About The Numismatist

The Numismatist

The Numismatist is the official journal of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), published monthly from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and delivered to every ANA member as part of their membership. First published in 1888 — three years before the ANA itself existed — it is one of the oldest continuously published hobby journals in the United States and the leading voice of American coin collecting, covering coins, medals, tokens, and paper money with award-winning writing and photography.

The Four-Page Leaflet of 1888

The inaugural issue of The Numismatist was a four-page leaflet published in 1888 by Dr. George F. Heath, a physician and coin collector in Monroe, Michigan, who titled it The American Numismatist. Isolated from fellow collectors in a small town, Heath used the leaflet as a lifeline: he listed the coins he wanted to purchase, advertised his duplicate coins for sale, and discussed numismatic topics. It was a modest beginning — four pages of want lists, ads, and commentary — but it found many friends among other isolated collectors across the country.

The name was changed to The Numismatist soon after the launch, and Heath continued to publish the leaflet as his subscription list grew. The publication became, in effect, the gathering place for America's scattered coin collectors at a time when, as the ANA later noted, Americans who collected coins were few in number and largely isolated from one another until the 1850s, and various individuals published periodicals seeking to provide a forum for sharing numismatic information.

The Question That Founded an Association

As Heath's subscription list grew, a need for a national organization of numismatists became evident. The February 1891 edition of The Numismatist printed the question that would change the hobby: "What is the matter with having an American Numismatic Association?" A follow-up statement added: "There is nothing like the alliance of kindred pursuits to stimulate growth and interest."

On October 7 and 8, 1891, five men — Heath, William G. Jerrems, David Harlowe, J.A. Heckelman, and John Brydon — holding 26 proxies, met in Chicago with 61 charter members. The result was the founding of the American Numismatic Association, which has since become the largest nonprofit numismatic organization in the world. Heath then introduced the idea of a numismatic convention where members could make personal contact with other numismatists; the first convention was held in 1891, and after the 1907 convention in Columbus, Ohio, it was decided to hold annual conventions thereafter. The magazine thus literally gave birth to the organization it now serves.

The Zerbe Years

On June 16, 1908, Dr. Heath suddenly died. Farran Zerbe, then ANA president, assumed the task of editing and publishing The Numismatist, and soon purchased the publication from Heath's heirs. Zerbe — himself a notable figure, the creator of numerous political medals known as "Zerbe medals" — edited the magazine from 1909 to 1910. Heath's original printing press now resides at the ANA headquarters in Colorado Springs, a physical link to the four-page leaflet that started it all.

The 1911 Gift to the ANA

In 1911, W.C.C. Wilson of Montreal, Canada, purchased The Numismatist from Zerbe and presented it to the ANA. Since that period, the magazine has been owned and published monthly by the Association. What began as one collector's private leaflet became the official journal of the national organization — a transition that cemented the magazine's role as the institutional memory of American numismatics.

The Editors Across a Century

Over its long history, The Numismatist has been guided by fifteen editors who published key and groundbreaking articles on coins, medals, tokens, and paper money. Following Heath (1888–1908) and Zerbe (1909–1910) came Albert Frey (1911–1912), Edgar H. Adams (1912–1915), Frank G. Duffield (1915–1942), Lee F. Hewitt (1942–1943), Burton H. Saxton (1943–1944), Stuart Mosher (1945–1954), Elston G. Bradfield (1954–1966), Glenn B. Smedley (1966–1967), Edward C. Rochette (1967–1972), Thomas Marshall (1972–1973), Rochette again (1973–1974), N. Neil Harris (1974–1988), and Barbara J. Gregory (1988–2020). Smedley moved with the publication to the new ANA headquarters in Colorado Springs during his tenure.

The Bowers Column

In 1965, Q. David Bowers launched his "Coins and Collectors" column in the magazine — a fixture that ran until 2021, an extraordinary 56-year run that introduced generations of collectors to the stories behind the coins. Bowers, one of numismatics' most prolific authors, made the column a beloved institution, and its long run testifies to the magazine's role as a home for the hobby's best writing.

The Barbara Gregory Era

Barbara J. Gregory became editor in 1988 and led the magazine for 32 years as editor-in-chief, with 39 years total on the staff, retiring in April 2020. Her tenure saw the magazine modernize while preserving its scholarly character. She was succeeded by Caleb Noel, who at age 29 became the youngest editor-in-chief in the magazine's history. Under Noel's leadership, the magazine premiered a redesign in October 2023, refreshing the look of a journal whose visual identity had evolved gradually over more than a century.

The Digital Archive

In December 2015, the ANA announced that it had digitized every issue of the magazine — more than 125 years of numismatic scholarship made searchable and accessible. The digital archive gives researchers, collectors, and historians access to the complete run of The Numismatist, from Heath's 1888 leaflets through the modern era, preserving the hobby's primary documentary record.

The Reading Room

In November 2023, the Association launched an online publication, The Reading Room, described as "tailor-made for the tech generation." The new publication covers breaking industry news, features exclusive articles not featured in the magazine, publishes fan-favorite columns from The Numismatist two weeks before the digital edition is published, and features audio versions of articles on the go. The ANA's "YN Perspective" column was also moved to The Reading Room and became a biweekly publication. The digital companion extends the magazine's reach to younger collectors raised on screens rather than paper.

The Heath Literary Awards

The magazine's writing is honored through the Heath Literary Awards, introduced in 1949 and named for the founder. The awards recognize outstanding articles published in each volume of the magazine, presented annually at the ANA World's Fair of Money. In 2014, for example, first place went to Donald H. Kagin for his February 2013 article "Treasury Notes of the War of 1812," with Andrew Laurie Stangel taking second place for "Medaling in Politics: The Artful Satire of Karl Goetz" and Gary M. Greenbaum third for "The Other Side of the Oregon Trail Half Dollar." The awards underline the magazine's standing as a venue for serious numismatic scholarship.

Official Website

The Numismatist is published by the American Numismatic Association, whose official website is https://www.money.org. All members of the ANA receive the publication as part of their membership benefits. The magazine is filled with articles and columns that are both educational and entertaining, and ANA members also enjoy free access to the association's extensive library of books, catalogs, and media. The association maintains the Numismatic Hall of Fame, hosts the annual World's Fair of Money conventions held in various cities on a rotational basis, and runs the annual Summer Seminar at its Colorado Springs headquarters — week-long courses offering total immersion in subjects such as grading, variety attribution, and research.