Q. David Bowers
By Kenneth E. Bresset
My first conversation with Abe Kosoff was in 1946 or 1947, and it seemed to be nothing very special. We simply started talking across his bourse table at a regional coin show in New England. Abe was like that. Never aloof, always easy to talk with and always entertaining.
The meeting was not at all like the electric experience of encountering B. Max Mehl for the first time, yet both were memorable in their own way. Both men were always diplomatic and concerned with newcomers to the hobby. Abe was always the consummate gentleman; Mehl seemed more businesslike at all times and usually somewhat rushed, but he was always likeable and cheerful. With Abe, the conversation never lagged-he was genuinely interested in everything and everybody.
And so we talked, and I learned much about Abe and the inner workings of professional coin dealing. Just being a full-time professional in those days was something of a scarcity. Those of Abe's stature were even rarer. He was well known throughout the hobby because of his grand auctions, intensive advertising and attendance at coin shows. Equally impressive to a small-town youngster was the fact that Abe conducted his business in New York City, the very hub of all coin activity, and he seemed to know everything and everybody associated with numismatics.
Subsequent meetings at coin shows became frequent and even warmer. Just knowing and being able to talk with Abe was a learning experience because he could and would share his vast knowledge freely. Stories of the great rarities sold in his auctions and the personalities involved were a never ending source of delight for both Abe and his listeners. He had a knack for making everyone seem very special, and I often thought that each had to live up to Abe's expectations and contribute to the advancement of the hobby because of his encouraging words and example.
Among his most entertaining stories were the accounts of his trip to Cairo for the auction of the coins of Farouk, the deposed king of Egypt. The sale took place in 1954, and only a handful of Americans attended, but the event will long be remembered for the great number of rarities offered, the disorganized catalogue and the extremely low prices even for that era. Years after the auction, it was always the topic of conversation whenever one or more of the participants had time to discuss it. Abe Kosoff and Hans Schulman could always top any story with their experiences. They had been more involved than any of the others, and they did not have to embellish their stories to make them entertaining.
In giving of himself to his profession, Abe was always involved in numerous projects. The American Numismatic Association and the Professional Numismatists Guild took much of his time. He also somehow found time to write and speak whenever called upon, head a committee, judge exhibits or pitch in and get any job done. Some of my close contacts came while working with him on Numismatic Literary Guild functions. No task was ever beyond his willingness to be accommodating and helpful, and many times he would save the day by filling in as a last minute substitute for a missing committeeman, speaker or master of ceremonies.
The true measure of this man was best shown to me when we worked closely on book publishing projects. Periodical revisions to the Guide Book of United States Coins and Dr. J. Hewitt Judd's United States Patterns book were some of our first collaborations. He always had something of value to add to every project. There seemed to be no end to the numismatic information he had accumulated, and accurately remembered, over the years.
In the period of several years prior to the publication of the ANA Grading Standards for U.S. Coins, we were in constant contact by letter or telephone, often as much as three times a week, trying to resolve basic problems and arrive at a workable system. If it were not for his dedication and tenacity, the work never would have been finished. Whatever the situation called for, Abe was always willing to experiment, compromise, start over, or fight for his convictions. The end result, a workable, unified grading system, will last forever as an example of this man's dedication to numismatics.
Of all of Abe's attributes, a single quality stands out in my mind that describes him fully: he was a gentleman, always and in every sense of the word. All other laurels aside, I think that he would relish being remembered that way.