Numbers.” No second place entries were awarded this year.

The first-place winners received a $500 cash prize, plus a $500 voucher with which to build a personal library of numismatic books produced by Whitman Publishing. Second- and third-place winners received book vouchers for $200 and $100, respectively. To learn more about this program, visit money.orgSelect “Awards” from the “Community” dropdown menu.

The American Numismatic Association is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of educational and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications and conventions. For more information, call (719) 632-2646 or visit money.org.

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