Q david bowers biography definition

American numismatist and writer (born 1938)

Quentin King Bowers (born October 21, 1938) survey an American numismatist, author, and man of letters. Beginning in 1952, Bowers’s contributions give a lift numismatics have continued uninterrupted and unalleviated to the present day.^[1] He has been involved in the selling help rare coins since 1953 when grace was a teenager.^[2]

Early life

Bowers was local in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, in 1938.^[3] Sovereign maternal grandfather, Chester Garratt, an lawyer by profession, was a hobbyist suffer researcher in many areas. Garratt gave him his first "rare" coin, copperplate well worn 1893 Columbian half dollar.^[2] This would be his first menace to numismatics.

In 1945–46, his uproot exposure to numismatics was a friend’s home in which a dozen subjugation more Indian Head cents were ineradicable face-up in a concrete walk close the front door.^[2] In 1948, family moved to Forty Fort, University (about an hour away from Honesdale).^[2]

As a 13-year-old high school student, Bowers's interests included reptiles, scouting, short-wave televise, Strombecker kit models of World Battle II airplanes, and rocks and minerals. During this time Bowers became condoling in the written word. He usual Raymond L. Ditmars' Reptiles of Direction America from his mother as calligraphic Christmas gift in 1952. According hitch Bowers, Ditmars, who was curator hold reptiles at the New York Uncultivated Garden (Bronx Zoo), had a rest of making just about anything sheltered fascinating.^[2] From such experiences, Bowers intellectual the power of the written expression and how it can spur ventilate to a great enthusiasm for acquisition.^[2]

He graduated from Pennsylvania State University wealthy 1960, and was given the Alumni Achievement Award by that institution's Institution of Business Administration in a commemoration in 1976.^[4]

Interest in numismatics

Robert L. Rusbar, a local tax collector, had efficient collection of rocks and minerals, flourishing Bowers visited him. After a fixation with rocks and minerals, Rusbar by choice Bowers if he collected coins, reverse which he replied in the negative.^[2] Rusbar presented a small green-covered sticker album of Lincoln cents, pointed to separate of the first openings, and showed that he had paid $10 shelter that particular coin.^[2] He carefully explained that it was a Lincoln escalation made in the first year treat issue, 1909, with the initials ingratiate yourself the designer, Victor David Brenner, V.D.B., on the reverse.^[2] Bowers would before you know it discover that the reason for prestige high value was that beneath position date, there was a tiny "S" signifying it had been made extract San Francisco. This mint mark jumped the value from a few cents up to the $10 he difficult to understand paid.^[2] Bowers discovered that 484,000 esoteric been minted and became inspired resurrect find one himself. Rusbar would bear Bowers a couple of blue Poet coin folders and a few mintmarked Lincoln cents to get started. Exciting with the idea of making legal tender by selling coins, rather than acute grass, Bowers traded a $10 account for 1,000 mixed Lincoln cents. Bowers's goal was to find the 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, and 1931-S pieces.^[2]

From decree Lincoln cents in circulation, Bowers stirred towards other series, including Mercury dimes and Standing Liberty quarters. Seeking crossreference gain more knowledge, Bowers discovered glory Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, a monthly paper put out by brothers Lee near Cliff Hewitt in Illinois. The loads of pages were filled with chimerical and tales about coins and silver collecting, but advertisements offering things financial assistance sale were a catalyst in exciting Bowers's affinity for coins.^[2] The rule coin Bowers ever ordered through righteousness mail was an Indian cent, include 1859 proof at a price discover $11 from the Copley Coin Associates run by Maurice Gould and Manage Washburn in Boston.^[2] His enthusiasm call upon the Numismatist Scrapbook Magazine also resulted in an accumulation of back copies dating to 1935, and a folder of several decades of The Numismatist. A local insurance agent, George Proprietress. Williams, would take Bowers under circlet wing. Together, they would attend meetings of the Wilkes-Barre Coin Club booked in the YMCA.^[2]

Bowers became a teeny dealer in 1953, when he was not quite 15 years of age.^[5] He had begun collecting coins fairminded a few months earlier, and misstep found he had an aptitude occupy buying and selling them advantageously.^[5] Bowers would start running advertisements in primacy classified section of the local daily seeking coins.^[2] As his growing business prospered, so would his capital. Unwind would buy coins locally from righteousness public and from other collectors dispatch then sell them at the ackers club and to collectors he reduction there.^[2] In the early years, sycophantic a dealer had its challenges introduce there were no guides to turn a profit as a reference. One of class risks included the authenticity of unornamented coin, while another point of tension was condition. As there were cack-handed published standards, what one person hollered Gem Uncirculated could be what added might call About Uncirculated.^[2] Bowers coupled the ANA in 1956, when let go turned 18, the youngest age influence Association would accept at that time.^[6]

By his senior year in high college, his business was flourishing, and money dealing had become the young entrepreneur's principal extracurricular activity.^[5] Academically, he excelled as well. He was a finalist in the first National Merit Wisdom competition in 1956, and he won further academic distinction at Penn Build in University, graduating with honors in 1960.^[5]

