Q. David Bowers
By Lee F. Hewitt
I first met Abe Kosoff at the 1937 American Numismatic Association convention in Washington, D. C. We were both in our twenties. Those of us in that age group were quite a minority at national conventions, so we became well acquainted.
The dealer bourse had not yet arrived at ANA conventions. At that time the typical convention fare consisted of Association business in the morning and a sightseeing tour in the afternoon. The daily bus tours, usually about four bus loads, further fostered getting acquainted.
Abe had just started his national advertising in a small way, doing business from his location in the Bowery in New York City. He advertised continuously in my Numismatic Scrapbook for the next 30 years. I never received even one complaint from a reader-not even a trivial one.
From the early years of his numismatic career he demonstrated an intense interest in organizing numismatics. Once the bourse became a fixture at the annual American Numismatic Association convention, it seemed to be the norm for him to pay for a table and then have it closed most of the time, for he was busy attending committee or specialized group meetings.
In the later years of his life he certainly qualified as a "elder statesman" of organized numismatics-a mantle that he wore with dignity and pride. The national, most regional, and many local organizations were better because of Abe's efforts. The last time I had close contact with him was at the Numismatic Literary Guild meeting held during the 1979 ANA convention in St. Louis. On that occasion it was my pleasure and honor to award the coveted "Clemmy" award to my friend, Abraham Kosoff.