Abe Kosoff: Dean of Numismatics

At the ANA's annual convention in 1972, held that year in New Orleans, the highest honor given by the ANA, the Farran Zerbe Award, was presented to Abe Kosoff, who at the time was completing his 42nd year as a professional numismatist. The citation noted:

"Kosoff, who began his numismatic career in New York City in 1930, has rubbed shoulders with both the humble and the great in the hobby, and has had a career in service which peaked most recently in his dedicated and determined efforts on behalf of the American Numismatic Authentication Trust.

"An innovator of successful ideas, Kosoff was the founder of the Numismatic Gallery in New York and creator of the Numismatic Gallery Awards. He organized the PNG and is past chairman of the ANA Life Members' Club and the ANA Dealers' Committee.

"He is a past member of the ANA Convention Committee and served as editor for four different ANA convention journals over a 12-year period, as well as conducting six different ANA convention auctions... "

At the banquet, the Farran Zerbe Award presentation was made by ANA president John Jay Pitt man, a long-time friend.

One of the highlights of Abe Kosoff's career was the October 1972 sale for $100,000 of the Hydeman example of the 1913 Liberty nickel, plus an 1804 silver dollar at $80,000, and an 1894- dime sold to the same party earlier for $50,000 representing a total of $230,000-certainly stunning transactions. The buyer was World-Wide Coin Investments, an Atlanta, Georgia firm under the supervision of John Hamrick, with Marl Hamrick, Warren Tucker, and other prominent numismatists on the staff. World-Wide, which was a publicly owned firm, sought to make a splash-in the news media, and this they certainly did. Abe Kosoff subsequently reported the situation in his Coin World column:

"The magic number $100,000 came up for Edwin M. Hydeman when his famous 1913 Liberty Head nickel was sold to World-Wide Coin Investments, Ltd., of Atlanta, Georgia. This represents a new world record price for a single coin. The previous high was for the Mickley 180, silver dollar, which fetched $77,500. Hydeman ha owned this rarity since acquiring it from the lab B. Max Mehl's auction of the Will W. Neil Collection.

'The coin was included in the auction to be sold for King Farouk, who suddenly found himself the owner of two 1913 Liberty Head nickels. Originally this coin was in the Fred Olsen Collection via Burdette G. Johnson of St. Louis and James Kelly of Ohio. Farouk submitted a bid. Before the auction closed, Farouk purchased the F.C.C. Boyd specimen of the 1913 nickel from me. When Mehl advised Farouk that he was awarded the Olsen piece as well, Farouk asked that Mehl resell it for lim. Hydeman then purchased it.

Abe Kosoff as master of ceremonies at the Numismatic Association of Southern California banquet in February 1970.

Gold dollars as well as several interesting collections were offered by Abe Kosoff in "The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine," issue of December 1970.