The American Numismatic Association (ANA) has announced that awards for exceptional numismatic writers will be presented at this year’s World’s Fair of Money in Chicago.
The American Numismatic Association’s 2024 literary awards – recognizing articles published in the 2023 volume of its official magazine, The Numismatist – will be presented during the Member Awards and Donor Celebration at the Chicago World’s Fair of Money® on Aug. 8. The Numismatist was launched by ANA founder and first editor Dr. George F. Heath in 1888. This year marks its 137th volume.
The Heath Literary Award, introduced in 1949, acknowledges outstanding articles published in the preceding 12 months.
- First place goes to William R. Eckberg for “French Liberty & the American Civil War” (September 2023).The author will receive $250, an engraved nickel-silver medal, and a certificate.
- David Schenkman earned second place ($100, an engraved bronze medal, and a certificate) for “Philadelphia Incuse Lettering Tokens of the 1850s” (October 2023).
- In third place (engraved bronze medal and a certificate) is Ronald B. Gammill and John F. Conour for “Overlooked & Misattributed: The Medallions, Medalets, and Counterstamps of Lafayette’s 1824 Visit” (June 2023).
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.
- Roger W. Burdette received first place ($400 and a certificate) for “A Brief History of United States Proof Coins, Parts 1 & 2” (January & February 2023).
- Second place ($200 and certificate) goes to David Schenkman for “The War at Coal Creek” (June 2023).
- Gammill and Conour received third place (certificate) for their article on medallions, medalets, and counterstamps of Lafayette’s visit.
Founded by an anonymous donor, the Catherine Sheehan Literary Award for Paper Money Studies includes $50 and a certificate for first place.
- David Schenkman took the top prize for “The Green Family’s Maryland Currency” (March 2023).
- Second place (certificate) goes to Nick Bruyer for “The Mafia’s Morristown Fives” (December 2023).
- Ray Williams received third place (certificate) for “The British are Coming!” (July 2023)
The Prue and Arthur Fitts Literary Award for Ancient and Medieval Coinage Studies recognizes literary excellence in those fields.
- Allen Berman received first place ($250 and a plaque) for “Power Struggle” (March 2023).
- Earning second place (certificate) is Aedan Garcia for “The Eleusinian Mysteries” (March 2023).
- Steve M. Benner received third place (certificate) for “The Ill-Fated Sons of Roman Emperors” (December 2023).
Honorable mentions for this year include “The Case of the Missing U.S. Diplomatic Medal” by Eric Brothers (August 2023) and “Civil War Postage Stamp Envelopes” by Christopher Bulfinch (November 2023).
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.
2024 Young Numismatist Literary Award Winners
The 2024 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 John Swindling for “The History of the 2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollar.” Urso Blackburn received second place with “Flora and Fauna on U.S. Non-Gold Coins.” In third place was Georgia VanDaniker for “Why Coin Collecting is Fun.”
The Q. David Bowers Young Numismatist Literary Award honors writers who are aged 13 to 17. This year’s first place recipient was JP Coogan for “The Phrygian Cap.” Veera Anand placed second with “The First South Indian Revolutionary Queen ‘Rani Mangammal'” and Jackson Hancock took third with his paper “Cowry Shells as Currency in the Mali Empire.”
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 “Inspiration in Your Pockets.” No second or third 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.org/american-numismatic-association-awards.
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.