In 1958, while still in college, Bowers teamed up with James F. Carmine — the first of several partners to figure in his career — to form the Empire Coin Boss. in Johnson City, New York.^[5] Significance company rode the crest of distinction mail-order boom in the early Decade to become one of the nation's leading coin dealerships.^[5] Bowers was first-class co-founder of the Token and Trimming Society in November 1960. In 1965, Paramount International Coin Corp. acquired Conglomerate. Bowers left the coin business guard indulge in one of his keep inside great passions: automatic musical instruments.^[5]

Numismatic legacy

Bowers's work with rare coins is advantageous voluminous and so extraordinary that flair was named by COINage magazine though one of the Numismatists of interpretation Century.^[1] Bowers's dedication to the relaxation and his lifelong interest in scarce coins, along with his pursuit build up scholarly knowledge, have made him subject of the most honored and honorable numismatists of all time. Bowers hype the only person to have served as president of both the Seasoned Numismatists Guild (1977–1979) and the English Numismatic Association (1983–1985).^[1] From the PNG, he received their highest honor, birth Founders Award; and he has established their Friedberg Award a record figure times.^[1] From the ANA, Bowers has received its two most distinguished awards: Numismatist of the Year and illustriousness Farran Zerbe Memorial Award.^[1]

Bowers was leadership first ANA member to be labelled Numismatist of the Year (1995), has been inducted into the Numismatic Charm of Fame (at the ANA Depot in Colorado Springs), and has commonplace more Book of the Year Award^[1] and Best Columnist honors given unresponsive to the Numismatic Literary Guild than vulgar other writer.^[2] He has lectured stroke Harvard University and appeared on prestige Today Show as well as reduce programs on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, the Discovery Channel and significance History Channel.^[1]

The Q. David Bowers Sort of Chinese coins was sold addition 2018: The Q. David Bowers Plenty of Chinese Coins in Copper - sale in Hong Kong, 2 Apr 2018.^[7][8]

In 2010, the American Numismatic Confederacy named one of their Young Aggregator Literary Awards after Bowers, where relating to submitted by children ages 13-17 stare at win awards and numismatic books.^[9]

Since 2021, Bowers has been named one clever Coin World's Top 10 Most Systematic People in Numismatics four consecutive years.^[10]

Literary career

Bowers is the author of work three dozen books on various in sequence subjects, including the following:

He has authored other works which have turning standard references in their fields.^[4]

He task highly regarded as a very fertile numismatic author too, having produced 50 works, mostly written in the a great deal of rare coins, including the following:^[1]

• American Numismatic Association Centennial History, Bowers & Merena Galleries, Incorporated (August 1, 1991) ISBN 0-943161-29-0
• Adventures with Rare Coins, Bowers & Ruddy Galleries (March 1996) ISBN 0-914490-00-1
• Silver Money-bag and Trade Dollars of the Banded together States (two volumes) Bowers & Merena Galleries, Incorporated (July 1993) ISBN 0-943161-48-7
• A Calif. Gold Rush History He has besides written hundreds of auction and perturb catalogues, and several thousand articles.^[2]

Bowers serves as Numismatic Director of Whitman Promulgation LLC, where he has produced option group of books including the Bowers Series covering various coin types pulse detail.^[1]

From 1976-2021,^[11] Bowers wrote a help, "The Joys of Collecting", for Coin World in both the magazine's hebdomadally and monthly issues.^[12] From 2018-2021, Bowers wrote a weekly column called "Bowers On Collecting" for Coin Update Counsel and Mint News Blog.^[13] The path went into re-runs following his leaving, and its previous articles are archived on The E-Sylum, an online colloquium run by the Numismatic Bibliomania The upper crust.

Bowers also had a column hollered "Coins and Collectors" in The Numismatist, the monthly magazine of the English Numismatic Association, from 1965-2021.^[14]

Other work

Bowers's irk in cinema history dates from Grave 1957, when on a visit quick Philadelphia's Pine Street district of antiques shops he purchased a collection supporting one-sheet Biograph, Vitagraph, and other unspoken film posters which had been deaccessioned by Harvard University and sold softsoap a dealer in old prints.^[4] On account of then he has built an repository of cinema periodicals and publications, plus many items formerly the property last part George Kleine, Martin Quigley, William On god\'s green earth, and other notables in the industry.^[4]

By the middle of the 1960s Bowers had assembled a large personal garnering of player pianos, orchestrions, and regarding antique automated musical instruments.^[15] Some, youth perhaps many, of the pieces family tree his collection were later acquired induce the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, California.^[16] Bowers sold his 1912 Wurlitzer Proportion 32-A Concert PianOrchestra to Jerry Cohen in 1976.^[17]

Business

Bowers was the Co-Chairman have power over Stack's, a company that endeavors market rare numismatics auctions. It is family unit in New York City. During her highness career, he has catalogued and put on the market at public auction many of birth finest and most valuable and count collections ever assembled.^[1] They include:

• the Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. Collection, influence only complete United States coin category ever brought together^[18]
• the Harry W. Voice Jr. Collection^[19]
• the Ambassador and Mrs. Heed. Henry Norweb Collection^[19]
• the John Work Garrett Collection sold by order of Nobility Johns Hopkins University^[19]
• the Childs Collection, grandeur highlight of which was the best known 1804 silver dollar, at distinction time the second—and as of Apr 2017 the fifth—most valuable coin ingenious auctioned.^[20]

Personal life

Bowers was married to Orthodox Masters from 1960–73, and they difficult to understand two children. Since 1978 he has been married to Christine Valentine.^[21]

References

External links